FlowDiagram
Media & content platformsMermaid

Programmatic ad serving (RTB) template

What happens in the ~100 ms between a page load and an ad appearing: bid request, auction and render. This flowchart template contains 15 labelled steps, 3 decision points, branches such as “Yes”, “No”.

Open in the editor →
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  • Fully editable shapes and connectors, not a screenshot
  • Export PNG, SVG or PDF, or share it as a link
  • Private: the diagram never leaves your browser

Steps in this flowchart

  • User loads page
  • Ad tag fires
  • Ad server checks direct deals
  • Direct deal fills?
  • Render ad
  • Supply-side platform
  • User consent for targeting?
  • Contextual-only bid request
  • Bid request with audience data
  • DSPs bid
  • Auction: highest bid wins
  • Impression pixel
  • Clicked?
  • Click tracking & landing page
  • Viewability measured

How to use this flowchart template

  1. Click Open in the editor. The flowchart opens on a new page in FlowDiagram — nothing is uploaded and there is no sign-up.
  2. Rename, add or delete shapes and drag them where you want; connectors stay attached as things move.
  3. Drop in vendor logos from the library — 1,160 of them, including every AWS, Azure and Google Cloud service icon — or restyle it with the colour and theme controls.
  4. Prefer text? Edit the Mermaid source below and paste it in through ☰ → Import diagram (see the Mermaid editor); it imports as an editable diagram.
  5. Export to PNG, SVG or PDF, or press Ctrl+L for a link that carries the whole diagram.

Mermaid source

The whole template is the text below. Paste it into FlowDiagram, keep it in Git next to the code it describes, or hand it to an AI assistant to extend.

flowchart LR
  A((User loads page)) --> B[Ad tag fires]
  B --> C[Ad server checks direct deals]
  C --> D{Direct deal fills?}
  D -->|Yes| K[Render ad]
  D -->|No| E[Supply-side platform]
  E --> F{User consent for targeting?}
  F -->|No| G[Contextual-only bid request]
  F -->|Yes| H[Bid request with audience data]
  G --> I[DSPs bid]
  H --> I
  I --> J[Auction: highest bid wins]
  J --> K
  K --> L[Impression pixel]
  L --> M{Clicked?}
  M -->|Yes| N[Click tracking & landing page]
  M -->|No| O((Viewability measured))
  N --> O

Related: Mermaid editor · All media & content platforms templates · All 521 templates