Switching Default Analytics to CFA

Setting up Google Analytics is trickier than it seems.
Honestly, with my limited knowledge of Analytics' core functions and structure, getting API keys and tweaking settings usually means relying on internet tutorials or LLM help. But truth be told, I never really understood what specific data was coming in or what I could actually do with it.
It felt like walking through a thick fog, just following instructions step-by-step. Eventually, data started flowing in, and I could finally see visitor metrics on my dashboard. But after a while, everything ground to a halt again with error messages, refusing to accept new data.

After a quick search, I read something about needing periodic permission re-authentication in addition to the API key. Honestly, I still don't fully get what that means. But faced with immediate error codes, missing data, and the sheer hassle of navigating complex menus to hunt down keys, I was left feeling thoroughly frustrated, wondering, "What on earth am I supposed to do with this?"
That’s when I remembered Cloudflare offers its own built-in analytics.

Let’s step back for a moment and look at how this all started. Forget grand terms like "analytics" or "data refinement"—why did I even want this feature in the first place? The answer is stupidly simple: "Since it's a blog, shouldn't I at least know daily visitor counts and which pages people are reading?"
In theory, I could have just thrown together a basic counter that increments whenever someone visits for a few seconds or scrolls through a post. But that approach runs into two major roadblocks: first, this project (SKBE) is a blog engine deployed on Cloudflare Pages; second, basic filters wouldn't stand a chance against the sheer volume of bot traffic.

Since it's hosted on CFP, designing a system that relies heavily on server involvement risks driving up Workers costs significantly. For an architecture like that, hosting somewhere other than CFP would make way more sense. And trying to set up custom filters to block bots would mean another steep learning curve, given my lack of background in this area. Though to be fair, traffic analysis is extremely useful and perhaps the most crucial skill when it comes to web monetization, so it would probably be worth learning eventually.
There are a few other issues here too, mostly stemming from the fact that there isn't much clear documentation available.

So I just went with a naive assumption: "GA4 is famous, so that should work. Besides, most people use Gmail to sign up for Cloudflare anyway, so everyone probably has a Google account..." With that logic, I made GA4 the default—and only—option.
And then I ran into the issue where data collection keeps dropping off. To be honest, it's not just GA4—AdSense data collection has stalled as well. Since the blog generates basically zero revenue right now, I haven't paid much attention to it, but I'm currently modifying the system so users can choose between GA4 and Cloudflare Analytics (CFA), while setting CFA as the new default option.
I'm still testing it, so the release isn't live yet. Once testing wraps up and the update goes out, I plan to address the AdSense issue next.

On a side note, my free trial for Gemini Pro—which served me pretty well—has come to an end. Between that and my eyesight trouble, I’m starting to wonder if I can even write code without an LLM anymore. While I relied heavily on LLMs for the Analytics implementation, looking through lines of code manually now causes severe physical fatigue. Because my peripheral vision has degraded significantly, what used to take a single quick glance now takes three or four intent looks to confirm.
For now, until I find a suitable alternative, maintenance on SKBE will likely slow down. Then again, unless I do a massive overhaul, the project feels like it's reached a fairly stable state.

Once the current CFA integration test is complete, I'll package it with a few minor bug fixes, push out a new release, and take a step back to focus on other things for a while. Honestly, since it feels like I'm the only person actually using this, it's hard to stay motivated.
Anyway, once things stabilize, I'll see how it goes, finish up the work on the Hub I was modifying, run some tests, and re-open it. Though when that will actually happen, I have no idea.