How do I register a device and assign a User ID using the Pushwoosh Web SDK?

On the web, the Pushwoosh Web SDK handles device and user registration through the init call.

1. Initialize the SDK and register the device/user: the Pushwoosh.push(['init', { ... }]) call configures the SDK and registers the browser. You can pass a userId and tags in the same call.

   <script src="//cdn.pushwoosh.com/webpush/v3/pushwoosh-web-notifications.js" async></script>
   <script>
   var Pushwoosh = Pushwoosh || [];
   Pushwoosh.push(['init', {
       logLevel: 'error',                          // error | info | debug
       applicationCode: 'XXXXX-XXXXX',             // your Application Code
       apiToken: 'YOUR_DEVICE_API_TOKEN',          // Device API token with access to this project
       safariWebsitePushID: 'web.com.example.site',// only if you send to Safari
       defaultNotificationTitle: 'Your site',
       autoSubscribe: true,                        // prompt on init; false if you trigger it yourself
       userId: 'your_custom_user_id',              // optional
       tags: {                                     // optional
           'TagName': 'TagValue'
       }
   }]);
   </script>
   

2. Key parameters:

   • applicationCode (required): your Application Code from the Control Panel.
   • apiToken (required): a Device API Access token, created in Settings → API Access. It must be granted access to this specific project - a Server token, or a Device token without access to the app, produces 401 Unauthorized.
   • userId (optional): your own user identifier, linked to the browser's HWID so one user can be tracked across browser and app. It can also be set later with Pushwoosh.push(function (api) { api.registerUser('YOUR_USER_ID'); });.
   • tags (optional): key/value pairs used for segmentation.
   • autoSubscribe (default true) and serviceWorkerUrl (default /pushwoosh-service-worker.js) control the opt-in prompt and the service worker location.

3. Important considerations:

   • Your site must be served over HTTPS.
   • pushwoosh-service-worker.js must be reachable at the configured path (by default the site root), otherwise registration and the prompt fail silently.
   • The subscriber becomes push-capable only once the browser permission is granted and a push subscription exists; calling init alone does not produce a push-capable device.

See Web Push SDK 3.0 and API Access token.