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Advertiser/Data Provider Integration to HTTP Endpoints

This guide covers integration steps for advertisers and data providers to integrate with UID2 by writing code to call UID2 HTTP endpoints, rather than using another implementation options such as an SDK, Snowflake, or AWS Entity Resolution.

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For a summary of all integration options and steps for advertisers and data providers, see Advertiser/Data Provider Integration Overview.

High-Level Steps

At a high level, the steps for advertisers and data providers integrating with UID2 are as follows:

  1. Generate Raw UID2s from DII

  2. Store Raw UID2s and Salt Bucket IDs

  3. Manipulate or Combine Raw UID2s

  4. Send Stored Raw UID2s to DSPs to Create Audiences or Conversions

  5. Monitor for Salt Bucket Rotations for Your Stored Raw UID2s

  6. Monitor for Opt-Out Status

Integration Diagram

The following diagram outlines the steps that data collectors must complete to map DII to raw UID2s for audience building and targeting.

DII refers to a user's normalized email address or phone number, or the normalized and SHA-256-hashed email address or phone number.

Advertiser Flow

1: Generate Raw UID2s from DII

StepEndpointDescription
1-aPOST /identity/map requestSend a request containing DII to the identity mapping endpoint.
1-bPOST /identity/map responseThe advertising_id (raw UID2) returned in the response can be used to target audiences on relevant DSPs.
The response returns a user's raw UID2 and the corresponding bucket_id for the salt bucket. The salt assigned to the bucket rotates annually, which impacts the generated raw UID2. For details on how to check for salt bucket rotation, see 5: Monitor for salt bucket rotations related to your stored raw UID2s.

2: Store Raw UID2s and Salt Bucket IDs

The response from Step 1, Generate Raw UID2s from DII, contains mapping information. We recommend that you store the following information returned in Step 1:

  • Cache the mapping between DII (identifier), raw UID2 (advertising_id), and salt bucket (bucket_id).
  • Store the timestamp for when you received the response data. Later, you can compare this timestamp with the last_updated timestamp returned in Step 5, Monitor for Salt Bucket Rotations for Your Stored Raw UID2s.

3: Manipulate or Combine Raw UID2s

Use the UID2s you received in Step 1. For example, you might do one or more of the following:

  • Do some manipulation: for example, combine UID2s you generated from DII and UID2s received from another participant such as an advertiser or data provider.
  • Add new UID2s into an existing audience.

4: Send Stored Raw UID2s to DSPs to Create Audiences or Conversions

Use the raw UID2s for some purpose such as:

  • Sending stored raw UID2s to DSPs to create audiences and conversions.
  • Using the raw UID2s for measurement.

For example, you could send the advertising_id (raw UID2) returned in Step 1-b to a DSP while building your audiences. Each DSP has a unique integration process for building audiences; follow the integration guidance provided by the DSP for sending raw UID2s to build an audience.

You could also send conversion information via API or pixels for measurement (attribution) or for retargeting.

5: Monitor for Salt Bucket Rotations for Your Stored Raw UID2s

A raw UID2 is an identifier for a user at a specific moment in time. The raw UID2 for a specific user changes at least once per year, as a result of the salt bucket rotation.

Even though each salt bucket is updated approximately once per year, individual bucket updates are spread over the year. Approximately 1/365th of all salt buckets are rotated daily. Based on this, we recommend checking salt bucket rotation regularly, on a cadence that aligns with your audience refreshes. For example, if you refresh weekly, check for salt bucket updates weekly.

If the salt bucket has been rotated, regenerate the raw UID2. For details, see Determine whether the salt bucket has been rotated.

The following table shows the steps for checking for salt bucket rotation.

StepEndpointDescription
5-aPOST /identity/bucketsSend a request to the POST /identity/buckets endpoint for all salt buckets that have changed since a specific timestamp.
5-bPOST /identity/bucketsUID2 service: The POST /identity/buckets endpoint returns a list of bucket_id and last_updated timestamps.
5-cPOST /identity/mapCompare the returned bucket_id to the salt buckets of raw UID2s that you've cached.
If you find that the salt bucket was updated for one or more raw UID2s, re-send the DII to the POST /identity/map endpoint for a new raw UID2.
5-dPOST /identity/mapStore the new values returned for advertising_id and bucket_id.

Determine whether the salt bucket has been rotated

To determine whether the salt bucket ID for a specific raw UID2 has changed, follow these steps.

  1. Compare these two values:

    • The last_updated timestamp of each bucket_id returned as part of monitoring the salt bucket rotations.

    • The timestamp of the raw UID2 generation of the same bucket_id, which was returned in Step 1 and stored in Step 2.

  2. If the last_updated timestamp is more recent than the timestamp you recorded earlier, the salt bucket has been rotated. As a result, you'll need to regenerate any raw UID2s associated with this bucket_id, following Step 1, Generate Raw UID2s from DII.

6: Monitor for Opt-Out Status

It's important to honor user opt-out status. Periodically, monitor for opt-out status, to be sure that you don't continue using UID2s for users that have recently opted out.

There are two ways that you can check with the UID2 Operator Service to make sure you have the latest opt-out information:

  • Call the POST /identity/map endpoint to check for opt-outs. If the DII has been opted out, no raw UID2 is generated.

  • Check the opt-out status of raw UID2s using the POST /optout/status endpoint.

For details about the UID2 opt-out workflow and how users can opt out, see User Opt-Out.