The attribution flow
Dub uses a multi-stage attribution model that tracks the complete customer journey from initial click to final purchase:
Stage 1: Click tracking
When a visitor clicks a partner’s referral link, Dub captures the click server-side before redirecting to your website. This happens automatically and cannot be blocked by ad blockers.
Data captured at click:
- Unique click ID
- Timestamp
- Geographic location (country, city, continent)
- Device type (mobile, desktop, tablet)
- Browser and operating system
- Referrer URL
- UTM parameters
- Whether the click came from a QR code or a short link
The click is appended to your destination URL as a dub_id query parameter:
https://yoursite.com?dub_id=cm3w8x2...
dub_id parameter and stores it as a first-party cookie.
// The SDK automatically handles this when installed
// Cookie: dub_id=xyz... (expires in 90 days by default)
- Persist across page navigation and sessions
- Not blocked by ad blockers (unlike third-party cookies)
- Compliant with privacy regulations
- Work reliably across all browsers
The default cookie lifetime is 90 days, meaning conversions within this window are attributed to the original click. You can customize this with the expiresInDays parameter.
Stage 2: Lead tracking
When the visitor takes a qualifying action (signup, booking, form submission), you track a lead event. This links the customer to the original click.
await dub.track.lead({
clickId: cookies.get("dub_id"), // From the cookie
eventName: "Sign Up",
customerExternalId: user.id, // Your user ID
customerEmail: user.email,
customerName: user.name,
});
customerExternalId + eventName. Only the first event for each combination is recorded, preventing duplicate attribution.
Stage 3: Sale tracking
When the customer makes a purchase, you track a sale event. Dub automatically links this to the customer’s previous lead event.
await dub.track.sale({
customerExternalId: user.id, // Same ID from lead event
amount: 9900, // Amount in cents ($99.00)
paymentProcessor: "stripe",
invoiceId: "inv_123", // For idempotency
});
Attribution models
Dub supports two attribution models:
- Last-click attribution (default)
- First-click attribution
Last-click attribution (default)
All credit goes to the most recent partner link the customer clicked before converting.
// include this script tag in your HTML Head tag
<script
src="https://www.dubcdn.com/analytics/script.js"
data-attribution-model="last-click" // can be omitted since it's the default
defer
></script>
Pro-tip: Last-click attribution is the most commonly used attribution model
when it comes to affiliate attribution, since it gives the most credit to the
final partner that got the customer to convert.
First-click attribution
All credit goes to the first partner who introduced the customer, regardless of subsequent clicks.
// include this script tag in your HTML Head tag
<script
src="https://www.dubcdn.com/analytics/script.js"
data-attribution-model="first-click"
defer
></script>
| Model | Behavior |
|---|
| Last-click | The dub_id cookie is overwritten with each new click. The most recent partner gets credit. |
| First-click | The original dub_id cookie is preserved. The first partner retains credit. |
Attribution window
The attribution window is the timeframe during which a conversion can be credited to a click. In Dub, this is controlled by the cookie lifetime:
| Configuration | Default | Description |
|---|
expiresInDays | 90 | Days the dub_id cookie persists |
// Set a 30-day attribution window
<script
src="https://www.dubcdn.com/analytics/script.js"
data-cookie-options='{"expiresInDays": 30}'
></script>
Cross-domain attribution
If your customer journey spans multiple domains, Dub supports cross-domain tracking as well:
yoursite.com → app.yoursite.comapp.yoursite.com → checkout.yoursite.comyoursite.com → anothersite.com
Learn more in the cross-domain tracking guide.
Partner commission flow
When a sale is attributed, Dub automatically calculates and records the partner’s commission:
- Sale event received with
customerExternalId
- Customer lookup finds the associated lead and original click
- Partner identified from the click’s referral link
- Commission calculated based on the reward rules for the partner’s group
- Commission created with
pending status
Direct sale attribution
For scenarios without a signup flow (e.g., one-time purchases), you can track sales directly with the click ID:
await dub.track.sale({
clickId: cookies.get("dub_id"), // Directly from cookie
customerExternalId: order.email,
customerName: order.name,
customerEmail: order.email,
amount: 4900,
invoiceId: order.id,
});
Direct sale tracking bypasses the lead event. This means lead-based rewards
are not created—only sale commissions.
Deferred lead tracking
For products with qualification periods (trials, approvals), Dub supports deferred lead tracking:
// Track initial signup (deferred)
await dub.track.lead({
clickId: cookies.get("dub_id"),
eventName: "Sign Up",
customerExternalId: user.id,
mode: "deferred", // Creates customer link but defers reward
});
// Later, when qualified
await dub.track.lead({
clickId: "", // Empty - uses existing customer record
eventName: "Qualified Lead",
customerExternalId: user.id, // Same customer ID
});
Troubleshooting attribution
Common issues
| Issue | Cause | Solution |
|---|
| Conversions not attributed | dub_id cookie missing | Verify SDK installation and allowed hostnames |
| Wrong partner credited | Last-click model with multiple clicks | Consider first-click model if appropriate |
| Duplicate leads | Same customer tracked twice | Ensure consistent customerExternalId |
| Missing commission | Sale tracked before lead | Track lead event first, or use direct sale tracking |
Verifying attribution
- Check the cookie: Inspect browser cookies for
dub_id
- Test the flow: Click a partner link, sign up, and verify the lead appears in your dashboard
- Review analytics: Check the Events tab for click → lead → sale progression
