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 Google Analytics Measurement Protocol 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.

  • consent: Optional. Learn how to set consent settings.

  • user_location: Optional. The geographic information for the events in the request.

  • ip_override: Optional. The IP address from which Google Analytics should derive geographic information for the events in the request.

    Google Analytics ignores this field if the request also includes user_location.

  • timestamp_micros: Optional. The Unix epoch time, in microseconds, for the events and user properties in the request. If not specified, defaults to the time of the request.

  • 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. The engagement_time_msec parameter should reflect the event's engagement time in milliseconds.

    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 multiple events at once. This example sends a tutorial_begin event and a join_group event to your Google Analytics server, and includes geographic information using the user_location field.

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: {
          "session_id": "123",
          "engagement_time_msec": 100
        }
      },
      {
        name: "join_group",
        params: {
          "group_id": "G_12345",
          "session_id": "123",
          "engagement_time_msec": 150
        }
      }
    ],
    user_location: {
      city: "Mountain View",
      region_id: "US-CA",
      country_id: "US",
      subcontinent_id: "021",
      continent_id: "019"
    }
  })
});

Override timestamp

The Measurement Protocol uses the first timestamp it finds in the following list for each event in the request:

  1. The timestamp_micros of the event.
  2. The timestamp_micros of the request.
  3. The time that the Measurement Protocol receives the request.

The following example sends a request-level timestamp that applies to all of the events in the request. As a result, the Measurement Protocol assigns both the tutorial_begin and join_group events a timestamp of requestUnixEpochTimeInMicros.

{
  "timestamp_micros": requestUnixEpochTimeInMicros,
  "events": [
    {
      "name": "tutorial_begin"
    },
    {
      "name": "join_group",
      "params": {
        "group_id": "G_12345",
      }
    }
  ]
}

The following example sends both a request-level timestamp and an event-level timestamp. As a result, the Measurement Protocol assigns the tutorial_begin event a timestamp of tutorialBeginUnixEpochTimeInMicros, and the join_group event a timestamp of requestUnixEpochTimeInMicros.

{
  "timestamp_micros": requestUnixEpochTimeInMicros,
  "events": [
    {
      "name": "tutorial_begin",
      "timestamp_micros": tutorialBeginUnixEpochTimeInMicros
    },
    {
      "name": "join_group",
      "params": {
        "group_id": "G_12345",
      }
    }
  ]
}

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 for a standard Google Analytics property, and 500 characters or fewer for a Google Analytics 360 property.
  • 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 don't populate Search audiences in Google Ads for app users.

For additional requirements of each use case, see common use cases.