Verify implementation

  • Verify your GA4 Measurement Protocol implementation by following a series of steps after validating events.

  • To send a valid event, you need an app_instance_id that has been previously used by the Google Analytics for Firebase SDK.

  • After sending an event using the Measurement Protocol, check the Realtime view in Google Analytics to see if it appears within a few seconds.

  • For more detailed verification, enable debug mode in test events by including specific parameters and then check the DebugView.

After going through validating events, you'll want to verify your implementation. The validation server validates that your events have the correct structure, but to verify that they are being sent correctly to your property, you'll need to do the following:

If you're not seeing your events after going through these steps, check troubleshooting for common implementation errors.

Send an event from a client

Choose your client:

In order for an event to be valid, it must have a client_id that has already been used to send an event from gtag.js. Capture this ID client-side, and include it in your call to the Measurement Protocol. In send an event to your property, we use "client_id" as the client_id. You must replace "client_id" with a real client_id from gtag.js.

Send an event to your property

After you have sent an event from a client and captured a valid client_id, you'll be ready to send an event using the Measurement Protocol. When verifying your implementation, you should send the exact event that you're trying to measure using the Measurement Protocol.

For example, the following sends a refund event:

const measurementId = "MEASUREMENT_ID";
const apiSecret = "API_SECRET";

fetch(`https://www.google-analytics.com/mp/collect?measurement_id=${measurementId}&api_secret=${apiSecret}`, {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    "client_id": "CLIENT_ID",
    "events": [{
      "name": "refund",
      "params": {
        "currency": "USD",
        "value": "9.99",
        "transaction_id": "ABC-123"
      }
    }]
  })
});

Check the Realtime view

After sending an event using the Measurement Protocol, check the Realtime view for your property. Events typically show up within a few seconds.

Go to the Realtime view by opening Google Analytics, then going to Reports > Realtime in the left navigation. You'll want to focus on the bottom charts, such as "Event count by Event name" and "Key Events by Event name."

Realtime view showing an event

Check DebugView

If the Realtime view doesn't provide enough detail for you to verify your implementation, enable debug mode in some test events by including the following parameters in the params collection so you can monitor and review the events in DebugView:

  1. "debug_mode": true or "debug_mode": 1
  2. "engagement_time_msec" set to a positive number

For example, the following sends a refund with debug mode enabled:

const measurementId = "MEASUREMENT_ID";
const apiSecret = "API_SECRET";

fetch(`https://www.google-analytics.com/mp/collect?measurement_id=${measurementId}&api_secret=${apiSecret}`, {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    "client_id": "CLIENT_ID",
    "events": [{
      "name": "refund",
      "params": {
        "currency": "USD",
        "value": "9.99",
        "transaction_id": "ABC-123",
        "engagement_time_msec": 1200,
        "debug_mode": true
      }
    }]
  })
});

After you send events with debug mode enabled, follow the instructions for monitoring events using DebugView to verify your implementation.