Glossary · Tracking & Attribution

What is a Postback URL?

Definition

A URL one system calls server-to-server to report a conversion to another, passing the original click ID plus details such as payout and status.

A postback URL is an endpoint that one system calls server-to-server to report a conversion to another system. When a user who arrived through an affiliate link signs up, deposits, or buys, the advertiser's server (or the network) requests the postback URL with the original click ID and event details, so the conversion is attributed without relying on browser cookies or pixels.

How it works

  1. The user clicks a tracking link. The tracker generates a unique click ID and passes it to the landing page as a URL parameter.
  2. The advertiser stores that click ID with the user's session, lead, or account.
  3. When a conversion happens, the advertiser's server requests the postback URL, replacing macros with real values.
  4. The receiving system matches the click ID to the original click and records the conversion, payout, and status.

Because the request travels between servers, ad blockers, cookie restrictions, and closed browser tabs do not break it.

Example

An affiliate's tracker might provide a postback template like this (illustrative values):

https://tracker.example.com/postback?cid={click_id}&payout={amount}&currency={currency}&status={status}

When a $50 conversion is approved, the request that actually fires looks like this:

https://tracker.example.com/postback?cid=abc123xyz&payout=50.00&currency=USD&status=approved

Why it matters

For brands, postbacks produce accurate, auditable conversion data and can report delayed events such as approvals, rejections, or reversals. For affiliates, they feed conversions back into their own tracker or ad accounts, so they can optimize by traffic source, creative, and sub-ID. MassPartner supports S2S postbacks from brands and lets affiliates send postbacks to their own trackers with macros such as {click_id} and {status}.

For a full walkthrough, read what a postback URL is and how to set one up.

Related: S2S tracking, click ID, tracking macro, pixel tracking.

Related terms

  • S2S Tracking

    Server-to-server tracking, in which conversions are reported directly between servers using a stored click ID instead of browser cookies or pixels.

  • Click ID

    A unique identifier generated for each click on a tracking link or ad, used to match later conversions back to that exact click.

  • Tracking Macro

    A placeholder in a URL, such as {click_id} or {amount}, that a tracking system replaces with the real value when the link or postback fires.

  • Pixel Tracking

    Client-side conversion tracking in which a tag or tiny image on the confirmation page fires in the user's browser and reports the conversion.

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