Postback Tracking for Affiliates - Simple Guide with Code

What is Postback Tracking?

Postback tracking (also called server-to-server or S2S tracking) is a method where affiliate networks send conversion data directly to your server via HTTP requests. This eliminates the need for cookies and provides more reliable tracking.

When a user completes a conversion (purchase, signup, etc.) on a merchant site, the affiliate network sends a postback URL request to your server with conversion details. Your server then records the conversion for tracking and reporting.

How Postback Tracking Works

1. User clicks your affiliate link
2. Merchant stores your tracking ID with the user's session
3. User completes conversion on merchant site
4. Merchant/network sends postback to your postback URL
5. Your server receives and processes the postback
6. Conversion is recorded in your tracking system

Setting Up Postback URLs

Configure postback URLs in your affiliate network dashboard. The URL typically includes parameters like:

Your postback URL format: https://yoursite.com/postback?click_id=[click_id]&amount=[amount]

Security Best Practices

• Use HMAC signatures to validate postbacks (see Secure Postbacks Guide)
• Validate all postback parameters
• Implement IP whitelisting if possible
• Use HTTPS for all postback URLs
• Log all postbacks for auditing