How does server side tracking work?
Server-side tracking is a method where the tracking of user interactions and data collection processes are handled on the server rather than the client (browser or mobile app). This method is increasingly preferred for several reasons, including better control over data privacy, reduced load on the client side, and more accurate data collection, as it's less susceptible to ad blockers and browser restrictions.
- User Interaction: The process starts with a user interaction on the frontend, such as clicking a button, completing a form, or any other event you wish to track.
- Sending Data to Server: Instead of directly sending this data to analytics platforms (like Google Analytics) from the client side, the frontend sends this data to your backend server. This can be done via an API call using AJAX, Fetch API, or through server-side rendering frameworks.
- Backend Processing: The backend receives the data and can process it as needed. This might include data validation, enrichment (adding additional data like user's geolocation based on IP address), or filtering.
- Forwarding to Analytics Platforms: After processing, the backend then forwards this data to the analytics platforms. This can be done using the respective platform's server-side API. The backend server acts as a proxy, ensuring that sensitive data can be stripped or hashed to protect user privacy.
- Analytics Platforms: Analytics platforms receive the data, process it, and update your analytics dashboards. Since this data comes from a server, it's more reliable in terms of ad-blocker bypass and browser restrictions.
Advantages
- Privacy Compliance: Server-side tracking helps with compliance with data privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA) by giving you more control over what data is sent out.
- Reduced Client-Side Load: Offloading tracking to the server can improve page load times and overall performance on the client side.
- Data Enrichment and Security: You can enrich the data and ensure sensitive information is handled securely before sending it to third-party services.