The A-Z Glossary of Server-Side Tracking

A

API (Application Programming Interface)

A set of rules that allows two different software systems to communicate with each other. In server-side tracking, your server uses APIs (like the Meta CAPI) to send data directly to the ad platforms' servers.

Attribution

The process of assigning credit for a conversion (like a sale or lead) to the marketing touchpoints a user interacted with. Server-side tracking makes attribution far more accurate by capturing data that would otherwise be lost.

B

BigQuery / Data Warehouse

A large, centralized cloud database (like BigQuery or Snowflake) designed for storing and analyzing massive amounts of data. OATS allows you to send your clean, server-side data directly to your warehouse, creating a single source of truth for your entire business.

Bot Detection

The process of identifying and filtering out non-human (bot) traffic from your analytics. OATS's server-side bot detection prevents this "garbage data" from polluting your reports and ad platform audiences *before* it gets sent.

C

CAPI (Conversions API)

Meta's (Facebook's) server-to-server API. It allows you to send conversion events from your server directly to Meta, bypassing the client-side browser pixel. This is a core component of server-side tracking.

Client-Side Tracking

The traditional tracking method where scripts (pixels) run in the user's browser (the "client") and send data directly to third-party platforms. This method is unreliable due to ad blockers, ITP, and site performance issues.

Cookie (First-Party)

A small data file set by the website domain you are currently visiting (e.g., yoursite.com). Server-side tracking sets cookies in a first-party context, making them trusted by browsers and not subject to Safari's 7-day deletion rule.

Cookie (Third-Party)

A cookie set by a domain other than the one you are visiting (e.g., a Facebook pixel on yoursite.com). These are being blocked by default in Safari and Firefox and are being phased out by Google Chrome, making client-side tracking obsolete.

D

Data Deduplication

The process of removing duplicate conversion events. In a hybrid setup, you might send a "purchase" event from both the browser and the server. Deduplication ensures that platforms like Meta only count this as one conversion.

Data Layer

A JavaScript object on your website that holds all the data you want to track (e.g., product name, price, user ID). Google Tag Manager reads from this data layer to get the information it needs to send to your marketing platforms.

F

First-Party Context

An environment where all data is handled by your own domain. When you use server-side tracking, the data request is sent to your own server (e.g., tracking.yoursite.com), which browsers trust. This avoids the blocks associated with third-party requests.

G

GA4 (Google Analytics 4)

Google's latest version of its analytics platform. It is designed to be event-based and work seamlessly with server-side tracking to collect more accurate data across websites and apps.

Gclid / Fbclid

Unique click identifiers automatically added to your URLs by Google Ads (gclid) and Facebook Ads (fbclid). These IDs are essential for attributing a conversion back to a specific ad click. OATS's "UTM Keeper" helps save these IDs from being lost by browser restrictions.

GTM (Google Tag Manager)

A free tool from Google that allows you to manage and deploy all of your tracking tags (pixels) from one central interface, without having to edit website code directly.

H

Hybrid Tracking

A "best of both worlds" strategy where you use server-side tracking for your most critical conversion and analytics data (GA4, Meta CAPI) and keep client-side tracking for specific UX tools like heatmaps (e.g., Hotjar).

I

ITP (Intelligent Tracking Prevention)

Apple's privacy feature in the Safari browser. It aggressively blocks third-party cookies and limits the lifespan of client-side first-party cookies to 7 days, which breaks attribution and shrinks remarketing audiences.

P

Pixel

A common term for a client-side tracking script, named after the original 1x1 transparent "tracking pixel" image. The "Meta Pixel" is a prime example of a client-side tag.

S

Server-Side Tracking

The modern tracking method where data is sent from a user's browser to your own server first. Your server then filters, enriches, and securely forwards this data to third-party platforms via APIs. This method is more accurate, secure, and faster.

sGTM (Server-Side Google Tag Manager)

The server-side version of Google Tag Manager. It's the technology that runs on your server (or on OATS) and manages all your server-to-server data streams.

U

UTM Parameters

Tags added to the end of a URL (e.g., ?utm_source=google) to track the origin of your website traffic. They are essential for knowing which campaigns, sources, and mediums are driving visitors and conversions.