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Resources / Glossary

Payload (event properties)

The object passed alongside the event name, carrying contextual properties that get attached to the event on the analytics backend.

CallsAlso called: properties, event properties

About this term

This page is part of the Skene analytics instrumentation glossary. Use it as a reference when writing specs, dashboards, or playbooks.

Canonical glossary index: /resources/glossary

Glossary

Glossary

Analytics callEvent namePayload (event properties)Identify callEvent taxonomyInstrumentation surfaceBaseline manifestInstrumentation driftSemantic diffRemoved eventRenamed eventMoved eventAltered payloadConditional firing changeCustomer Data Platform (CDP)Schema registryMCP (Model Context Protocol)Coding agentSide effectFunnelConversion eventActivation eventCohort

Definition

The payload is the properties object passed as the second argument to most analytics calls: `posthog.capture('checkout_completed', { plan: 'pro', amount: 99 })`. Each key becomes a property on the event in the analytics backend, queryable in filters and breakdowns.

Why payloads break quietly

Most SDKs accept arbitrary keys, so renaming `plan` to `plan_tier` does not raise an error. The new event keeps flowing with the new property name, and any dashboard filter or breakdown that referenced `plan` silently returns nothing.

Related terms

  • Altered payload
  • Analytics call
  • Schema registry
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