Definition & Explanation

A bid request is the information — including device type, location, and user data — sent from a publisher’s ad server or SSP to demand-side bidders when an ad impression becomes available. It is generated automatically the moment a user loads a web page or opens an app, and the entire real-time bidding transaction typically completes within 100 milliseconds. Bid requests enable programmatic auctions by giving buyers the data they need to decide how much to bid for each individual impression.