Conversions API
The Meta Conversions API, explained for brands that sell off-site.
CAPI lets your server tell Meta about conversions directly. This page covers what it is, why it matters more every year, how Event Match Quality is scored, and exactly which parameters PixlBridge sends for Amazon and Shopify purchases.
What the Conversions API is
The Meta Conversions API is a server-to-server interface for sending web, app and offline events to a Meta dataset (what used to be called a Pixel). Where the browser pixel fires JavaScript from the shopper's device, CAPI is an HTTPS call from your infrastructure to graph.facebook.com/{dataset_id}/events. Each event carries a name such as Purchase, a timestamp, a source URL, commerce data (value, currency, content ids) and a user_data object of customer information parameters that Meta uses to match the event to an account.
Because the call originates from a server, it is not affected by ad blockers, Safari's cookie limits, iOS tracking prompts or consent tooling that delays scripts. And because a server can know things a browser cannot (an order that was paid an hour later, a purchase that happened on another site entirely), CAPI is the only way to report conversions that never touched your pixel.
Why it matters for delivery, not just reporting
Meta's delivery system trains on the optimisation event you choose. Ad sets optimised for Purchase need a reliable flow of Purchase events attributed to the people who saw the ads. When the browser pixel misses a share of purchases, or when purchases happen on Amazon and are invisible, the model is trained on a biased sample and drifts towards cheap clickers. Server events restore the signal.
Event Match Quality
Event Match Quality (EMQ) is Meta's 0 to 10 score, shown per event in Events Manager, for how well your events match to accounts. It rewards sending more of the customer information parameters and formatting them exactly as Meta specifies before hashing. Email and phone are the strongest keys; the click id fbc and browser idfbp tie the event to the ad click; IP and user agent are required for website events and add matching power in combination. The EMQ guide goes through each parameter and the normalisation rules.
Deduplication
If you send an event from both the browser and the server, Meta keeps one when both share the same event_name and event_id within 48 hours. Deterministic ids are therefore the foundation of a redundant setup. PixlBridge derives ids from the source system's own identifiers: the checkout token on Shopify, the order on Amazon, so retries, restatements and pixel-plus-webhook pairs never inflate counts.
What PixlBridge sends
Customer information parameters by source
Amazon does not share buyer PII, so Amazon purchases rely on identifiers captured at the click. Shopify orders carry the full set.
| Parameter | How it is produced | Source |
|---|---|---|
| em | Email, lowercased, trimmed, SHA-256 | Shopify |
| ph | Phone, digits with country code, SHA-256 | Shopify |
| fn / ln | Names, lowercase letters only, SHA-256 | Shopify |
| ct / st / zp / country | Address parts normalised, SHA-256 | Shopify |
| external_id | SHA-256 of the Shopify customer id | Shopify |
| fbc | fb.1.{time}.{fbclid} from the click or landing page | Amazon + Shopify |
| fbp | First-party _fbp cookie set by the redirect or read by the pixel | Amazon + Shopify |
| client_ip_address | Normalised public IP (private and unknown IPs dropped) | Amazon + Shopify |
| client_user_agent | Browser user agent from the click or checkout | Amazon + Shopify |
All events: action_source: website, event_source_url, deterministic event_id, event_time within the last seven days. Purchases add value, currency, content_ids, num_items and order id.
Two ways in
How PixlBridge produces CAPI events
Amazon
Click capture + Attribution reports
A tracked redirect records fbclid, sets _fbp and forwards to the tagged Amazon page. Amazon Attribution later reports orders per tag; PixlBridge matches them to the click and sends Purchase and AddToCart with fbc, fbp, IP and user agent.
Meta ads to Amazon →Shopify
Web pixel + order webhooks
The app-owned pixel supplies browser identifiers and Shopify event ids; signed webhooks supply value and hashed customer data. Both merge into one event per purchase and the full funnel from PageView to Purchase is sent in batches with retries.
Shopify Conversions API →Frequently asked questions
Is the Conversions API a replacement for the Meta Pixel?
Meta recommends running both: the browser pixel for coverage of on-site events, and the Conversions API for reliability and for events the browser cannot see. Give both the same event_id and Meta deduplicates them.
What is Event Match Quality?
A score from 0 to 10 per event type in Events Manager that reflects how many customer information parameters you send and how often they match a Meta account. Email, phone, click id (fbc), browser id (fbp) and external_id carry the most weight.
Can CAPI report purchases that happen on Amazon?
Yes, if something captures the click before Amazon and later learns about the order. PixlBridge does this with a tracked redirect and Amazon Attribution reports, then sends the Purchase with the click's fbc, fbp, IP and user agent.
How old can a server event be?
Meta accepts events with an event_time up to seven days in the past. PixlBridge clamps event times to that window and never sends events that are older.
Do I need my own Meta developer app?
No. You authorise the PixlBridge platform app with Facebook Login for Business; the token it receives is what posts events to your dataset. Tokens are encrypted at rest and refreshed automatically.
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