Test your postback before buying traffic: dummy conversions, curl checks and clean logs

Test your postback before buying traffic: dummy conversions, curl checks and clean logs

Start with a controlled click ID, such as test_click_001, and a clearly labeled dummy conversion. Use the tracker or network’s test mode when available; never create fake production conversions that could affect payouts or reporting. Keep a note of every parameter you expect to receive.

Send the request manually with curl, matching the real method and format:
curl -i -X POST "https://your-domain.com/postback" -d "click_id=test_click_001&conversion_id=test_conv_001&payout=0"
For a GET postback, place the same fields in the query string. Check the HTTP status, response body, and whether special characters are encoded correctly.

Then inspect your server and tracker logs. Confirm that the click ID is captured, the conversion is accepted once, duplicate requests are handled safely, and missing or invalid parameters are rejected with a useful error. Repeat the test with an unknown click ID and a duplicate conversion ID.

Do not launch real traffic until the dummy event appears in the expected report and every request can be traced from click ID to conversion ID. Keep the curl command and a known-good log entry as your regression test.