Proposal to add telemetry to Hyperswitch Suite

[dev-rathor]

Motivation

Hyperswitch currently lacks precise data on installations, version popularity and the continued use of outdated or insecure releases. This insight is crucial for making informed decisions on deprecations, feature development, and security outreach. Relying solely on GitHub activity and anecdotal reports leaves significant gaps in our understanding of real-world usage.

Proposed Change

We propose integrating Scarf into Hyperswitch in two complementary ways:

Package Telemetry

• Integration: Use Scarf’s package manager integration (npm or equivalent) to collect install metrics.
• Data Collection: Gather anonymized usage data such as version distribution and install frequency.

Tracking Pixel

• Implementation: Insert a single <img src="https://example.com/scarf-pixel.png" alt="Scarf Pixel" /> (the Scarf “pixel”) into the Hyperswitch UI components (e.g., in the footer or header).
• Privacy: The pixel respects the browser’s “Do Not Track” setting and discards IP addresses, ensuring that no personal data is stored.

A new configuration flag (for example, ENABLE_HYPERSWITCH_SCARF) will control both forms of telemetry. By default, this flag is enabled to gather data that informs Hyperswitch’s ongoing development, though users can easily disable or remove it if desired.

Privacy & Security

• Minimal Data: Scarf collects aggregated statistics only; no personally identifiable information (PII) such as IP addresses is retained.
• Opt-Out: The configuration flag provides a straightforward way to opt out of telemetry.
• Do Not Track: The tracking pixel fully respects the browser’s “Do Not Track” preference.

Benefits & Conclusion

Implementing Scarf analytics will help maintainers:

• Identify trends in version adoption,
• Address security risks associated with older releases, and
• Shape a more informed product roadmap.

With minimal overhead—a minor release update and a few lines of code—the potential benefits of data-driven improvements to Hyperswitch are significant.