The Programmatic Glossary
A practical glossary designed to help marketers, advertisers and ad-tech professionals understand the terminology that powers programmatic advertising
Technical Infrastructure
Prebid
The most widely used open-source framework for implementing header bidding on publisher websites and apps. Prebid provides the shared technical foundation that allows publishers to run simultaneous auctions across multiple demand partners without each one needing a custom integration.
HOW IT WORKS
Prebid.js is a JavaScript library that runs in the page header. It manages the header bidding auction: sending requests to all connected demand partners at once, collecting bids, selecting the winner and passing it to the ad server. Prebid Server is a server-side version that reduces page load impact. Each demand partner has its own adapter within Prebid.
EXAMPLE
A publisher wants to connect to 12 DSPs (Demand-Side Platforms) and SSPs (Supply-Side Platforms) via header bidding. Instead of 12 custom integrations, they use Prebid.js with 12 adapters. All partners participate in the same auction using shared code and standards, vastly simplifying implementation and maintenance.
RELATED TERMS
Header Bidding | Prebid Adapter | SSP (Supply-Side Platform) | DSP (Demand-Side Platform) | Server-Side Header Bidding
★ LIMELIGHT INSIGHT: Limelight is available as a Prebid demand partner, enabling publishers already running Prebid.js to access Limelight demand by adding the Limelight adapter.
