---
title: Use Relay to send events
slug: o1n90002
canonical_url: https://docs.coveo.com/en/o1n90002/
collection: coveo-for-commerce
source_format: adoc
---
# Use Relay to send events

This article discusses how to use Relay to send [events](https://docs.coveo.com/en/260/) to [Coveo Analytics](https://docs.coveo.com/en/182/).

Relay's initialization options let you authenticate requests and direct them to the correct endpoint.
Once set up, Relay actively manages various aspects of generic event logging, including enriching events with browser-specific details like [user agent](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/Headers/User-Agent) and local time.
It also maintains a unique [clientId](https://docs.coveo.com/en/lbjf0131/) for each browser and device combination.

The following section provides an overview of how to initialize Relay using [NPM](https://www.npmjs.com/).
For more detailed information on all the available functionality, see the [Relay documentation](https://docs.coveo.com/en/relay/latest/).

> **Note**
>
> When sending events with Relay, you don't need to send generic user information such as [clientId](https://docs.coveo.com/en/lbjf0131/) or the timestamp as Relay automatically enriches the events with this information.

## Initialize Relay

> **Note**
>
> You can also initialize Relay using a CDN.
> For more information, see the [Using the Relay CDN](https://docs.coveo.com/en/relay/latest/usage#cdn).

To install the package, run the following command:

```bash
npm install @coveo/relay
```

After installing Relay, initialize the library using the [`createRelay`](https://docs.coveo.com/en/relay/latest/reference#createrelay) method:

```js
import { createRelay } from '@coveo/relay';

const relay = createRelay({
    token: "<COVEO_API_KEY_OR_SEARCH_TOKEN>", <1>
    trackingId: "<TRACKING_ID>", <2>
    url: "<COVEO_UA_ENDPOINT>", <3>
});
```

<1> Use an API key or search token to [authenticate requests](https://docs.coveo.com/en/o8ld0051/) to Coveo.

<2> [Tracking ID](#tracking-id)

<3> [Event API endpoint](#event-api-endpoint)

Once an instance of the `relay` object has been initialized, it can be used to send events using the `emit` function.

### Tracking ID

A [Coveo organization](https://docs.coveo.com/en/185/) can serve many Coveo-powered commerce sites or applications, but all [Coveo Analytics events](https://docs.coveo.com/en/260/) in a user's journey should be tied together with a single tracking ID for accurate data analytics and consistency.

[tracking IDs](https://docs.coveo.com/en/o8rb0139/) segregate the data gathered from each of these sites or applications to ensure personalized and relevant output from your [Coveo Machine Learning (Coveo ML)](https://docs.coveo.com/en/188/) [models](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1012/), usable [reporting](https://docs.coveo.com/en/266/), and clear merchandising actions.

Each tracking ID points to a specific ecommerce [storefront](https://docs.coveo.com/en/p33g0410/), creating a way to distinguish between distinct sites and their respective user journeys.

The tracking ID is defined when sending events to the [Coveo Platform](https://docs.coveo.com/en/186/).
Interfaces built with the Coveo [Headless library](https://docs.coveo.com/en/lcdf0493/) or [Atomic library](https://docs.coveo.com/en/lcdf0264/) automatically include the tracking ID in the events they send.
While tracking ID values are specified when sending [Coveo Analytics events](https://docs.coveo.com/en/260/), each value that's sent must be registered using a [**Property**](https://docs.coveo.com/en/o7vh0012/) in your [Coveo organization](https://docs.coveo.com/en/185/).
To learn how to map your [storefront](https://docs.coveo.com/en/p33g0410/) architecture and use tracking IDs in Coveo for Commerce, refer to the [Coveo for Commerce setup guide](https://docs.coveo.com/en/o25a0034/).

**Example**

Your [Coveo organization](https://docs.coveo.com/en/185/) powers two brands: **Barca sports** and **Barca parts**.
You operate in two different countries: **United States** and **Canada**.

Therefore, you have four different sites that require their own unique tracking ID to be sent with each event:

* `barca_sports_us`
* `barca_sports_ca`
* `barca_parts_us`
* `barca_parts_ca`

Each of these tracking IDs is registered using a property in your [Coveo organization](https://docs.coveo.com/en/185/) to ensure that the data is correctly sent:

* **Barca Sports US**

* **Barca Sports CA**

* **Barca Parts US**

* **Barca Parts CA**

> **Important**
>
> * The `trackingId` parameter can only contain lowercase letters, numbers, underscores (`_`), hyphens (`-`), and periods (`.`).
> For example, the following tracking IDs would be valid:
> 
> ** `barca_sports1_us`
> 
> ** `barca-sports1-us`
> 
> ** `barca.sports1.us`
> 
> * A single user journey can't span multiple tracking IDs, and [Coveo Analytics data](https://docs.coveo.com/en/259/) is segregated by tracking ID.
> When you analyze metrics like views, clicks, or conversions, the [Advanced Reports](https://docs.coveo.com/en/lbtf7260/) will show them for each tracking ID.
> 
> * Tracking IDs shouldn't be confused with other factors such as the site's domain, [locale](https://docs.coveo.com/en/p4tf0351/), or catalog ID.

See [What's a tracking ID?](https://docs.coveo.com/en/n8tg0567/) for more information.

### Event API endpoint

To log [Coveo Analytics events](https://docs.coveo.com/en/260/) for an [organization](https://docs.coveo.com/en/185/), use the Coveo Event API endpoint to send events.

When initializing your library, replace `<COVEO_UA_ENDPOINT>` with the following:

[%header,cols="2"]
|===
|Coveo
|Endpoint

|Prod
|`+https://<ORG_ID>.analytics.org.coveo.com/rest/organizations/<ORG_ID>/events/v1+`

|[HIPAA](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1853/)
|`+https://<ORG_ID>.analytics.orghipaa.coveo.com/rest/organizations/<ORG_ID>/events/v1+`
|===

Where `<ORG_ID>` is the [unique identifier of your Coveo organization](https://docs.coveo.com/en/n1ce5273/).