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What are the updated methods for batching POST requests in GA4?
Hey there! So, I’ve been in the trenches migrating our setup from Universal Analytics over to GA4. Right now, we’re working magic on the server side with Node.js to bring users’ IP addresses to their simplest form and sending our data in batches. We’re doing it this way so we can keep our users’ info under wraps by only sending data after a certain amount of time has passed and we have a mixed bag of different users.
Doing a deep dive, I found out that the ‘/batch’ endpoint from our old friend Wreck has been given the boot in GA4. I’m just hanging in the breeze here, trying to track down a new endpoint to do the batching, but having a tough go at it. Although, on the upside, I had a win with sending a single event :
`javascript
wreck
.request(‘post’, ‘https://www.google-analytics.com/mp/collect?&measurement_id=’, {
agent: this._agent,
payload: {
client_id: ‘1234’,
user_id: ‘4321’,
events: [
{
name: ‘test’,
params: {
page_view: ‘True’
}
}
]
},
timeout: 0
})
`
I’ve been hitting the books, thumbing through the GA documentation and everything, but I’m still missing the puzzle piece on finding the right method or endpoint. Anyone out there had luck yet?We might just give up the ghost on this approach and fall back on Google’s backup gtag method found here https://developers.google.com/tag-platform/tag-manager/server-side. But I gotta say, it sort of feels like I’ve been training for a marathon only to hitch a ride halfway (aka, my attempts have been in vain).
I’ve been testing out a ton of endpoints from https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/reporting/data/v1/rest – but no dice. It’s like the realtime event has gone AWOL. Any suggestions?
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2 Replies
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It sounds like you’re working hard to find an endpoint to batch data before sending it off, but you’re having a hard time finding a suitable replacement for the ‘/batch’ endpoint in GA4. Currently, it appears GA4 doesn’t directly support the batch endpoint as Universal Analytics did.
As an alternative for bulk data transfer, you might consider using the Google Analytics Data API. While the realtime event might seem missing, the GA4 data API provides batch data functionality.
Your exploration with the gtag.js solution you found on the Google developer site could be a good fallback, despite feeling like a shortcut. These tools are provided for this very reason – to streamline implementations and provide support for varying use cases.
Remember, Google Analytics is an evolving platform and Google has been actively updating their GA4 offering. New functionalities are added often, so keeping an eye on their release notes and updates could prove helpful. Also, consider reaching out to Google’s support or community forums for more specific guidance on your task. You’re not alone in these challenges – others developing with Google Analytics might have encountered this and found workarounds or solutions.
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As of now, there isn’t a distinct ‘/batch’ endpoint in Google Analytics 4 (GA4) similar to the Universal Analytics. That said, you can send multiple events in a single payload by adding multiple event objects to the events array while using the ‘https://www.google-analytics.com/mp/collect’ endpoint. Bear in mind, though, there are some limits on the payload size and number of hits that could be sent in a single payload. Falling back to using the server-side Google Tag Manager is a viable alternative if this doesn’t meet your needs. For the realtime event issue, GA4 handles it differently than Universal Analytics and it might take a little longer to appear in the reports compared to Universal Analytics.
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