Quick Guide to Realtime Data in Facebook Custom Audiences without Webhooks

Aug 2, 2024 • 7 minute read

Hey there, fellow JavaScript devs! Ready to dive into the world of Facebook Custom Audiences without the hassle of webhooks? Let's get our hands dirty with some good old-fashioned polling!

Why Polling?

Look, webhooks are great, but sometimes you just want a simple solution that doesn't require setting up endpoints and dealing with server-side logic. That's where polling comes in handy. It's straightforward, client-side, and gets the job done.

Setting Up the Facebook SDK

First things first, let's get the Facebook SDK up and running:

npm install facebook-nodejs-business-sdk

Now, let's initialize it:

const FacebookAdsApi = require('facebook-nodejs-business-sdk').FacebookAdsApi;

FacebookAdsApi.init('YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN');

The Polling Mechanism

Alright, time to set up our polling function:

function pollCustomAudiences() {
  // We'll fill this in soon!
}

setInterval(pollCustomAudiences, 60000); // Poll every minute

Fetching Custom Audience Data

Let's flesh out that polling function:

const AdAccount = require('facebook-nodejs-business-sdk').AdAccount;

async function pollCustomAudiences() {
  try {
    const account = new AdAccount('act_<AD_ACCOUNT_ID>');
    const audiences = await account.getCustomAudiences([
      'id',
      'name',
      'approximate_count'
    ]);
    
    // Process the data (we'll get to this next)
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error fetching Custom Audiences:', error);
  }
}

Processing and Updating Data

Now that we've got our data, let's do something with it:

let localAudiences = {};

function updateAudiences(newAudiences) {
  newAudiences.forEach(audience => {
    if (!localAudiences[audience.id] || 
        localAudiences[audience.id].approximate_count !== audience.approximate_count) {
      localAudiences[audience.id] = audience;
      updateUI(audience); // You'll need to implement this
    }
  });
}

Optimizing the Polling Process

Let's be good citizens and implement some backoff logic:

let pollInterval = 60000; // Start with 1 minute
const MAX_INTERVAL = 300000; // Max 5 minutes

function adjustPollingInterval(hasChanges) {
  if (hasChanges) {
    pollInterval = Math.max(pollInterval / 2, 60000);
  } else {
    pollInterval = Math.min(pollInterval * 2, MAX_INTERVAL);
  }
  
  clearInterval(pollIntervalId);
  pollIntervalId = setInterval(pollCustomAudiences, pollInterval);
}

Error Handling and Recovery

When things go wrong (and they will), be ready:

async function pollCustomAudiences() {
  try {
    // ... existing code ...
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error fetching Custom Audiences:', error);
    if (error.response && error.response.status === 429) {
      // Rate limited, back off
      adjustPollingInterval(false);
    } else {
      // Other error, retry soon
      setTimeout(pollCustomAudiences, 5000);
    }
  }
}

Performance Considerations

Remember, every API call counts. Be smart about when and how often you poll:

function shouldPoll() {
  // Implement your logic here
  // e.g., don't poll if the user isn't looking at the data
  return document.hidden === false;
}

function pollIfNeeded() {
  if (shouldPoll()) {
    pollCustomAudiences();
  }
}

setInterval(pollIfNeeded, pollInterval);

Putting It All Together

Here's a complete example that ties everything together:

const FacebookAdsApi = require('facebook-nodejs-business-sdk').FacebookAdsApi;
const AdAccount = require('facebook-nodejs-business-sdk').AdAccount;

FacebookAdsApi.init('YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN');

let localAudiences = {};
let pollInterval = 60000;
let pollIntervalId;

async function pollCustomAudiences() {
  if (!shouldPoll()) return;

  try {
    const account = new AdAccount('act_<AD_ACCOUNT_ID>');
    const audiences = await account.getCustomAudiences([
      'id',
      'name',
      'approximate_count'
    ]);
    
    const hasChanges = updateAudiences(audiences);
    adjustPollingInterval(hasChanges);
  } catch (error) {
    handleError(error);
  }
}

function updateAudiences(newAudiences) {
  let changed = false;
  newAudiences.forEach(audience => {
    if (!localAudiences[audience.id] || 
        localAudiences[audience.id].approximate_count !== audience.approximate_count) {
      localAudiences[audience.id] = audience;
      updateUI(audience);
      changed = true;
    }
  });
  return changed;
}

function adjustPollingInterval(hasChanges) {
  // ... (implementation from earlier) ...
}

function handleError(error) {
  console.error('Error fetching Custom Audiences:', error);
  if (error.response && error.response.status === 429) {
    adjustPollingInterval(false);
  } else {
    setTimeout(pollCustomAudiences, 5000);
  }
}

function shouldPoll() {
  return document.hidden === false;
}

function updateUI(audience) {
  // Implement your UI update logic here
}

pollIntervalId = setInterval(pollCustomAudiences, pollInterval);

Wrapping Up

And there you have it! A simple, effective way to keep your Facebook Custom Audiences data up-to-date without relying on webhooks. Remember, polling isn't always the best solution, but for quick integrations and prototypes, it can be a lifesaver.

Keep experimenting, stay curious, and happy coding!