Server-side tracking
Send events from your infrastructure—not only the browser—to improve resilience and control.
Server-side tracking sends analytics and conversion events from your servers or tag gateway instead of relying solely on browser JavaScript.
Why teams adopt it
- Browsers and extensions block third-party scripts more often
- You can redact PII before events leave your network
- Purchase and refund events are authoritative when emitted from commerce backends
Components (typical)
- Client — minimal first-party tag or SDK
- Collection endpoint — your API or vendor gateway
- Transform — schema validation, consent checks
- Destinations — GA4, ads APIs, warehouse loads
Privacy and consent
Server-side does not bypass consent rules—it can make enforcement more consistent if you gate the endpoint on recorded preferences.
Related
- GA4 implementation for how we provision web streams in this monorepo
- martech stack for where the gateway sits in your diagram