With the advent of server-side tracking (SST) after Google decided to phase out third-party cookies, there is a huge surge in the number of advertising and marketing professionals trying to learn about the topic.

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The server-side container is one of the basic concepts used throughout the literature explaining SST and we thought that we must cover the definition of server-side containers and give a basic overview of the role they play in server-side tracking.

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Mind you that this isn’t a comprehensive guide but a quick and simple run-through of the role they place in server-side tagging.

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Let’s get started:

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Understanding server-side containers

The server-side container acts as a virtual container that receives event object data from client requests and sends this data to the endpoints i.e. third-party marketing and analytics tools. 

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Technically speaking, it is a server-side framework that facilitates the tracking and management of third-party scripts, tags, and pixels on the website.

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It helps marketers to centralize implementing and updating tracking codes. On top of that, a server-side container also helps control and manage tag firing rules, load sequencing, and data mapping.

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The server-side container is hosted on a custom subdomain i.e. first-party subdomain of your main website. 

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For example, the domain www.tagmate.app must use sgtm.tagmate.app for hosting the server container. 

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While you can always use an existing first-party custom subdomain, the future changes in Intelligent Tracking Protection (ITP) signal that you should ideally get a fresh first-party subdomain.

The Need For A Server-Side Container In Server-Side Tracking

The server-side container is needed in server-side tagging since it plays a pivotal role in reducing the latency and the page load time. 

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This is due to the fact that it allows tags to be executed on the server side instead of relying on the client-side browser to load and fire the tags.

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This also enhances the data collection accuracy and helps ensure that tags fire consistently despite varying client-side conditions. 

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Moreover, it provides the website owners with greater control over the implementation and management of tags, thereby adding to the efficiency and streamlining of the entire process.

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The server container isn’t associated with any arbitrary triggers such as:

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• Page View
• Click or 
• Scroll Threshold

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It only triggers a tag when the Client instructs it to do so which conforms with ‘no consent, no tracking.’

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Thus, the server-side container keeps running all the time regardless of client-side activity like refreshing the page since it has no relation with container load or page load.

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While there are no tags associated with the server-side container life cycle, there is a high probability that they will exist in the days to come.

Wrap Up

In terms of technology, a server-side container is a fairly simple concept to understand but when it comes to creating and managing them as a part of server-side tracking-based first-party data collection is extremely difficult in real life.

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Worried? Don’t be- Try Tagmate for free and implement server-side tagging like a walk in the garden!