In this guide
- A conversions API is an endpoint where your server sends events to an ad platform, in addition to or instead of a browser pixel.
- Each platform has one (Meta Conversions API, TikTok Events API, Pinterest API for Conversions, Snapchat CAPI, and Google's offline and enhanced conversions).
- There are three routes: platform integration, your own code and a server container.
A pixel sits in the visitor's browser and reports what it sees. A conversions API sits on your server and reports what your system knows. The second is more reliable because it does not depend on the browser. This page explains what they do, what an event contains and the options for sending them. The Meta-specific version is in Meta Conversions API vs Pixel.
What every conversions API has in common
- An endpoint you send HTTPS requests to.
- An access token or key that proves the request is yours.
- An event: a name, a time and parameters.
- User data: identifiers the platform can match, mostly hashed.
- A way to deduplicate against the browser pixel.
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The main APIs
| Platform | Name | Dedupe key | Matches on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meta | Conversions API | event_id + event name | Hashed e-mail and phone, fbp, fbc, IP, user agent |
| Google Ads | Enhanced conversions and offline imports | transaction_id | Hashed e-mail and phone, gclid |
| TikTok | Events API | event_id | Hashed e-mail and phone, ttp, ttclid |
| API for Conversions | event_id | Hashed e-mail, click ID | |
| Snapchat | Conversions API | client_dedup_id | Hashed e-mail and phone, click ID |
What a request looks like
POST /v21.0/{DATASET_ID}/events
{
"data": [{
"event_name": "Purchase",
"event_time": 1735689600,
"event_id": "ord_10293",
"action_source": "website",
"event_source_url": "https://yourstore.com/thank-you",
"user_data": { "em": ["<sha256>"], "ph": ["<sha256>"], "client_ip_address": "203.0.113.7", "client_user_agent": "...", "fbp": "fb.1....", "fbc": "fb.1...." },
"custom_data": { "currency": "USD", "value": 59.9 }
}]
}That is the Meta format, shown as an example. Other platforms use the same ideas with different field names. The v21.0 in the path is the API version, which Meta updates regularly.
Connected in minutes
Add your domain, install the pixel, connect your ad platforms and watch the first events land.
Three ways to send events
Platform integration
Shopify, WooCommerce and others have built-in integrations. Quick, little control, often only one platform.
Your own code
Your backend calls each API. Full control, and you maintain it.
03A server container
One container sends to every platform with ready tags and shared data. This is what Open Tracked hosts, with power-ups on every plan for matching data and cookies.
How to choose
- you use one platform and a standard shop
- you want the quickest set-up
- you have developers and unusual needs
- you advertise on several platforms
- you want one place for consent and data rules
- you want stored data and cookies handled for you
Common mistakes
- Skipping deduplication and double counting. See event deduplication.
- Sending only e-mail and no cookies or IP. See event match quality.
- Sending without consent.
- Leaving a test event code in production.
- Using an old API version that the platform retires.
What to do next
Pick the platform that gets most of your ad budget and set up its API first. Add a shared event ID, send hashed e-mail and phone from checkout, and compare the platform's purchases with your store for a week. Then repeat for the next platform. Doing one well teaches you the pattern for the rest, and a server container lets you reuse the same data for all of them. For the first steps in Tag Manager see how to set up the Facebook Conversions API and event deduplication.
Terms you will see
- Endpoint
- The web address your server sends events to.
- Access token
- A secret that proves the request comes from you.
- Dataset
- Meta's name for the place events are collected, once called a pixel.
- Hashing
- Turning an e-mail or phone number into a fixed code so the plain value is not sent.
- Event time
- When the action happened, as a Unix timestamp in seconds.
- Action source
- Where the event took place: website, app, phone call, store.
A short worked example
A visitor clicks a Meta ad on Monday, adds a product to the cart and buys on Wednesday from an iPhone. The pixel loses its cookie in Safari, so the browser event has no match. Your server sends the same purchase with the hashed e-mail the visitor typed at checkout, their IP address, user agent and the order number as the event ID. Meta matches the e-mail, recognises the ad click and counts the purchase once. The visitor never saw anything different.
Orders from your store, back to the ad that earned them
Your store sends the order once. Open Tracked passes it on to each ad platform, cleaned and deduplicated.
Frequently asked questions
What is a conversions API?
An endpoint that lets your server send events to an ad platform, to make up for browser pixel losses.
Do I need one for every platform?
For platforms you advertise on, it is recommended. A server container lets you set up several at once.
Is it the same as a pixel?
No. A pixel runs in the browser. The API runs on a server. Most advertisers use both with a shared event ID.
Is the API free?
The platforms do not charge for the API. You pay for the server or host that sends the events.
Which is the easiest way to start?
A platform integration for one platform, or a managed server container if you advertise on several.
Do I need spreadsheets to read my results?
No. Once tracking is live, the Open Tracked analytics shows spend, revenue, ROAS and profit, and you can ask Ari, the built-in AI assistant, questions about your own numbers in plain words. Ari's allowance depends on your analytics plan.
Is Open Tracked different from Open Track or Open Space Track?
No. Open Tracked is the official name of our server-side tracking platform, and the website is opentracked.io. Many people search for it as Open Track, OpenTrack or Open Space Track. All of them lead to the same product: server-side Google Tag Manager hosting, first-party analytics and a CRM pipeline.
Fix your tracking at the source
Open Tracked hosts your server-side Tag Manager, keeps first-party cookies alive and shows what each ad is really worth.
The Open Tracked team
We build Open Tracked: server-side tracking hosting, analytics and the tools around them, for stores that spend on ads. Questions about this guide, or an idea for the next one?
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