Prebid Timeouts

Last edited: 2024/12/16

Prebid Stack requires some time to gather bids. This time is controlled by number of timeouts explained in this article.

The dependencies and flow of particular timeouts is presented on the timeline below:

<aside> <img src="/icons/link_yellow.svg" alt="/icons/link_yellow.svg" width="40px" /> Prebid documentation on timeouts: link

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GDPR / USP / GPP timeout

Prebid modules that handle passing user consent info from CMP to Bidders in a Prebid Auction rely on a timeout to wait for the CMP stub. Learn more about these modules in our article on Consent Managment.

Failsafe timeout

In Yieldbird Platform Failsafe Timeout applies to the entire Yieldbird configuration, not only to Prebid. Learn more about Failsafe timeout

Auction Delay

Auction Delay (auctionDelay) is the duration of time added after loading prebid.js but before sending bid requests to Bidders. Some User ID or Vendor Specific modules may require this delay to be extended, allowing more time for them to complete their actions.

<aside> <img src="/icons/arrow-right_green.svg" alt="/icons/arrow-right_green.svg" width="40px" />

Best practices:

• In most implementations, auctionDelay should be set to 50ms.
• Some AdOps teams use the following guideline to calculate the appropriate auctionDelay based on the number of Vendor-Specific Modules implemented for a Domain:
  • 1 Vendor-Specific Module: auctionDelay = 50ms
  • 2 Vendor-Specific Modules: auctionDelay = 100ms
  • 3 Vendor-Specific Modules: auctionDelay = 150ms, and so on.
• If you are unsure about the auctionDelay requirements for the Vendor-Specific Modules you use, we strongly recommend reaching out to the module provider directly for the most up-to-date guidance. </aside>

Setting default Auction delay

Default auction delay applies to all inventory in your Workspace unless you select value specific for particular Domain. To manage it go to Global setup > Prebid > Defaults: Timeouts.

Setting Auction delay for specific Domain

If you require more granular settings, you can adapt the Auction Timeout for particular Domains. To do that:

1. Go to Inventory > Domains > select the domain you want to edit > Prebid Stack: Auction timeout
2. Toggle <on> Customize Auction delay on this Domain
3. Set the delay that you want to apply to this Domain only
4. Click Save

Prebid Auction timeout

Prebid Auction Timeout sets the duration available for coordinating header bidding activities on the page. In other words, this is the timeframe within which Yieldbird will await for bids from SSPs that are connected to your inventory.

Setting default Prebid Auction timeout

Default Prebid auction timeout applies to all inventory in your Workspace unless you select value specific for particular Domain, (or in Old Platform’s case Page or Viewport). To manage it go to Global setup > Prebid > Defaults: Timeouts.

Setting the timeout for specific Domain

If you require more granular settings, you can adapt the Auction Timeout for particular Domains. To do that:

1. Go to Inventory > Domains > select the domain you want to edit > Prebid Stack: Auction timeout
2. Toggle <on> Customize Prebid Auction timeout on this Domain
3. Set the Timeout that you want to apply to this Domain only
4. Click Save

Setting the timeout for specific Layout

<aside> <img src="/icons/info-alternate_blue.svg" alt="/icons/info-alternate_blue.svg" width="40px" /> This refers to Layouts

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If you require you can set timeout for specific Page only. It will override the Timeout set for Domain and default Prebid auction timeout. To do that:

1. Go to Inventory > Layouts > select the Layout for which you want to set Prebid Auction timeout > Prebid Stack: Auction timeout
2. Toggle <on> Customize Prebid Auction timeout on this Layout
3. Set the Timeout that you want to apply to this Layout only
4. Click ‘Save’

<aside> <img src="/icons/info-alternate_blue.svg" alt="/icons/info-alternate_blue.svg" width="40px" />

Also read: FAQ: Which setting applies to the ad unit when the parameter is set at multiple levels?

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How to efficiently manage Prebid Auction Timeouts?

Setting this value requires careful consideration:

• if it's too brief, there isn't sufficient time for header bidding
• if it's too extended, it could decrease revenue by postponing the ad server call until after users have departed the page.

Publishers need to identify the optimal value by weighing various factors such as the average time users spend on the page, direct sell-through rates, the importance of different advertising channels, and the typical network delay experienced by users.

Typically, from our experience the efficient timeout is within 800 - 2000ms range.

Also, setting Prebid Auction timeout require to take into account Failsafe timeout as well - Generally, the recommended relationship between Prebid Auction timeout and Failsafe timeout is that Failsafe is at least 2x longer than Prebid Auction timeout. To make it easier to set it up properly Yieldbird Platform automatically validates the relationship between these two. You can also see the current setting of Failsafe timeout in the Related settings info box.

<aside> <img src="/icons/arrow-right_green.svg" alt="/icons/arrow-right_green.svg" width="40px" /> Good practice: When analyzing the results of changing Prebid Auction timeout it is recommended to:

1. Use Revenue as success metric, not rCPM - longer Prebid Auction timeouts (e.g. >3s) reduce the number of ad requests that reach Google Ad Manager, hence analyzing rCPM may lead to wrong conclusions (it simply misses the fact that you decreased the number of ad requests).
2. Take a look at your whole Revenue including Directs. Potentially cutting some ad requests will impact not only Open Market, but also Directs. Hence, you must take them into account when looking for optimal timeout setting. </aside>

From our experience, once you set the right timeout you don’t have to change it frequently (unless of course you do some significant changes to the setup, especially those including changing the set of bidders.

<aside> <img src="/icons/info-alternate_blue.svg" alt="/icons/info-alternate_blue.svg" width="40px" /> See also the Guide to prebid timeouts published on our blog.

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S2S config timeout multiplier

This setting is applicable to Yieldbird Platform 2.0 only

To ensure that bids from Prebid Server return to the client in time for the ad server call, the timespan for Prebid Server to return the bids to the Client is lower than the Prebid Auction Timeout.

S2S config timeout multiplier set’s the timeout for performing S2S auction as percentage of entire Prebid Auction timeout. This means that for example if the Prebid Auction Timeout is 1000ms and the S2S config timeout multiplier is 75%, the S2S timeout for that auction will be 750ms.

<aside> <img src="/icons/arrow-right_green.svg" alt="/icons/arrow-right_green.svg" width="40px" /> Good practice: The recommended range is 50-75%

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This setting is available only on workspace level. To set it up go to Global setup > Prebid > Defaults: Timeouts.

S2S timeout adjustment

To reduce the risk of missing the ad server call on the client side, Prebid Server trims a safety buffer and sends a response to the client slightly before the S2S config timeout. For example, if for particular ad requests the S2S config timeout is 750ms and S2S timeout adjustment is set to 40ms, S2S Bidders will actually time out at 710ms.

This setting is available only on workspace level. To set it up go to Global setup > Prebid > Defaults: Timeouts.

Prebid Timeouts when using Amazon UAM / TAM

When you are using Amazon UAM/TAM implementation through the Yieldbird Platform, the same timeouts that you set for Prebid apply to Amazon as well. To ensure optimal competition between Amazon and Prebid, we do not allow setting different timeouts for Amazon and Prebid.

<aside> <img src="/icons/info-alternate_blue.svg" alt="/icons/info-alternate_blue.svg" width="40px" /> More about Amazon UAM / TAM in Yieldbird Platform: Amazon UAM/TAM

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