Browser Observability

🌐 Browser Monitoring

GermainUX continuously monitors the performance, behavior, errors, and user experience of browser-based applications.

By combining Real User Monitoring, Session Replay, heatmaps, automated friction detection, network analysis, and customizable business events, GermainUX helps teams understand what users experienced, why an issue occurred, who was affected, and its business impact.

🎯 Business outcomes

Browser Monitoring helps organizations:

Outcome

Improve user experience by detecting behavioral and technical friction.

Increase conversion by identifying errors, slowness, and abandonment.

Improve application adoption by revealing confusing or underused features.

Increase employee productivity by identifying inefficient workflows and time lost.

Reduce issue-investigation time with searchable Session Replay and technical evidence.

Detect browser-specific regressions and compatibility issues.

Prioritize improvements according to affected users and business impact.

Notify teams or initiate approved actions when important conditions occur.

📦 Deployment options

Deployment

When to use

GermainUX RUM JS

The monitoring script can be deployed in the web application

GermainUX RUM Extension

Script injection is unavailable, browser-level deployment is required, or the application’s root page is controlled by a third party

GermainUX JS Profiler

Deeper JavaScript execution analysis is required for selected diagnostic users

GermainUX RPA Bot Recorder

Critical browser workflows must be tested proactively

The precise coverage depends on the application architecture, browser security model, selected GermainUX component, browser capabilities, and configured privacy controls.

👁️ Real User Monitoring

GermainUX records authorized browser activity as users interact with the monitored application.

Depending on the configuration, collected activity can include:

Activity

Page loads and single-page application navigation

Clicks, touches, searches, and selections

Form and input activity

Application and browser metadata

JavaScript and console events

Network requests

User-visible messages

Popup dialogs

Browser freezes and long tasks

Business-process milestones

Customer-defined events

User feedback

The collected data remains structured, timed, and searchable for analytics and investigation.

🔁 Session Replay

GermainUX Session Replay visually reconstructs each monitored browser session with millisecond-level event timing.

Authorized users can:

Capability

Description

Sequence

See what a user did before and after an issue.

Navigate

Navigate directly to errors, slow requests, or workflow events.

Visibility

Determine whether an error was visible to the user.

Inspect

Inspect related console and network activity.

Search

Search for users, pages, text, actions, and business identifiers.

Compare

Compare successful and unsuccessful sessions.

Investigate

Investigate complaints without requiring the user to reproduce the problem.

Session Replay is more than a video. The underlying activity remains available as structured events that can be analyzed across the entire monitored population.

See User Session Monitoring, Replay & 6 Heatmaps.

🔥 Heatmaps

GermainUX provides six heatmap and behavioral-overlay types for analyzing activity within individual sessions or across groups of users.

Heatmaps can help identify:

Insight

Details

Frequently used areas

Frequently used page areas

Neglected elements

Elements that attract little attention

Dead clicks

Dead or ineffective clicks

Repeated interactions

Repeated interactions

Rage clicks

Rage clicks

Engagement patterns

Engagement and navigation patterns

Scroll behavior

Scroll and visibility behavior

Segment differences

Differences between user segments or outcomes

Heatmaps should be interpreted alongside Session Replay and business outcomes. A frequently clicked element may be successful, confusing, or unresponsive depending on what happens afterward.

🖱️ Click and interaction monitoring

GermainUX monitors browser clicks and can automatically distinguish:

Interaction

Description

Standard click

A normal mouse click or touch interaction

Dead click

An interaction that produces no detected page effect within the configured period

Error click

An interaction followed by a JavaScript console error

Rage click

Repeated, consecutive interactions with the same element

User action

A customer-defined interaction associated with a feature or business event

Thresholds and exclusions can be adjusted for the monitored application.

See Dead, Error and Rage Click Monitoring.

🚤 Page and user-experience performance

GermainUX measures browser performance as experienced by real users.

Available insights can include:

Metric

Details

Page-load duration

Page-load duration

SPA route changes

Single-page application route changes

Interaction response

User-interaction response time

Resource load

Resource-load duration

Network duration

Network-request duration

Element visibility

Element visibility and performance

Custom marks


Custom performance marks and measures

Long tasks

Browser long tasks

Freezes

Browser freezes

JS memory

JavaScript memory consumption

Page memory

Page memory consumption

Server-Timing

Server-Timing values

Results can be segmented by page, route, browser, browser version, device, operating system, geography, application version, user group, or another authorized attribute.

🧭 Core Web Vitals

GermainUX collects supported Core Web Vitals and related browser-performance metrics made available by the monitored browser.

These can include:

Vital

Details

Largest Contentful Paint

Largest Contentful Paint

Cumulative Layout Shift

Cumulative Layout Shift

Responsiveness

Browser responsiveness metrics available to the installed GermainUX and browser versions

Related measurements

Related page-load and interaction measurements

Browser support and the Core Web Vitals defined by browser vendors evolve over time. The available metrics therefore depend on the GermainUX version, browser, and browser API support.

See Core Web Vitals.

📑 Element and performance-mark monitoring

Monitor the visibility and performance of important page elements and customer-defined browser performance marks.

Examples include:

Example

Details

CTA appearance

Time until a primary call to action appears

Search results

Time until search results are displayed

Dashboard usability

Time until a dashboard or report becomes usable

Modal appearance

Time until a modal or customer record appears

Milestone duration

Duration between two application-defined milestones

Element presence

Whether an expected element was displayed

See Element and Mark Performance Monitoring.

🐛 JavaScript errors and console events

GermainUX captures supported browser-console activity and JavaScript errors, including:

Captured

Details

Exceptions

JavaScript exceptions

Console issues

Console errors and warnings

Promise rejections

Unhandled promise rejections

App messages

Application-generated console messages

Stack traces

Stack traces when available

User-associated errors

Errors associated with a user interaction

Contextual errors

Errors associated with an application version or page

Teams can analyze:

Analysis

Details

New vs recurring

New versus recurring errors

Affected users

Affected users and sessions

Trends

Frequency and trend

Context

Application, page, browser, and version

Visibility

Whether the error was visible to the user

Related activity

Related user actions and network requests

Business impact

Conversion, workflow, or productivity impact

See JavaScript Console and Error Monitoring and Unhandled Promise Rejection Monitoring.

⏳ Browser freezes and JavaScript long tasks

GermainUX detects supported JavaScript long tasks that can make a browser page feel slow, frozen, or unresponsive.

image-20231219-103620.png

Freeze/Long-task insights can be correlated with:

Correlation

Details

The interaction

The affected user interaction

Page/route

Page or route

App version

Application version

Browser/device

Browser and device

JS errors

JavaScript errors

Network

Network activity

Session Replay

Session Replay

Business delays

Business-process delays

A long task is evidence that the browser’s main thread was occupied; it does not by itself identify the responsible function. Deploy the JS Profiler when function-level JavaScript analysis is required.

image-20231219-104330.png

See JavaScript Long Task or Browser Freeze Detection.

💾 Browser memory

GermainUX can collect supported JavaScript and page-memory measurements.

Memory monitoring can help detect:

Issue

Details

Rising memory

Increasing memory consumption

High usage pages

Pages or workflows associated with high memory usage

Version differences

Differences between application versions

Progressive slowness

Sessions that become progressively slower

Possible leaks

Possible memory leaks requiring further investigation

The available memory information varies by browser and browser API support. A rising memory measurement can indicate a problem but does not by itself prove that a memory leak exists.

See JavaScript and Page Memory Monitoring.

📡 Network-request monitoring

GermainUX monitors supported requests initiated from the browser, including fetch and XMLHttpRequest activity where accessible.

Collected information can include:

Field

Details

URL & method

URL and HTTP method

Duration

Request duration

HTTP status

HTTP status

Size

Request and response size

Failures

Failed or canceled requests

Timing


Request timing

Related interaction

Related user interaction

Custom attributes

Customer-defined request and response attributes

Correlation IDs

Correlation identifiers

Use network monitoring to identify:

Problem

Slow APIs

Failed requests

Authentication problems

Repeated requests

Unavailable dependencies

Requests associated with user-visible errors

Network activity causing workflow delays

Sensitive URLs, headers, query parameters, request bodies, response bodies, cookies, and tokens must be excluded or masked.

See Network Requests Monitoring.

⚙️ Server-Timing monitoring

When an application returns the standard Server-Timing response header, GermainUX can collect the metrics made available by the server.

These values can help divide an observed browser request into application-defined server stages, such as:

Examples

Application processing

Database activity

Cache access

External-service calls

Rendering or preparation

The browser can expose only the Server-Timing information returned by the application and permitted by cross-origin policies.

See Server Timing Monitoring.

🔌 WebSocket monitoring

GermainUX can monitor supported WebSocket activity within instrumented browser applications.

Depending on configuration and browser access, insights can include:

Insights

Connection opening and closing

Connection duration

Errors

Message activity

Customer-defined WebSocket events

Activity associated with a user session or workflow

WebSocket payload collection should be limited to data that is necessary and authorized.

See WebSocket Monitoring.

💬 Popup-dialog monitoring

GermainUX can detect native browser dialogs such as:

Type

alert

confirm

prompt

It can record when a dialog appears or closes and, when configured, measure how long it remained active.

Dialog content may contain sensitive business or personal data and should be masked or excluded when required.

See Popup Dialog Monitoring.

🛡️ Browser reports and policy violations

Where supported by the browser, GermainUX can collect browser-reported events such as:

Details

Content Security Policy violations

Permissions Policy violations

Deprecated feature usage

Browser interventions

These insights help developers identify compatibility, security-policy, and future browser-support risks.

Browser support varies. The current capability is primarily available in Chromium-based browsers.

See Browser Deprecated Features and Policy Violations Monitoring.

💥 Browser crash detection

GermainUX can detect supported signals indicating that a monitored browser tab or page terminated unexpectedly.

Crash analysis can help identify:

Details

Affected pages and workflows

Browser and browser version

Device and operating system

Application version

Activity preceding the termination

Memory, errors, or long tasks observed before the event

Browser security and lifecycle behavior prevent any browser-side monitor from detecting every possible process, operating-system, power, or network termination.

See Browser Crash Monitoring.

🔋 Battery monitoring

On supported browsers and devices, GermainUX can create an event when:

Event

Details

Low battery

The battery level falls below a configured threshold.

Charging change

The charging status changes.

Battery information can provide useful context for mobile or field users, but availability is limited by browser support and device permissions.

See Battery Level Monitoring.

🏷️ Application metadata

Metadata extractors associate browser activity with authorized application and business context.

Extracted metadata can include:

Metadata

Username

Session ID

Role/team

Tenant

App version

Identifiers

Product

Business process

Custom attributes

Metadata can be extracted from authorized page content, application state, cookies, or asynchronous application logic.

See Metadata Extractors.

📞 Chat and CTI monitoring

For supported chat and CTI components embedded in a monitored web application, GermainUX can capture events such as:

Event

Details

Chat visibility

Chat expanded, minimized, or hidden

Conversation state

Conversation started or ended

Message send

Message sent

Link click

Link clicked

Operator status

Operator available or unavailable

Conversation duration

Conversation duration

Response time

Operator response time

Message-content collection and analysis require appropriate technical access and organizational authorization.

See Chat/CTI Monitoring.

🎥 Video interaction monitoring

GermainUX can monitor supported user interactions with embedded video players without streaming or storing the video itself.

Depending on the player integration, events can include:

Details

Play

Pause

Seek

Completion

Viewing duration

Playback progress

Player errors

See Video Monitoring.

📈 Business-process, adoption, and conversion monitoring

Browser events can represent milestones in customer journeys and employee workflows.

GermainUX can analyze:

Process Analysis/Insights details

Process starts and completions

Step and end-to-end duration

Repeated steps

Abandonment and drop-off

Feature adoption

Conversion

Lost productivity

Errors and performance conditions affecting the outcome

Differences by user or customer segment

Examples include registration, checkout, case management, quote creation, application processing, and employee approvals.

👍 User feedback

The GermainUX Feedback Popup can collect ratings, comments, and customer-defined feedback within a monitored application.

Feedback can be connected to the corresponding:

Linked to

User session

Session Replay

Page or route

Business-process milestone

Error or performance condition

Application version

User or customer segment

This helps teams understand what happened before the feedback was submitted and measure whether other users encountered the same condition.

🔧 Browser APIs and custom events

The GermainUX browser APIs can be used to:

Capability

Create custom events and transactions

Add application and business metadata

Define workflow milestones

Record customer-specific measures

Control supported monitoring behavior

Associate browser activity with application identifiers

Extend monitoring for custom UI components

See APIs for Browser Monitoring.

📊 Analytics and correlation

Browser insights can be analyzed using:

Tools

KPIs, measures, and pivots

Historical trends

Segmentation

SLAs

Outlier and anomaly detection

Session Replay

Heatmaps

Business-impact analysis

Custom dashboards and reports

AI-assisted analysis when configured

With compatible identifiers, browser activity can be correlated with:

Correlate with

Backend transactions

Application code

APIs

Logs

Databases

Integrations

Servers and infrastructure

Business processes

See KPIs for Browser Monitoring, Analytics, and Correlation or Tracing.

🔔 Alerts and automated actions

When GermainUX detects a relevant browser insight, it can:

Action

Details

Send alert

Send an alert.

Notify via Watch

Notify interested users through a Watch.

Generate report

Generate a report.

Call endpoint

Call an authorized HTTP endpoint.

Execute script

Execute an approved diagnostic script.

Initiate ticket

Initiate a ticket or operational workflow.

Start remediation

Start an approved remediation action.

Examples include notifying a team when a new JavaScript error affects users, an API failure exceeds its SLA, conversion declines, or a synthetic browser workflow fails.

See Automation.

🔒 Security and privacy

Before enabling browser monitoring:

Step

Details

Define scope

Define which applications, pages, and users may be monitored.

Configure consent

Configure consent where required.

Mask sensitive fields

Mask or exclude sensitive fields and content.

Exclude secrets

Exclude passwords, payment information, authentication tokens, and secrets.

Review collection

Review URL, network, console, WebSocket, popup, chat, and metadata collection.

Restrict Replay

Restrict Session Replay and sensitive analytics to authorized roles.

Configure retention

Configure retention and deletion policies.

Validate privacy rules

Validate privacy rules across dynamic application states.

Review configuration

Review the configuration whenever the application changes.

Collect only the information required for the approved monitoring purpose.

warning Limitations

Browser-monitoring coverage depends on:

Dependency

Details

Browser/version

Browser and browser version

Architecture

Application architecture

Origin boundaries

Same-origin and cross-origin boundaries

Content Security Policy

Content Security Policy

API support

Browser API support

Permissions

RUM JS or extension permissions

Ownership

Application ownership

Privacy config

Privacy configuration

Sampling/consent

Sampling and consent

GermainUX version

Deployed GermainUX version

RUM JS observes only the browser contexts it can access. Cross-origin frames and third-party applications may require the GermainUX RUM Extension or additional authorized instrumentation.

Browser monitoring does not automatically expose internal backend execution. Deploy the GermainUX Engine and supported Code Profiler components when server-side evidence is required.

⚙️ Deployment and configuration

For your browser-based application

Review Deploy Monitoring of Browser.

Deploy GermainUX RUM JS when the monitoring script can be added to the application.

Deploy the GermainUX RUM Extension when script injection or root-page access is unavailable.

Configure browser monitoring through Configure Monitoring of Browser.

Configure the application, URLs, single-page application routes, metadata, and UX Monitoring Profile.

Configure Session Replay, heatmaps, consent, masking, exclusions, sampling, and retention.

Enable the required click, error, network, performance, memory, long-task, WebSocket, popup, browser-report, chat, video, and battery monitoring.

Configure custom business events and business-process milestones.

Deploy the GermainUX JS Profiler when function-level JavaScript analysis is required.

Deploy the GermainUX Engine and Code Profiler for backend monitoring and frontend-to-backend correlation.

Configure KPIs, SLAs, dashboards, alerts, Watches, reports, and approved actions.

Validate data collection, browser compatibility, privacy controls, and business-event accuracy before production rollout.

ℹ️ Get Help

The Germain Team can help you set this up. Contact GermainUX Support.


Feature Availability: 2022.1 or later