Google Analytics API Essential Guide

Aug 2, 2024 • 6 minute read

What type of API does Google Analytics provide?

Google Analytics primarily uses a REST API.

Google Analytics API Type

Google Analytics uses a REST API.
It is not a SOAP or GraphQL API.
The Google Analytics API allows developers to access and interact with Google Analytics data programmatically.

Key Characteristics

RESTful architecture - Uses standard HTTP methods like GET, POST, etc.
JSON data format - Responses are typically returned in JSON format.
Authentication - Requires OAuth 2.0 authentication to access data.
Multiple versions - There are different versions like Universal Analytics API (v3) and Google Analytics 4 API (v4).

Does the Google Analytics API have webhooks?

The official Google Analytics API does not have native webhook support. However, there are alternative approaches to send data to Google Analytics:

Measurement Protocol: Allows sending data directly to Google Analytics servers via HTTP POST requests. This can be used for custom events and data but is not a webhook system.
Custom Integrations: Some third-party tools or platforms may offer webhook-like functionality to send data to Google Analytics.
Google Analytics Data API: Includes a WebhookNotification resource for configuring notifications about long-running operations, but this is not for sending data to Google Analytics.

Key considerations when using these alternatives:

Measurement Protocol has limitations on event names, parameter names, and values.
When integrating external data with Google Analytics, you need to decide on a data model.
Linking external data with online activity may require using client IDs or user IDs.
Third-party integrations may have limitations, such as incompatibility with new data structures (e.g., GA4).

While not providing native webhooks, Google Analytics offers alternative methods for sending data, primarily through the Measurement Protocol or custom integrations. These methods require careful consideration of data modeling, user identification, and adherence to Google Analytics' data limitations and best practices.

Rate Limits and other limitations

Here are the key points about the API Rate Limits of the Google Analytics API:

Daily Limits

50,000 requests per project per day, which can be increased
500 queries per day (QPD) per cloud project

Per Second Limits

10 queries per second (QPS) per IP address
1.5 queries per second (QPS) per property or Firebase project

Other Limits

In the API Console, there is a quota referred to as "Requests per 100 seconds per user". By default, it is set to 100 requests per 100 seconds per user and can be adjusted to a maximum value of 1,000. However, the number of requests to the API is still restricted to a maximum of 10 requests per second per user.

Key Points to Consider

If your application makes all API requests from a single IP address (e.g., on behalf of your users), use the userIP or quotaUser parameter with each request to get full QPS quota for each user.
Daily quotas are refreshed at midnight Pacific Standard Time.
Exceeding quota limits results in error codes 403 or 429 being returned by the API.

Best Practices

Monitor your API usage to avoid hitting quota limits unexpectedly.
Consider implementing rate limiting in your application to stay within the API limits.
For applications with high usage, look into increasing quotas where possible or optimizing your API requests to reduce the number of calls needed.

GA4 API Specific Quotas

GA4 API quotas are categorized into Core, Realtime, and Funnel requests. Each type has its own quota.
Two key quotas impacting Looker Studio reports are concurrent requests and hourly tokens:
1. Concurrent Requests: Determined by the number of simultaneous viewers accessing reports.
2. Hourly Tokens: Affected by the complexity and frequency of interactions with the report.

Understanding and managing these quotas is crucial for effectively using the Google Analytics API, especially when building applications or reports that rely heavily on GA data.

Latest API Version

The most recent version of the Google Analytics API is the Google Analytics Data API v1. Here are the key points about the current API version:

Current Version

The Google Analytics Data API v1 is the latest version, released as a beta in April 2021.
It is designed to work with Google Analytics 4 (GA4) properties, which have replaced Universal Analytics.

Key Points

The API endpoint is https://analyticsdata.googleapis.com/v1beta.
It provides methods like runReport, batchRunReports, runPivotReport, getMetadata, etc. to access GA4 report data programmatically.
While still labeled as "beta", this is the current production version for accessing GA4 data.
Universal Analytics properties and the older APIs stopped processing new data on July 1, 2023 for standard properties and will stop on July 1, 2024 for 360 properties.

Best Practices

Developers should migrate from Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4 and start using the Data API v1.
Even though it's labeled "beta", this is the recommended API to use for GA4 properties.
Export any historical Universal Analytics data before full access is removed in July 2024.

In summary, while still technically in "beta", the Google Analytics Data API v1 is the current production version for accessing GA4 data and should be used going forward as Universal Analytics is phased out. Developers should plan to migrate to this API if they haven't already.

How to get a Google Analytics developer account and API Keys?

Here's how to get a developer account for Google Analytics to create an API integration:

Key Steps

Create a Google Cloud Platform project
Enable the Google Analytics Data API
Create a service account
Grant the service account access to your Google Analytics property
Generate credentials for the service account

Detailed Process

Create a Google Cloud Platform project:
- Go to the Google Cloud Console (console.cloud.google.com)
- Click "Create Project" and give it a name
Enable the Google Analytics Data API:
- In your GCP project, go to "APIs & Services" > "Library"
- Search for "Google Analytics Data API" and enable it
Create a service account:
- Go to "IAM & Admin" > "Service Accounts"
- Click "Create Service Account"
- Give it a name and description
Grant access to your GA property:
- Copy the service account email address
- Go to Google Analytics Admin
- Under the property, go to "Property Access Management"
- Add the service account email as a user with "Viewer" access
Generate credentials:
- Go back to the service account in GCP
- Click "Add Key" > "Create new key"
- Choose JSON format and download the key file

Key Points

You need a Google Cloud Platform project to use the Analytics API
The service account acts as a "non-human user" to access Analytics data
Granting the service account Viewer access is sufficient for most API use cases
Keep the JSON key file secure - it allows API access to your Analytics data

Best Practices

Use a dedicated GCP project for Analytics API integrations
Grant the service account minimum required permissions
Rotate the service account key periodically for security
Monitor API usage and set quotas to prevent unexpected charges

What can you do with the Google Analytics API?

Based on the search results provided, here is a list of data models that can be interacted with using the Google Analytics API, along with what is possible for each:

Dimensions and Metrics

The Analytics Data API supports various dimensions and metrics for funnel reports.
Custom dimensions and metrics can be created to measure a variety of structured or unstructured text or measurements.

Event-based Data Model (Google Analytics 4)

GA4 API adopts an event-based data model, which is more adaptable to both web and app environments.
It emphasizes user engagement and cross-platform tracking.
Offers more advanced machine learning insights.

Session-based Data Model (Universal Analytics)

The Core Reporting API (v3) allows access to most of the data from Google Analytics reports, focusing on session-based data.
Offers robust, session-based data retrieval capabilities.

Unsampled Data

The Unsampled Data API provides access to unsampled data in Google Analytics, ensuring more precise and reliable reporting.

Real-Time Data

The Real-Time Reporting API allows access to real-time data about what's happening on a website or app.
Displays active users, their geographic locations, pages or events they are interacting with, and more.

Custom Data

Users can import customized data, including custom dimensions and metrics.
Securely import first-party data and use it with Analytics data for a more complete view of the customer journey.

BigQuery Integration

An integration with Google BigQuery allows seamless export of Analytics data.
Enables interactive analysis of up to trillions of rows of data, joining multiple data sources, and advanced predictive modeling.

Funnel Data

The GA4 API includes a runFunnelReport method for funnel analysis.

Metadata

The getMetadata method provides access to information about available metrics and dimensions.

Pivot Reports

The runPivotReport method allows for multidimensional analysis.

Offline Interactions

GA4 allows for tracking offline interactions using the Measurement Protocol.

Raw Event-Level Data

The BigQuery integration provides access to raw, event-level GA4 data, along with various collected parameters.

These data models offer a wide range of possibilities for data analysis, reporting, and integration with other tools, allowing users to gain deep insights into user behavior, website performance, and marketing effectiveness.