Which Consent Banners Work with SlimStat?
Applies to SlimStat 6.0.0 · checked
SlimStat has two consent settings in SlimStat → Settings → Tracker → Consent management: GDPR compliance mode and Consent plugin integration. The integration list has two choices: SlimStat Consent Banner (Recommended) and Via WP Consent API. The table shows which one fits the banner you already use.
| Banner | How SlimStat connects | The setting |
|---|---|---|
| SlimStat’s own banner | SlimStat shows the banner and reads the visitor’s choice | GDPR compliance mode on, Consent plugin integration set to SlimStat Consent Banner |
| Complianz, Cookiebot, CookieYes, iubenda, GDPR Cookie Compliance | Through the WP Consent API plugin | GDPR compliance mode on, Consent plugin integration set to Via WP Consent API |
| Borlabs Cookie, Real Cookie Banner | No SlimStat setting in this release; the banner blocks SlimStat’s tracker script | GDPR compliance mode off, Tracking mode set to Client |
Use one banner to manage visitor choices. Two banners asking the same question confuse visitors and make testing harder.
SlimStat’s own banner
Turn on GDPR compliance mode, then set Consent plugin integration to SlimStat Consent Banner (Recommended). The SlimStat consent banner section holds the Consent banner message, the Accept button label, the Decline button label and the Banner theme mode (Light, Dark or Auto). Save, then clear any page cache.
Banners that use the WP Consent API
Install and activate the WP Consent API plugin, and turn on your banner’s WP Consent API support if it has a switch for it. Then turn on GDPR compliance mode and set Consent plugin integration to Via WP Consent API.
SlimStat asks the WP Consent API for the statistics category. The category is fixed in this release; there is no setting to change it. Configure your banner so that its statistics choice is the one that allows analytics.
If the WP Consent API plugin is not active, SlimStat falls back to its own banner, so visitors would see both banners. Check that the plugin is active after updates and migrations.
The banner names above are examples. Before you rely on one, check that its documentation lists WP Consent API support for the version you run.
Borlabs Cookie and Real Cookie Banner
SlimStat 6 has no setting for these two banners. Leave GDPR compliance mode off, or SlimStat shows its own banner next to yours. Then let your banner block SlimStat’s tracker script until the visitor accepts:
- The script’s WordPress handle is
wp_slimstat. The usual file iswp-content/plugins/wp-slimstat/wp-slimstat.min.js. - With Tracking request method set to Ad-blocker bypass, the script loads from a site-specific path instead, so a rule that matches
wp-slimstat.min.jswill not catch it. Check the page’s Network panel and match what actually loads. - This works only when Tracking mode is Client. In Server mode SlimStat records the pageview in PHP before any script runs, so blocking the script does not stop it.
For the exact steps, see the script blocker or content blocker documentation for your banner. If your banner version supports the WP Consent API, you can use the WP Consent API route above instead.
What SlimStat does before consent
What happens before a visitor chooses depends on your settings, not on the banner alone:
| Configuration | Before the visitor chooses |
|---|---|
| GDPR compliance mode off (the default) | SlimStat records eligible pageviews and sets its tracking cookie. IP addresses are stored in full unless Anonymize IP addresses or Hash IP addresses is on. |
| GDPR compliance mode on, other settings at their defaults | Nothing is recorded until the visitor accepts. A visitor who declines is not recorded. |
| GDPR compliance mode on, Set tracking cookie off, and Anonymize IP addresses or Hash IP addresses on | SlimStat records pageviews without checking consent, because this configuration sets no tracking cookie and stores no full IP address. |
| Respect Do Not Track (DNT) on | A browser that sends Do Not Track is not recorded, in every mode. |
With a script blocker (Borlabs Cookie, Real Cookie Banner) and Client mode, nothing reaches SlimStat until the banner releases the script.
Can SlimStat track without cookies?
Yes. Turn off Set tracking cookie and SlimStat tracks without a cookie. Returning visitors are recognised less accurately, because no cookie links one visit to the next. Hash IP addresses counts unique visitors from a one-way hash of the IP address, the browser’s user agent and a salt that changes every day, so the same visitor gets a new hash the next day.
Test it
Use a fresh private browser window for each check, and a visitor that your exclusions do not filter out:
- Open a page without choosing. Check cookies in the browser’s developer tools and look for the visit in the Access Log.
- Decline, open another page, and check again.
- Accept, open another page, and confirm the visit appears.
If visits are missing after accepting, the tracker troubleshooting guide covers caching, blocked requests and the Last tracker message. Retention and archives are covered in data retention and auto-purge, and the wider setup in integrating with GDPR banner plugins.
These are settings facts only; your DPO decides what your site needs.