Server-Side Setup Guide

This guide shows you how to set up a backend to collect and manage DataGlue attribution and journey data. Choose the approach that best fits your stack.

Architecture Overview

Data Flow Diagram

Option 1: N8N Webhooks + Supabase (Easiest)

Best for: Non-developers, rapid prototyping, visual workflows

Architecture

Setup Steps

1. Create Supabase Project

-- Create users table
CREATE TABLE users (
  id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT uuid_generate_v4(),
  glue_user_id TEXT UNIQUE NOT NULL,
  email TEXT,
  traits JSONB DEFAULT '{}'::jsonb,
  linked_ids TEXT[] DEFAULT ARRAY[]::TEXT[],
  first_seen TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW(),
  last_seen TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW(),
  first_touch_source TEXT,
  first_touch_medium TEXT,
  first_touch_campaign TEXT,
  last_touch_source TEXT,
  last_touch_medium TEXT,
  last_touch_campaign TEXT,
  total_sessions INTEGER DEFAULT 0,
  total_events INTEGER DEFAULT 0,
  identified BOOLEAN DEFAULT FALSE,
  identified_at TIMESTAMPTZ,
  created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW()
);

CREATE INDEX idx_users_email ON users(email);
CREATE INDEX idx_users_glue_user_id ON users(glue_user_id);

-- Create events table
CREATE TABLE events (
  id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT uuid_generate_v4(),
  event_id TEXT UNIQUE NOT NULL,
  glue_user_id TEXT NOT NULL,
  session_id TEXT,
  event TEXT NOT NULL,
  properties JSONB DEFAULT '{}'::jsonb,
  timestamp TIMESTAMPTZ NOT NULL,
  email TEXT,
  created_at TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW()
);

CREATE INDEX idx_events_glue_user_id ON events(glue_user_id);
CREATE INDEX idx_events_session_id ON events(session_id);
CREATE INDEX idx_events_event ON events(event);
CREATE INDEX idx_events_timestamp ON events(timestamp DESC);

2. Create N8N Workflows

Workflow 1: Identify User

Webhook (POST /webhook/glue/identify)
  ↓
Supabase: UPSERT users
  SET email, traits, last_seen, identified = true
  ON CONFLICT (glue_user_id) DO UPDATE
  ↓
Check for Email Duplicates
  SELECT * FROM users WHERE email = {{ email }} AND glue_user_id != {{ glue_user_id }}
  ↓
IF duplicates found:
  Supabase: UPDATE users
    SET linked_ids = array_append(linked_ids, {{ new_glue_user_id }})
  ↓
Respond: { success: true }

Workflow 2: Track Event

Webhook (POST /webhook/glue/track)
  ↓
Supabase: INSERT INTO events
  VALUES (event_id, glue_user_id, event, properties, timestamp)
  ↓
Supabase: UPDATE users
  SET last_seen = NOW(), total_events = total_events + 1
  ↓
Respond: { success: true }

Workflow 3: Sync Complete Journey

Webhook (POST /webhook/glue/sync)
  ↓
Parse journey_data JSON
  ↓
Loop through events array
  ↓
Supabase: INSERT INTO events (ON CONFLICT DO NOTHING)
  ↓
Supabase: UPSERT user profile
  ↓
Respond: { success: true, events_synced: X }

3. Configure DataGlue

<script
  src="https://api.dataglue.io/glue.min.js"
  profile-endpoint="https://your-n8n.app/webhook/glue"
  inject-full-journey="true"
></script>

Pros & Cons

Pros:

✅ No code required (visual workflows)
✅ Built-in error handling & retries
✅ Easy debugging (see every request)
✅ Can add multiple outputs (Slack, email, etc.)
✅ Supabase has generous free tier

Cons:

❌ N8N costs $20/month (or self-host)
❌ Slightly slower than custom server
❌ Limited to N8N’s capabilities

Option 2: Serverless Functions (Vercel/Netlify)

Best for: Next.js/React apps, developers who want simplicity

Architecture

Setup Steps

1. Install Dependencies

npm install @supabase/supabase-js

2. Create API Routes

File: pages/api/glue/identify.js (Next.js)

import { createClient } from '@supabase/supabase-js'

const supabase = createClient(
  process.env.SUPABASE_URL,
  process.env.SUPABASE_KEY
)

export default async function handler(req, res) {
  if (req.method !== 'POST') {
    return res.status(405).json({ error: 'Method not allowed' })
  }

  const { glue_user_id, email, traits, context } = req.body

  if (!glue_user_id || !email) {
    return res.status(400).json({ error: 'Missing required fields' })
  }

  try {
    // Check if user with this email already exists
    const { data: existingUser } = await supabase
      .from('users')
      .select('*')
      .eq('email', email)
      .single()

    if (existingUser && existingUser.glue_user_id !== glue_user_id) {
      // Cross-device: merge the IDs
      await supabase
        .from('users')
        .update({
          linked_ids: [...(existingUser.linked_ids || []), glue_user_id]
        })
        .eq('glue_user_id', existingUser.glue_user_id)

      // Update all events to point to primary ID
      await supabase
        .from('events')
        .update({ glue_user_id: existingUser.glue_user_id })
        .eq('glue_user_id', glue_user_id)
    } else {
      // Upsert user
      await supabase
        .from('users')
        .upsert({
          glue_user_id,
          email,
          traits,
          identified: true,
          identified_at: new Date().toISOString(),
          last_seen: new Date().toISOString(),
          last_touch_source: context?.utm_source,
          last_touch_medium: context?.utm_medium,
          last_touch_campaign: context?.utm_campaign,
        }, {
          onConflict: 'glue_user_id'
        })
    }

    res.json({ success: true, glue_user_id })
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Identify error:', error)
    res.status(500).json({ error: error.message })
  }
}

File: pages/api/glue/track.js

import { createClient } from '@supabase/supabase-js'

const supabase = createClient(
  process.env.SUPABASE_URL,
  process.env.SUPABASE_KEY
)

export default async function handler(req, res) {
  if (req.method !== 'POST') {
    return res.status(405).json({ error: 'Method not allowed' })
  }

  const { glue_user_id, session_id, event, properties, timestamp } = req.body

  try {
    // Insert event
    await supabase
      .from('events')
      .insert({
        event_id: `evt_${Date.now()}_${Math.random().toString(36).substr(2, 9)}`,
        glue_user_id,
        session_id,
        event,
        properties,
        timestamp: new Date(timestamp)
      })

    // Update user stats
    await supabase
      .from('users')
      .update({
        last_seen: new Date().toISOString(),
        total_events: supabase.raw('total_events + 1')
      })
      .eq('glue_user_id', glue_user_id)

    res.json({ success: true })
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Track error:', error)
    res.status(500).json({ error: error.message })
  }
}

3. Configure DataGlue

<script
  src="https://api.dataglue.io/glue.min.js"
  profile-endpoint="https://your-app.vercel.app/api/glue"
></script>

Pros & Cons

Pros:

✅ No server management
✅ Auto-scaling
✅ Generous free tiers (Vercel: 100GB bandwidth)
✅ Fast cold starts
✅ Easy to deploy

Cons:

❌ Requires coding
❌ Limited execution time (10-60 seconds)
❌ Cold starts can add latency

Option 3: Custom Server (Node.js + Express)

Best for: Developers who want full control, high-volume apps

Architecture

Setup Steps

1. Install Dependencies

npm install express pg redis cors dotenv

2. Create Server

File: server.js

const express = require('express')
const { Pool } = require('pg')
const cors = require('cors')

const app = express()
app.use(express.json())
app.use(cors())

// PostgreSQL connection
const pool = new Pool({
  connectionString: process.env.DATABASE_URL
})

// POST /glue/identify
app.post('/glue/identify', async (req, res) => {
  const { glue_user_id, email, traits, context } = req.body

  if (!glue_user_id || !email) {
    return res.status(400).json({ error: 'Missing required fields' })
  }

  try {
    // Check for existing user with this email
    const existing = await pool.query(
      'SELECT * FROM users WHERE email = $1 AND glue_user_id != $2',
      [email, glue_user_id]
    )

    if (existing.rows.length > 0) {
      // Cross-device merge
      const primaryUser = existing.rows[0]

      // Add to linked_ids
      await pool.query(
        'UPDATE users SET linked_ids = array_append(linked_ids, $1) WHERE glue_user_id = $2',
        [glue_user_id, primaryUser.glue_user_id]
      )

      // Merge events
      await pool.query(
        'UPDATE events SET glue_user_id = $1 WHERE glue_user_id = $2',
        [primaryUser.glue_user_id, glue_user_id]
      )
    } else {
      // Upsert user
      await pool.query(`
        INSERT INTO users (
          glue_user_id, email, traits, identified, identified_at,
          last_seen, last_touch_source, last_touch_medium
        ) VALUES ($1, $2, $3, true, NOW(), NOW(), $4, $5)
        ON CONFLICT (glue_user_id) DO UPDATE SET
          email = $2,
          traits = $3,
          identified = true,
          identified_at = COALESCE(users.identified_at, NOW()),
          last_seen = NOW(),
          last_touch_source = $4,
          last_touch_medium = $5
      `, [
        glue_user_id,
        email,
        JSON.stringify(traits),
        context?.utm_source,
        context?.utm_medium
      ])
    }

    res.json({ success: true, glue_user_id })
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Identify error:', error)
    res.status(500).json({ error: error.message })
  }
})

// POST /glue/track
app.post('/glue/track', async (req, res) => {
  const { glue_user_id, session_id, event, properties, timestamp } = req.body

  try {
    // Insert event
    await pool.query(`
      INSERT INTO events (event_id, glue_user_id, session_id, event, properties, timestamp)
      VALUES ($1, $2, $3, $4, $5, $6)
    `, [
      `evt_${Date.now()}_${Math.random().toString(36).substr(2, 9)}`,
      glue_user_id,
      session_id,
      event,
      JSON.stringify(properties),
      new Date(timestamp)
    ])

    // Update user
    await pool.query(
      'UPDATE users SET last_seen = NOW(), total_events = total_events + 1 WHERE glue_user_id = $1',
      [glue_user_id]
    )

    res.json({ success: true })
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Track error:', error)
    res.status(500).json({ error: error.message })
  }
})

// POST /glue/sync
app.post('/glue/sync', async (req, res) => {
  const { glue_user_id, data } = req.body

  try {
    // Upsert user
    await pool.query(`
      INSERT INTO users (glue_user_id, email, traits, first_seen, last_seen)
      VALUES ($1, $2, $3, $4, NOW())
      ON CONFLICT (glue_user_id) DO UPDATE SET
        email = COALESCE(users.email, $2),
        traits = $3,
        last_seen = NOW()
    `, [
      glue_user_id,
      data.profile.email,
      JSON.stringify(data.profile.traits),
      data.profile.first_seen
    ])

    // Bulk insert events
    for (const event of data.events) {
      await pool.query(`
        INSERT INTO events (event_id, glue_user_id, session_id, event, properties, timestamp)
        VALUES ($1, $2, $3, $4, $5, $6)
        ON CONFLICT (event_id) DO NOTHING
      `, [
        event.event_id,
        glue_user_id,
        event.session_id,
        event.event,
        JSON.stringify(event.properties),
        event.timestamp
      ])
    }

    res.json({ success: true, events_synced: data.events.length })
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Sync error:', error)
    res.status(500).json({ error: error.message })
  }
})

const PORT = process.env.PORT || 3000
app.listen(PORT, () => {
  console.log(`DataGlue server running on port ${PORT}`)
})

3. Deploy

# Railway
railway up

# Or Render
render deploy

# Or Docker
docker build -t dataglue-server .
docker run -p 3000:3000 dataglue-server

Pros & Cons

Pros:

✅ Full control over logic
✅ Can handle high volumes
✅ No cold starts
✅ Custom optimizations
✅ Direct database access

Cons:

❌ Requires server management
❌ Need to handle scaling
❌ More code to maintain
❌ Security considerations

Cross-Device Identity Resolution

The Challenge

Solution: Email-Based Merging

-- When user identifies on any device
-- Step 1: Check if email exists
SELECT * FROM users WHERE email = 'john@example.com';

-- Step 2a: If exists, merge devices
UPDATE users
SET linked_ids = array_append(linked_ids, 'NEW-DEVICE-ID')
WHERE email = 'john@example.com';

-- Step 2b: Unify events under primary ID
UPDATE events
SET glue_user_id = 'PRIMARY-ID'
WHERE glue_user_id = 'NEW-DEVICE-ID';

-- Step 3: Query complete journey
SELECT * FROM events
WHERE glue_user_id IN (
  SELECT glue_user_id FROM users WHERE email = 'john@example.com'
  UNION
  SELECT unnest(linked_ids) FROM users WHERE email = 'john@example.com'
)
ORDER BY timestamp ASC;

Analytics Queries

User Journey

-- Get complete user journey
WITH user_profile AS (
  SELECT * FROM users WHERE email = 'user@example.com'
),
all_ids AS (
  SELECT glue_user_id FROM user_profile
  UNION
  SELECT unnest(linked_ids) FROM user_profile
)
SELECT
  e.timestamp,
  e.event,
  e.properties->>'url' as page,
  e.session_id
FROM events e
WHERE e.glue_user_id IN (SELECT * FROM all_ids)
ORDER BY e.timestamp ASC;

Attribution Report

-- Users by first touch source
SELECT
  first_touch_source,
  COUNT(*) as users,
  COUNT(*) FILTER (WHERE identified = true) as converted
FROM users
GROUP BY first_touch_source
ORDER BY users DESC;

Conversion Funnel

-- Funnel analysis
WITH funnel AS (
  SELECT
    COUNT(DISTINCT CASE WHEN event = 'page_view' AND properties->>'path' = '/landing' THEN glue_user_id END) as landed,
    COUNT(DISTINCT CASE WHEN event = 'form_submit' THEN glue_user_id END) as submitted,
    COUNT(DISTINCT CASE WHEN event = 'page_view' AND properties->>'path' = '/thank-you' THEN glue_user_id END) as converted
  FROM events
)
SELECT
  landed,
  submitted,
  converted,
  ROUND(100.0 * submitted / landed, 2) as submit_rate,
  ROUND(100.0 * converted / submitted, 2) as conversion_rate
FROM funnel;

Comparison Table

Feature	N8N + Supabase	Serverless	Custom Server
Setup Time	1 hour	2-3 hours	4-8 hours
Coding Required	None	Moderate	High
Cost (monthly)	$0-$ 45	$0-$ 20	$10-$ 100
Scalability	Good	Excellent	Excellent
Performance	Good	Good	Best
Debugging	Visual	Logs	Full control
Maintenance	Low	Medium	High
Best For	Quick start	Modern apps	High volume

Recommended Approach

Start simple, scale later:

Begin with N8N + Supabase (fastest)
As you grow, migrate to Serverless Functions
At scale, move to Custom Server
Your data stays in Supabase/PostgreSQL throughout

Next Steps

Choose your approach based on the comparison table
Create database tables in Supabase/PostgreSQL
Set up your webhook/API endpoints
Configure DataGlue with your endpoint URL
Test with a form submission
Query your data to see user journeys
Build analytics dashboards on top of the data

Need help? Check out:

Get Started

Core Concepts

Features

Server Setup

Reference

Server-Side Setup Guide

Server-Side Setup Guide

Architecture Overview

Data Flow Diagram

Option 1: N8N Webhooks + Supabase (Easiest)

Architecture

Setup Steps

1. Create Supabase Project

2. Create N8N Workflows

3. Configure DataGlue

Pros & Cons

Option 2: Serverless Functions (Vercel/Netlify)

Architecture

Setup Steps

1. Install Dependencies

2. Create API Routes

3. Configure DataGlue

Pros & Cons

Option 3: Custom Server (Node.js + Express)

Architecture

Setup Steps

1. Install Dependencies

2. Create Server

3. Deploy

Pros & Cons

Cross-Device Identity Resolution

The Challenge

Solution: Email-Based Merging

Analytics Queries

User Journey

Attribution Report

Conversion Funnel

Comparison Table

Recommended Approach

Next Steps

Get Started

Core Concepts

Features

Server Setup

Reference

Documentation Index

​Server-Side Setup Guide

​Architecture Overview

​Data Flow Diagram

​Option 1: N8N Webhooks + Supabase (Easiest)

​Architecture

​Setup Steps

​1. Create Supabase Project

​2. Create N8N Workflows

​3. Configure DataGlue

​Pros & Cons

​Option 2: Serverless Functions (Vercel/Netlify)

​Architecture

​Setup Steps

​1. Install Dependencies

​2. Create API Routes

​3. Configure DataGlue

​Pros & Cons

​Option 3: Custom Server (Node.js + Express)

​Architecture

​Setup Steps

​1. Install Dependencies

​2. Create Server

​3. Deploy

​Pros & Cons

​Cross-Device Identity Resolution

​The Challenge

​Solution: Email-Based Merging

​Analytics Queries

​User Journey

​Attribution Report

​Conversion Funnel

​Comparison Table

​Recommended Approach

​Next Steps

Server-Side Setup Guide

Architecture Overview

Data Flow Diagram

Option 1: N8N Webhooks + Supabase (Easiest)

Architecture

Setup Steps

1. Create Supabase Project

2. Create N8N Workflows

3. Configure DataGlue

Pros & Cons

Option 2: Serverless Functions (Vercel/Netlify)

Architecture

Setup Steps

1. Install Dependencies

2. Create API Routes

3. Configure DataGlue

Pros & Cons

Option 3: Custom Server (Node.js + Express)

Architecture

Setup Steps

1. Install Dependencies

2. Create Server

3. Deploy

Pros & Cons

Cross-Device Identity Resolution

The Challenge

Solution: Email-Based Merging

Analytics Queries

User Journey

Attribution Report

Conversion Funnel

Comparison Table

Recommended Approach

Next Steps