What is the Difference Between Server-Side and Client-Side Events?
A client is the browser or application that your user interacts with. A client-side event usually comes in the form of a tag and is sent directly from the client to Analytics or a tag manager (like Google Tag Manager). These tags are sent when an event like page view or button click is fired.
A server-side event is an event that goes from a web server to Analytics. This includes events that are sent from the client through the web server to Analytics. This means that server-side events can mimic client-side events like page view or button click, but can also be server events like payment successful.
When Should I Use Client-Side Events?
Client-side events are a fast and inexpensive and way to track. Because they are linked to the browser, client-side events are great for including information about UTM parameters, IP address and location, and device information.
Client-side events also have a few drawbacks that should be taken into consideration. The first and most common issue is cookie blockers. Client-side tracking is reliant on cookies, either first- or third-party. First-party cookies are generally reliable, since most ad blockers do not automatically stop first-party cookies. Third-party cookies, however, are often blocked leaving behind a hole in your data. For example, Analytics SDK uses third-party cookies, while Snowplow’s SDK uses first-party cookies.
Another, less common, issue is that client-side events can slow down your website through asynchronous functionality and cumbersome embedded code. Most websites, however, will find that client-side tracking is not the limiting factor in the speed of their site. Please note that Indiative’s SDK does not cause these latency issues.
When Should I Use Server-Side Events?
Server-side events are more flexible than client-side events, because you can introduce logic into the definition of an event. Take payment successful for example, in order to know if the payment was a success, you would need logic to check if the payment successfully went through, which can only be achieved by a server-side event. Because of this, server-side events can be enriched with user-level information like time spent on the page.
Where client-side events fall short, server-side events fill the gaps. Server-side events are a reliable and secure way to track events. This makes server-side an excellent way to track revenue or other sensitive information.
But server-side events have their pitfalls as well, primarily cost. Server-side events require manual set up, meaning they require engineering resources. The more server-side logic required, the more engineering resources you’ll need.
Which Type of Event Should I Use?
Most sources, Analytics included, recommend using both server-side and client-side events to track your website.