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:

Prebid documentation on timeouts: link

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.

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.

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:

Old Platform:

Go to Setup > General > Timeouts.

In the New Platform:

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:

Old Platform:

1. Go to Inventory > Domains > select the domain you want to edit
2. Click Add custom settings. You will be navigated to Custom settings tab, where you can set a timeout and failsafe timeout for the particular domain.
3. Click Save

In the New Platform:

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 Page

This refers to Pages

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:

Old Platform:

1. Go to: Inventory > Pages, and then edit the page you want to set a timeout for.
2. Toggle <on> Custom Timeout
3. Input the desired timeout value
4. Click Save

In the New Platform:

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

Setting the timeout for specific Viewport width

This functionality is available only in the Old Platform.

This refers to Viewports (Devices)

If you require you can set timeout for specific size mapping. It will override the Timeout set for Domain and Timeout set for Page. To control it:

1. Go to Inventory > Domains > select the domain you want to edit > Devices
2. Toggle <on> Timeout enabled on the Device where you want to set custom timeout
3. Set the Auction Timeout that you want to apply to this Device
4. Click Save

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

How to efficiently manage Prebid Auction Timeouts?

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.

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.

See also the Guide to prebid timeouts published on our blog.

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.

Good practice: The recommended range is 50-75%

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

S2S timeout adjustment

This setting is applicable to Yieldbird Platform 2.0 only

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.

More about Amazon UAM / TAM in Yieldbird Platform: Amazon UAM/TAM

On this page:

• Prebid Timeouts
• GDPR / USP / GPP timeout
• Failsafe timeout
• Auction Delay
• Setting default Auction delay
• Setting Auction delay for specific Domain
• Prebid Auction timeout
• Setting default Prebid Auction timeout
• Setting the timeout for specific Domain
• Setting the timeout for specific Page
• Setting the timeout for specific Viewport width
• How to efficiently manage Prebid Auction Timeouts?
• S2S config timeout multiplier
• S2S timeout adjustment
• Prebid Timeouts when using Amazon UAM / TAM