Table of Contents
What Is a Postback?
A postback is a server-to-server request that Tapfiliate sends to an affiliate’s tracking system when a conversion is recorded. Unlike pixels or browser-based tracking, postbacks are:
More reliable
Not affected by ad blockers
Commonly required by affiliate networks
Before You Start (Requirements)
Before setting up a postback, make sure you have:
A postback URL from your affiliate
A list of required parameters (for example: click ID, payout, currency)
Confirmation of where the affiliate expects the click ID (e.g.
subid,subid1,click_id)
Important: Only send the parameters your affiliate explicitly asks for. Do not include personal or sensitive user data unless strictly required.
How Postbacks Work in Tapfiliate
An affiliate sends traffic using a Tapfiliate referral link.
A SubID (click ID) is passed in the link.
Tapfiliate stores this SubID.
When a conversion occurs, Tapfiliate fires a postback.
The affiliate receives the SubID and matches the conversion to the original click.
Setting Up Tapfiliate Postbacks
The affiliate postback setup is available to be set up by the affiliates as well as by the advertisers in the "affiliates" section, with the same interface.
To set up postbacks in Tapfiliate, follow these steps:
1. Navigate to the Affiliates section in your Tapfiliate dashboard.
2. Click on the "Add Postback" button and select the affiliate you want to create a postback for.
3. Enter a descriptive name for your postback (e.g., "Sale").
4. Choose the action type you want to track the postback for (e.g., "conversion").
5. Add the Postback URL:
Paste the HTTPS postback URL provided by your affiliate.
Example: https://affiliate-network.com/postback
6. Add Parameters:
Add the parameters required by the affiliate and map them to Tapfiliate macros.
Example:
clickid=${click_subid}
payout=${commission_amount}
currency=${currency}
Important: Do not send unnecessary parameters. Only include what your affiliate explicitly requires.
7. Click the "Save" button.
Once you have saved the postback, Tapfiliate will automatically send a notification to your affiliate's server whenever the chosen event is triggered. Your affiliate can then use this data to track their earnings and measure the success of their promotional efforts.
Understanding Content Keys and SubIDs (Clear Example)
This section clarifies one of the most commonly misunderstood concepts.
Scenario
Your affiliate sends traffic using this referral link:
Here, the affiliate is passing the click ID in
tm_subid1.
What Happens in Tapfiliate
Tapfiliate stores the value
ABC123.Internally, this value is available as the macro
${click_subid}.
What Is the Content Key?
The content key tells Tapfiliate which SubID parameter name should be sent back to the affiliate.
In this example:
Affiliate sends the click ID in:
tm_subid1Content key should be set to:
subid1
Resulting Postback
When the conversion happens, Tapfiliate sends:
subid1=ABC123
This allows the affiliate to correctly match the conversion to the original click.
Sharing external id to affiliates
You can share the external id to your affiliate's postback by using the ${conversion_external_id} macro. Example screenshot of how you can share the external id in the postback is given below:
Pause or remove existing postbacks
Once you've created postbacks for your affiliates in Tapfiliate, you can easily edit, pause, or remove them as needed. Here's how:
1. Accessing the Postback Section:
Log in to your Tapfiliate advertiser account.
Navigate to the "Affiliates" section.
In the "Affiliates" section, locate the "Postback" section.
2. Viewing Existing Postbacks:
The "Postback" section will display a list of all postbacks you've created for your affiliates. Each postback will show details like the associated affiliate, program, source, and action type.
3. Editing a Postback:
Locate the postback you want to modify in the list.
Click the pencil icon next to the desired postback.
This will open the edit window where you can make changes to the existing settings like title, program, source, action details, HTTP method, postback link, or parameters.
Once you've made the necessary edits, click the "Save" button to apply the changes.
4. Pausing a Postback:
To temporarily disable a postback, locate the desired postback in the list.
Click the pause button next to the postback. This will switch the postback to an inactive state.
A paused postback will not trigger any notifications until you resume it.
5. Removing a Postback:
If you no longer need a particular postback, you can delete it permanently.
Locate the postback you want to remove in the list.
Click the trash can icon next to the desired postback.
A confirmation dialog will appear. Click "Delete" to confirm the removal.
By following these steps, you can effectively manage your affiliate postbacks in Tapfiliate.
Testing Tapfiliate Postbacks
It's important to properly manage and test your Tapfiliate postbacks to ensure they are functioning correctly. Here are some tips:
Test your postbacks: Before launching your affiliate campaign, it's essential to test your postbacks to make sure they are sending data correctly. You can do this by using our "Test the postback" button and firing a test postback with your affiliates.
List of Available Macros (Quick Reference)
For quick navigation, here is a list of commonly used Tapfiliate macros:
Macro | Description |
| Affiliate click ID (SubID) |
| Commission amount |
| Currency code |
| Unique conversion ID |
| Affiliate ID |
| Program ID |
| Conversion timestamp |
Always confirm with your affiliate which macros they expect.
Troubleshooting and best practices
Scenario: An affiliate sets up their Tapfiliate account and configures a postback using a click sub‑ID (via tm_subid1‑tm_subid10) in their referral links. However, when a conversion occurs, they never receive their click ID back in the postback payload—breaking the tracking.
Cause:
The advertiser might be using Tapfiliate’s REST API for click and conversion tracking—but they only might be sending basic data when creating a click (e.g., referral_code), not storing or forwarding the affiliate’s sub‑ID metadata (like click_id) in the conversion API call. Because of these reasons, Tapfiliate cannot include that sub-ID in the postback (using ${click_subid}), so it never reaches the affiliate.
Resolution:
Reach out to the advertiser to make sure their REST integration carries forward the affiliate sub‑ID metadata from the click through to the conversion call:
When creating the click, the advertisers must include the affiliate’s sub-id metadata: (example body)
{ "referral_code": "AFFCODE", "meta_data": { "sub_id": "AFFCLICK" }}Store the click ID and metadata in a cookie or session so it’s available at conversion time.
When sending the conversion, include the same metadata.
Common Mistakes & Best Practices
Common Mistakes
Sending unnecessary or sensitive data
Using HTTP instead of HTTPS
Incorrect SubID/content key mapping
Not testing the postback
Best Practices
Always use HTTPS endpoints
Send only required parameters
Clearly document SubID usage with affiliates
Add visual highlights to screenshots for clarity
Still Need Help?
If you have questions or run into issues, contact us at support@tapfiliate.com. Our team is happy to help.