Where to start with Stape?
Updated Jul 22, 2026
Whether you're setting up server-side tracking for the first time or migrating from an existing setup, the first step is understanding what you want to track and where you want to send your data. This guide will help you choose the right implementation path and point you to the resources you'll need along the way.
Before you begin
Before choosing a Stape product, ask yourself these questions:
| What is my website platform? | Shopify, WordPress, Wix, Magento, custom website, etc. |
| Which user events do I want to track? | Purchases, leads, page views, add-to-cart events, etc. |
| Where do I want to send this data? | Google Analytics 4, Google Ads, Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Microsoft Advertising, etc. |
| Do I need a fully customizable tracking setup or a simpler solution? | Google Tag Manager, Signals Gateway, Meta CAPI Gateway, etc. |
If you choose server-side Google Tag Manager hosting
If you've chosen the flexible server-side GTM approach, here's the recommended order of setup.
1. Check your current tracking
Before changing anything, analyze your existing implementation using Website Tracking Checker. It helps identify common issues and shows how well your current tracking is configured.
2. Choose your website platform
Your setup depends on how your website is built. If you're using one of the supported CMS platforms, you can use its Stape integration. These integrations simplify GTM installation and server-side tracking setup without requiring custom development.
- …check all available CMS platforms.
If your website is built on a different platform, or you have a custom website, no worries! Stape’s sGTM tracking will still work – just have your developers install the GTM code snippet to every page of your website manually.
3. Decide where your data should go
Choose the advertising and analytics platforms that should receive your events. Stape supports a variety of destinations, including:
- …and many others through GTM templates.
4. Set up your tracking
For a simplified setup, we highly recommend using Setup Assistant. It can automatically generate much of the required configuration based on your selected platforms and business needs.
If you prefer a manual setup, follow our getting started guides.
5. Improve and customize your tracking
Once your basic setup is working, enhance it using Stape features and power-ups, based on your specific tracking needs:
- Custom Loader (important!) - reduces the impact of ad blockers.
- Custom Domain - prolongs cookie lifetime.
- Bot Detection - checks each incoming request for signs of bot activity.
- Stape Analytics - monitors the effectiveness of your server-side tracking.
- Logs - provides real-time and historical records of the data flowing in and out of your sGTM container.
- Monitoring - tracks the health and performance of your sGTM container.
- Stape Store - database allowing you to write, read, sync, and manage data directly inside your sGTM container.
- Multi-zone hosting - automatically routes incoming requests to the nearest available zone to avoid delays in tracking and data loss.
- GTM Helper - browser extension for debugging web and server-side GTM containers.
- More power-ups - additional power-ups for data enrichment, tracking accuracy, data quality, etc.
6. Explore advanced capabilities
If you’d like to further customize your setup, Stape also provides more advanced options:
7. Learn more with Stape Academy
If you're new to server-side tracking or want to deepen your knowledge, visit Stape Academy, where you'll find free courses covering setup, best practices, and advanced implementations.
If you choose dedicated gateways
If you only need server-side tracking for a single platform, a gateway is usually the fastest option.
1. Check your current tracking
Before changing anything, analyze your existing implementation using Website Tracking Checker. It helps identify common issues and shows how well your current tracking is configured.
2. Choose where you want to send your events and set up your gateway
Choose the gateway that matches your platform and follow its setup guide:
Need help?
If you need assistance at any stage, explore our Helpdesk, Community forum, Stape Academy, contact Stape Support, or request Stape Care. Whether you're building your first server-side setup or optimizing an existing one, we’ll be happy to provide you with guides, tools, and aid along the way.
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