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Adjust's S2S API integrations let you connect your app to Adjust without using the Adjust SDK or making any changes to your app code.
Here, you can find out some of the reasons our customers choose to work server-to-server. We'll also explain some of the limitations of the integration.
There are certain drawbacks to working S2S. These include:
Potential loss of data during prologned offline activity.
Increased risk of fraud without data authentication correctly implemented.
Additional resources and engineering overhead as the client server must always send data in the correct format, order, and sequence for attribution.
In addition, there are certain features which cannot be set up with S2S integration. Use the menu below to explore what these are and why they are not supported.
Deferred deep linking
Deferred deep linking is an important tool for improved user experience. When a user clicks an ad and does not have your app installed, they are redirected to the store. After installing your app, at first open they are deep linked to a specific location in your app.
S2S can affect deferred deep linking performance. While it is possible to perform without our SDK, it requires your backend to request the deferred deep link from our backend attribution API and relay that information down to the app.
Attribution callbacks
Attribution callbacks let you get attribution data sent back to the end users' device. For example if a user has reinstalled the app, the Adjust SDK can send this information back to your app on the device.
Apple Search Ads
If you choose to implement measurement via S2S you will have to build out separate support on your side to integrate Apple's Attribution API. With our SDK we will measure these ads automatically.
Fraud: Click Injection Google Play Store
The Adjust SDK receives three important timestamps from the Google Play Store to ensure users are not wrongly attributed to a campaign due to click injection. These timestamps are Download Start, Download Complete, and First Open (Install). Without these data points, apps with ill intention can send clicks for your app right before the time of first open and get awarded with fraudulent attribution credit.
Fraud: SDK Spoofing Protection
The Adjust SDK has very specific and detailed information that it can provide to our backend if the user opening your app is legitimate. We have a number of different checks that ensure if any information is missing, it's likely this user is not a real user at all. Without our SDK you will need to build out some protection method on your end.
