Google Tag Manager: setting up server-side GTM with Zenovay

Server-side Google Tag Manager (sGTM) lets you proxy tracking requests through your own server. For Zenovay, that means a smaller client-side script, fewer ad-blocker hits, and full control over what data leaves the browser. This article walks through the canonical sGTM + Zenovay setup.

When is sGTM worth the effort?

sGTM adds operational overhead — you need a Cloud Run / EC2 / Cloud Function instance, a custom subdomain, and ongoing maintenance. It's worth it if:

• You're seeing >5% adblock-driven data loss and want first-party-domain delivery.
• You need to enrich events with server-only data (e.g. internal user-tier, IP-derived ASN) before they reach Zenovay.
• Your security/legal team requires that all third-party HTTP requests be inspectable.

If none of those apply, the regular client-side tracker is simpler and faster.

High-level architecture

Browser  →  https://t.example.com/zv  →  https://api.zenovay.com/api/event
              (your sGTM container)

The browser only sees t.example.com (your domain). The sGTM container forwards to Zenovay, optionally enriching the payload.

Step 1 — Set up the sGTM container

1. In Google Tag Manager, create a new Server container.
2. Choose Manually provision tagging server and pick your hosting (Cloud Run is the typical path).
3. Note the container's URL (e.g. https://gtm-abc123.run.app).
4. Add a custom domain mapping so the container is reachable at t.example.com.

Step 2 — Add the Zenovay client template

1. In the server container, Templates → Client templates → Search Gallery.
2. Search for Zenovay Server-side. (If you don't see it, you can import it from github.com/zenovay/sgtm-template — the template is open-source.)
3. Add to workspace.

Step 3 — Configure the client

1. Clients → New → Zenovay Server-side.
2. Settings:
   • Path — e.g. /zv (the URL prefix the browser will hit).
   • Tracking Code — paste your Zenovay tracking code.
   • Forwarding endpoint — https://api.zenovay.com/api/event (default).
3. Save and Publish.

Step 4 — Update the website tracker

Replace your existing Zenovay <script> tag with the sGTM-aware version:

<script
  src="https://t.example.com/zv/script.js"
  data-tracking-code="YOUR_TRACKING_CODE"
  defer
></script>

The script source now points at your sGTM container, but data-tracking-code stays the same.

Step 5 — Verify end-to-end

1. Open a real visit on the site.
2. DevTools → Network → filter by t.example.com — you should see the script load and one or more /zv/event requests.
3. In sGTM Preview mode, you should see the request being routed through the Zenovay client and forwarded.
4. In Zenovay Live → Events, the event should appear within ~30 seconds.

What's enriched

The sGTM client automatically forwards:

• The visitor's IP (so country/city detection still works on Zenovay's side — but you can strip this in sGTM if you want full IP anonymisation).
• The User-Agent string.
• All headers needed for cookieless / GPC honouring.

Cookieless mode + sGTM

If you want sGTM and cookieless mode, set data-cookieless="true" on the script tag as usual. The sGTM client respects the flag and won't write any cookies on its way through.

Plan availability

Server-side GTM integration is supported on the Scale plan and higher. Pro plan users should use the regular client-side tracker. Free plan does not include server-side eligibility.

Related reading

• Server-side tracking overview
• API overview