Send Measurement Protocol events to Google Analytics

This guide explains how you can send Google Analytics Measurement Protocol web and app stream events to a Google Analytics server, so that you can view Measurement Protocol events in your Google Analytics reports.

Choose the platform you want to see in this guide:

Format the request

The Measurement Protocol for Google Analytics 4 only supports HTTP POST requests.

To send an event, use the following format:

POST /mp/collect HTTP/1.1
HOST: www.google-analytics.com
Content-Type: application/json
<payload_data>

You must provide the following in the request URL:

  • api_secret: The API SECRET generated in the Google Analytics UI.

    To create a new secret, navigate to Admin > Data Streams > choose your stream > Measurement Protocol > Create.

  • measurement_id: The measurement ID associated with a stream, found in the Google Analytics UI under Admin > Data Streams > choose your stream > Measurement ID.

    The measurement_id isn't your Stream ID.

See query parameters for the full reference.

You must provide the following in the request body:

  • client_id: A unique identifier for a client. This is different than a Firebase app_instance_id. Use gtag.js('get').

  • user_id: Optional. A unique identifier for a user. Can only contain utf-8 characters. See User-ID for cross-platform analysis for more information about this identifier.

  • events: An array of event items. You can include multiple events in one request.

    In order for user activity to display in reports like Realtime, engagement_time_msec and session_id must be supplied as part of the params for an event.

    Here's an example:

  {
   "client_id": "123456.7654321",
   "events": [
     {
        "name": "campaign_details",
        "params": {
          "campaign_id": "google_1234",
          "campaign": "Summer_fun",
          "source": "google",
          "medium": "cpc",
          "term": "summer+travel",
          "content": "logolink",
          "session_id": "123",
          "engagement_time_msec": "100"
        }
     }
   ]
  }

While session_start is a reserved event name, creating a new session_id creates a new session without the need to send session_start. Understand how sessions are counted.

Try it

Here's an example you can use to send a tutorial_begin event to your Google Analytics server:

const measurement_id = `G-XXXXXXXXXX`;
const api_secret = `<secret_value>`;

fetch(`https://www.google-analytics.com/mp/collect?measurement_id=${measurement_id}&api_secret=${api_secret}`, {
  method: "POST",
  body: JSON.stringify({
    client_id: 'XXXXXXXXXX.YYYYYYYYYY',
    events: [{
      name: 'tutorial_begin',
      params: {},
    }]
  })
});

Limitations

The following limitations apply to sending Measurement Protocol events to Google Analytics:

  • Requests can have a maximum of 25 events.
  • Events can have a maximum of 25 parameters.
  • Events can have a maximum of 25 user properties.
  • User property names must be 24 characters or fewer.
  • User property values must be 36 characters or fewer.
  • Event names must be 40 characters or fewer, can only contain alpha-numeric characters and underscores, and must start with an alphabetic character.
  • Parameter names including item parameters must be 40 characters or fewer, can only contain alpha-numeric characters and underscores, and must start with an alphabetic character.
  • Parameter values including item parameter values must be 100 characters or fewer.
  • Item parameters can have a maximum of 10 custom parameters.
  • The post body must be smaller than 130kB.
  • App Measurement Protocol events sent to Google Analytics 4 don't populate Search audiences in Google Ads for app users.