What is S2S tracking?
Server-to-server (S2S) tracking records a conversion by having one server send it directly to another, with no pixel in the browser. A click ID saved at the tap ties the conversion back to that tap, so it keeps working in apps and past ad blockers.
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When a user taps a link, the tracking system saves the tap under a click ID and hands that ID to the next party. When the user converts, a server sends the ID back with the conversion, and the two are matched.
Example: player tp_7731 taps an offer for Tidewater Putt. The studio’s site stores the click ID against that player. When the player reaches level 25, the studio’s server sends a request with the event key level_25 and that click ID.
A pixel fires in the user’s browser, so it needs the page to load, cookies to survive and nothing to block it. An app has no page to put one on. A server event needs none of that, and because it comes from your own server, you can sign it, retry it and keep a log of it. The cost is a little engineering on your side: something has to store the click ID and send the request.
S2S tracking often runs twice for one conversion:
- In. The advertiser’s server tells the platform that a user did something.
- Out. The platform’s server tells the publisher, so the publisher can credit its user.
Both directions are server to server. An advertiser’s server POSTs each event to /v1/advertiser/events with its ak_ key and the stored click ID: Setup without an SDK and Send events server to server (S2S). We match it to the tap, then send a signed GET to the publisher’s postback URL: Postbacks. An event with no click ID comes back missing_attribution and isn’t charged.
Questions
Do I need an SDK for S2S tracking?
Not by definition: S2S only needs a server that can send a request and somewhere to keep the click ID. On AffiliateOS there's no SDK at all, and everything runs from your server. Setup without an SDK shows the calls.
Is S2S tracking the same as a postback?
A postback is one S2S message. S2S tracking is the whole method, and it can run in more than one direction.
What happens if the click ID is lost?
The receiving side can't tie the conversion to a tap, so it can't credit anyone. Save the click ID when the user arrives and keep it with that user's account.