DataSag guides · Updated 27 October 2026

Load analytics without blocking rendering on Ruby on Rails

Use the platform's non-blocking external script mechanism and install the tracker once. Measure the published page before and after the change; script size alone cannot predict the effect on your website. This guide applies to Ruby on Rails.

Start with the Ruby on Rails installation

Add the deferred external script once inside the head of the layout your public Rails views use, commonly app/views/layouts/application.html.erb. Preserve yield, asset tags, CSRF metadata and policy helpers. Inspect controller-specific layouts before assuming the application layout covers every route.

Turbo Drive, Turbo Frames and a full document visit have different lifecycles. The current tracker is a browser script with History API handling, not a native Turbo adapter. Test full-page and Turbo navigation before claiming coverage, and avoid placing the loader in each frame response.

Use the public project key from the DataSag project you are inspecting. A test on a preview domain does not confirm that the production domain has the same code or settings.

Load analytics without blocking rendering in Ruby on Rails

  1. Use the deferred external script in the applicable Rails layout and preserve asset, CSRF and CSP helpers. Keep its loading owner outside frame partials and repeatedly connected controllers.
  2. Measure a public full-document load with consistent cache and network conditions. Test the same layout before and after the change so a controller selecting another layout does not distort the comparison.
  3. If Turbo is enabled, inspect execution and early actions during Turbo navigation separately from initial load timing. A reused browser document can keep old listeners even when the new page source looks correct.

The measured Rails layout loads one tracker non-blockingly, with persistent Turbo-document behavior assessed separately.

Complete the collection checks

  1. Record a baseline of the published page using the same browser, device emulation and network settings you will use for comparison. Include a representative content page, not only the homepage.
  2. Use defer for a normal external HTML script, or the framework-specific loading strategy shown in the installation example. Do not add a parser-blocking synchronous script as a shortcut.
  3. Keep one installation in the shared document or layout. Duplicate execution adds work even if the browser reuses the downloaded file.
  4. Inspect the Network waterfall for tracker.js and /api/track. Compare transfer size, timing and request count on a cold load and a cached load.
  5. Check that measurement still starts at the intended point. Loading only after idle or interaction can omit short visits and early clicks; performance and coverage must be evaluated together.
  6. Repeat the measurements and record variability. Report measured results for your page rather than claiming a universal speed improvement or zero performance cost.
// Browser Console, after loading the published page:
performance.getEntriesByType('resource')
  .filter(entry => entry.name.includes('/tracker.js'))
  .map(entry => ({ url: entry.name, durationMs: entry.duration }));
// Cross-origin transfer details may be unavailable.

What a successful check looks like

The script uses a non-blocking loading mechanism, appears once and records the intended visits. Any performance claim comes from repeatable measurements of the actual site.

Record the public path you tested, the browser state, the approximate time and the observed request. Check one direct page load and one later navigation so the result covers more than the homepage.

Common mistake

A faster lab result does not prove every visitor has a faster experience. Avoid mixing a warm-cache result with a cold-load baseline.

Installation snippet for Ruby on Rails

The shared installation belongs in the head of the applicable ERB application layout. Use this as the installation reference while checking the procedure above.

<script defer src="https://www.datasag.com/tracker.js" data-datasag-key="YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY"></script>

Related Ruby on Rails guides

Full Ruby on Rails setup guide · Search and AI visibility

References

Official Ruby on Rails documentation covers the integration point. For DataSag data handling, read the privacy policy. Use support if a request fails after these checks.