> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.wynta.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.wynta.com/knowledge-base/affiliate-platform/overview-and-key-concepts/how-tracking-works.md).

# How Tracking Works

Tracking is the mechanism that connects a conversion back to the affiliate whose link brought that visitor in. Understanding how it works will help you trust your reporting and troubleshoot quickly when a number looks off.

#### The tracking flow (click → conversion → commission)

Every tracked conversion follows the same basic sequence:

1. Click — a visitor clicks an affiliate's tracking link. The platform logs the click and stores an identifier connecting that visitor to the affiliate.
2. Conversion — the visitor completes a qualifying action (signup, deposit, purchase). A postback is sent, telling the platform a conversion occurred.
3. Matching — the platform matches the conversion back to the original click using the stored identifier, and therefore to the correct affiliate.
4. Commission — once matched, the conversion is evaluated against the program's commission rules, and a commission amount is calculated and added to the affiliate's pending balance, ready to appear in the next Payment Report.

If any step breaks — the click isn't stored, the postback doesn't fire, or the matching identifier is lost — the conversion won't track correctly. Most tracking issues trace back to a specific point in this chain, which is why A6.1 — Tracking Issues walks through diagnosing each step.

#### Cookie vs. server-side tracking

There are two ways the platform can remember that a click happened:

* Cookie-based tracking stores the identifier in the visitor's browser. It's simple to set up but is increasingly affected by browser privacy restrictions, ad blockers, and users clearing cookies — all of which can cause tracking to fail silently.
* Server-side tracking stores the identifier on the server rather than relying on the visitor's browser, with conversions confirmed via postback. It's significantly more resilient to privacy restrictions and browser behavior, which is why it's the platform's primary tracking method.

#### Tracking windows

A tracking window is the length of time after a click during which a conversion can still be counted for that click. For example, a 30-day window means a conversion happening 25 days after the original click is still credited to the affiliate — but a conversion on day 31 is not.

Shorter windows favor affiliates driving immediate action; longer windows favor affiliates driving awareness or consideration that converts later. Tracking windows are configured per program and are covered in A3.1 — Creating & Configuring Programs.

#### Last-click tracking

When a visitor clicks more than one affiliate link before converting, the platform needs a rule for who gets credit:

* Last-click tracking credits the affiliate whose link was clicked most recently before the conversion. This is the simplest model and the default for most programs.

Unless you have a specific reason to do otherwise, last-click is the recommended starting point.

#### Deduplication logic

Deduplication prevents the same conversion from being counted — and paid — more than once. This matters because a single customer action can sometimes trigger more than one confirmation signal (for example, a duplicate postback being sent for the same event due to a retry).

The platform applies deduplication rules automatically based on unique conversion identifiers, ensuring each qualifying action is only ever tracked and paid once, even if the confirming postback arrives more than once.

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