Ad serving lifecycle

An ad serving lifecycle is an automated process that loads a banner every time an HTML page is displayed on the end device.

1. The lifecycle begins when the end device (desktop computer, laptop, or smartphone) sends a request to the site. The site returns an HTML page with a special JavaScript code. Once executed on the end device, this code fetches an HTML snippet with links to ad creatives from the RTB host.

2. When the RTB host receives the ad request, it starts an auction.

3. The RTB host sends requests to all prospective bidders with a timeout of 350 ms for requests in Russia and 500 ms for international requests. The exact timeout accounts for the time it takes for packets to travel to a specific DSP and back to the RTB host. During this window, the DSP evaluates the impression opportunity and decides whether to bid.

4. If the DSP decides not to bid, it responds to the RTB host with an HTTP 204 or an empty HTTP 200 response body.

5. If the DSP decides to bid, it selects the appropriate ad creative and bid amount, generates a response, and sends it back to the RTB host.

   Note

   The DSP must send its response to the exact IP address from which the request was received.

6. After receiving DSP responses, the RTB host compares bids.

7. The RTB host selects the highest bid among auction participants.

8. Once the payment clears, the user is served an ad.