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How to connect your VAST ad endpoint to 5centsCDN (with macros explained)

Once you have a source of advertising demand, the next step is to connect its VAST endpoint to 5centsCDN.

What is a VAST endpoint?

A VAST endpoint is a URL provided by your advertising demand source.

When a viewer reaches an ad break:

  1. 5centsCDN requests the VAST endpoint.
  2. Your ad source returns a VAST response containing an advertisement.
  3. 5centsCDN processes the response.
  4. The advertisement is inserted into the stream.
  5. The stream is delivered to your viewers.

In simple terms:

You provide the VAST endpoint; 5centsCDN handles the ad insertion.

What are macros?

A VAST endpoint may need additional information about each individual ad opportunity.

For example, the ad source may need information such as:

  • Viewer device type
  • Approximate location
  • Content being watched
  • Ad duration
  • A unique identifier for the ad request

Macros are placeholders in the VAST endpoint URL that are replaced with the appropriate values when an ad request is made.

For example:

https://your-ad-source.com/vast?device=[DEVICE]&ip=[IP]&content=[CONTENT_ID]&duration=[AD_DURATION]&cachebuster=[TIMESTAMP]

The example above is illustrative only. Your advertising provider will specify the actual macro names and values it requires.

Why are macros important?

Correct macro values allow your demand source to understand the individual advertising opportunity and return an appropriate advertisement.

Incorrect or missing macros can cause the ad source to return no advertisement, resulting in an unfilled ad slot and potentially lost revenue.

Important: There is no universal list of macros. Each advertising source can define its own required macros and macro names.

You should obtain the exact macro requirements from your ad server, SSP, or demand partner.

How does the integration work?

The integration process generally follows these steps:

  1. Obtain your VAST endpoint
    Get the VAST endpoint from your advertising demand source, including all required macros.
  2. Provide the endpoint to 5centsCDN
    Provide the VAST endpoint so it can be configured against your stream.
  3. Configure the macros
    The required macros are mapped to the relevant values from the streaming session, such as device, content, and ad duration.
  4. Ad insertion and delivery
    5centsCDN handles the ad-break detection, VAST request, response processing, server-side ad insertion, and delivery of the resulting stream to your viewers.

How do I get the integration configured?

Because each advertising source can have different VAST and macro requirements, the recommended approach is to configure the integration with the 5centsCDN team.

Once you have:

  • The VAST endpoint
  • The required macro list
  • Any other requirements provided by your demand source

reach out to the 5centsCDN team so we can configure the endpoint against your stream and verify that advertisements are filling and playing correctly.