Server-Side Tagging
Also called server-side GTM
By the AdFlint research team · Last reviewed July 2026
Runs a tagging container on infrastructure you control, so the browser sends one request and your server forwards data to vendors.
The page posts to a first-party endpoint on your own subdomain; a server container then enriches, filters, and fans the event out to Google Ads, GA4, or Meta. Teams adopt it to set durable first-party cookies, cut client-side script weight, and keep vendor payloads under review. Two misconceptions persist: it does not manufacture data the browser never sent, and it does not exempt you from consent requirements.
Server-Side Tagging compared with
The settings this gets confused with, and how to tell them apart.
- Server-Side Tagging vs Meta Pixel
- Server-Side Tagging vs Conversions API
- Server-Side Tagging vs Google Tag
- Server-Side Tagging vs Google Tag Manager
- Server-Side Tagging vs Enhanced Conversions
- Server-Side Tagging vs Enhanced Conversions for Leads
- Server-Side Tagging vs Offline Conversion Import
- Server-Side Tagging vs GA4 Conversion Tracking
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