Question 1

What is Consenti?

Accepted Answer

Consenti is an open-source, GDPR-style opt-in Cookie Consent and Consent Management Platform (CMP) toolkit. It ships as two npm packages: @consenti/ui (browser widget) and @consenti/api (Node.js backend). Both have zero external runtime dependencies.

Question 2

Does Consenti support GDPR?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Consenti implements GDPR-style opt-in consent mode, legitimate interest handling (Art. 6(1)(f)), a right-to-erasure endpoint, append-only audit logs, and signed consent receipts.

Question 3

Does Consenti support CCPA?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Consenti fully supports CCPA and CPRA with opt-out consent mode, GPC signal detection, and configurable do-not-sell/share flows.

Question 4

How do I install Consenti?

Accepted Answer

Install the UI widget with: npm install @consenti/ui. Then import and initialise: import { ConsentiSetup } from '@consenti/ui'; new ConsentiSetup({ compliance: { type: 'opt-in' } }). No CSS import needed — styles are injected automatically. For the backend: npm install @consenti/api. Both packages have zero external runtime dependencies.

Question 5

Does Consenti work with React?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Consenti provides a useConsent() React hook via the subpath export @consenti/ui/react. It also works with Next.js, Vue, Angular, Nuxt, and any JavaScript framework.

Question 6

Does Consenti require a backend?

Accepted Answer

No. The UI widget (@consenti/ui) works standalone without any backend. The backend module (@consenti/api) is optional and only needed if you want server-side consent records, audit logs, or the admin dashboard.

Question 7

What database does Consenti use?

Accepted Answer

By default Consenti uses SQLite via the built-in node:sqlite module (Node.js 24+) — no external database package required. It also supports MongoDB, PostgreSQL, and MySQL via the StorageAdapter interface.

Question 8

Is Consenti free and open source?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Consenti is released under the Apache 2.0 license, free to use, modify, and distribute. It's a self-hosted, browser-only consent tool — ahead of most banner-only open-source tools since it adds jurisdiction-aware content routing out of the box — with an optional backend for audit-grade consent records, dashboard-authored profiles, and spec-correct IAB TCF encoding when you need them. It is not a hosted enterprise CMP, which typically includes dedicated legal/compliance teams and infrastructure Consenti does not replicate.

Question 9

Does Consenti support PDPA (Thailand)?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Consenti fully supports the Thai Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA). Configure it with compliance: { type: 'pdpa-th' } or use type: 'auto' to detect Thai visitors automatically and apply PDPA opt-in consent requirements. The consent banner, preference modal, and audit logs all meet PDPA requirements.

Question 10

Does Consenti support APPI (Japan)?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Consenti supports Japan's Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI). Use type: 'auto' for geo-based detection (Japan resolves to the general-privacy-consent group by default) or compliance: { type: 'opt-in' } to opt into the stricter group APPI's own guide recommends — 'appi' is a regulation id, not a compliance group, so it is not a valid type value on its own. Consenti handles APPI consent with proper audit trails either way.

Question 11

What is an open source CMP?

Accepted Answer

An open-source Consent Management Platform (CMP) is a tool that manages cookie consent and privacy compliance, where the source code is publicly available for inspection, modification, and self-hosting. Consenti is an open-source CMP licensed under Apache 2.0 — a self-hosted, browser-only tool with GDPR/CCPA support, TCF v2.3, an admin dashboard, and consent records via an optional backend, without licensing fees or vendor lock-in. It does not include the dedicated legal team, IAB CMP registration, or independent audit trail that hosted commercial CMPs offer.

Question 12

Does Consenti work without importing CSS?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The @consenti/ui widget automatically injects its styles into the page when ConsentiSetup initialises — no separate CSS import is required. You only need to import the CSS explicitly if you want to preload it to avoid flash of unstyled content, or if you set core.disableCssTemplate: true to provide your own styles.

Capability	Consenti (frontend-only)	Typical banner-only widget
Widget API methods	31 — getConsent, hasConsent, showModal, reConsent, setProfile, switchLocale, and more	A handful — usually just accept/reject/show
DOM events	8 — bannerInitialized, consentSubmitted, forgotten, parentalConsentRequired, and more	None, or a single callback option
Framework integration	Native React hooks, Vue composables, Angular services — plus Vanilla ESM/UMD	Vanilla script tag; framework wrapping is on you
Analytics/tag-manager mappers	GTM/Consent Mode v2, Adobe, Meta, Microsoft Clarity, Twilio Segment, generic purpose/category — typed, built in	Usually none — you write the mapping code yourself
Accessibility	Focus trap, ARIA roles, keyboard nav, screen-reader announcements, targeting WCAG 2.x AA	Varies widely, rarely a stated target
i18n	Per-locale translations with BCP 47 resolution (exact → language prefix → default)	Manual string replacement, if supported at all
Global Privacy Control (GPC)	Built in, with `true` / `'strict'` modes	Rarely built in
Cross-tab sync	Built in via BroadcastChannel	Not typically handled
Cookie auto-discovery	`@consenti/scanner` — local CLI crawler, run on demand or in CI	Not included — declare cookies by hand
Runtime dependencies	Zero — browser built-ins only	Usually also zero — this one is a tie

Frontend-Only Mode

Why frontend-only Consenti is a different tier

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API surface

Framework integrations

Analytics & tag-manager integrations

Theming & configuration

Cookie discovery