Prebid Server
Prebid Server is available in the NetActuate Marketplace as a one-click, open-source appliance you can deploy into any NetActuate PoP. Self-hosted server-to-server header-bidding auction API for programmatic ads. It is grouped under the Media & Streaming category.
What It Does
Prebid Server is the open-source, server-to-server home of header bidding. It runs real-time programmatic auctions across your demand partners on behalf of your Prebid.js and Prebid Mobile clients, moving the auction server-side to cut page weight, reduce client CPU, and let you add more bidders without slowing the page.
Key features
- OpenRTB 2.x server-to-server auction endpoint (/openrtb2/auction) for web and app
- Large catalog of built-in demand adapters (bidders), configured server-side
- Cookie-sync and user-ID handling done on the server, off the browser
- Built-in /status health endpoint and a landing page, ready on first boot
- Runs the official, unmodified ghcr.io/prebid/prebid-server-java container
- No web console and no credentials to manage: a pure JSON auction API
Use cases
- Move header-bidding auctions server-side for a publisher or ad network
- Run a self-hosted Prebid Server for web (Prebid.js) and mobile (Prebid SDK)
- Keep auction logic, bidder config, and user data on infrastructure you control
Why run it on the NetActuate edge Hosting Prebid Server in a PoP near your users shortens the round-trip for the auction call and the demand partners, trimming auction latency (which directly affects fill and revenue) while keeping your bidder configuration and user-sync data on your own servers.
Deployed from the NetActuate marketplace, Prebid Server boots pre-configured from a sane default config: the auction API, the built-in landing page (/) and the health endpoint (/status) answer on HTTP port 80 as soon as the instance is up. Seed an optional HTTP port and public external URL, then add your demand partners and stored requests via the standard Prebid Server configuration. Put a TLS-terminating proxy in front before exposing it on an untrusted network.
Vendor and Project
Prebid Server is an open-source project, offered here under the Open Source listing with best-effort community support.
- Project home: github.com
NetActuate supports the underlying infrastructure. Application-level support follows the listing SLA class (open-source, best effort).
Sizing
| vCPU | RAM | Disk | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | 1 | 2 GB | 20 GB |
| Recommended | 2 | 4 GB | 50 GB |
No VPU (hardware acceleration) is required for this appliance. Choose a size at deploy based on your expected load.
Configuration Fields
When you deploy, you provide these fields. They are written into the appliance at first boot.
| Field | Required | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| HTTP port | No | 80 | Port the auction API, landing page and /status health endpoint listen on, published on the instance IP (default 80). |
| External base URL | No | none | Public base URL of this server, used for cookie-sync / setuid redirects and links (e.g. https://pbs.example.com). Leave blank to use http://<instance-ip> until you put a real hostname in front. |
Using the Appliance
Run your auctions in minutes
- Confirm the server is up. Browse to http://YOUR_VM_IP:80/ for the built-in Prebid Server landing page, or check the health endpoint at http://YOUR_VM_IP:80/status (HTTP 200, {"application":{"status":"ok"}}).
- Send an auction. POST an OpenRTB request to http://YOUR_VM_IP:80/openrtb2/auction from your Prebid.js or Prebid Mobile setup. There is no login; Prebid Server is a headless JSON API.
- Configure demand. Add your demand partners (bidders) and stored requests via the standard Prebid Server configuration, and set the external URL seed field to your public hostname for correct cookie-sync/setuid redirects.
Exposure posture: the appliance serves plain HTTP on the configured port. Put a TLS-terminating proxy and access control in front before exposing it publicly.
FAQ
Is there a software license fee? No. Prebid Server is open source and free to run. You pay only for the NetActuate infrastructure and bandwidth.
Where is the web interface?
On port 80 at path /status by default.
Who supports it? NetActuate operates the underlying infrastructure. The application itself is community-supported open source (best-effort SLA class).
Version and Changelog
| Version | Status | Released |
|---|---|---|
| 3.43.0 | Current (default) | 2026-07-13 |
Deploy
- Deploy in the portal: Deploy Prebid Server
- View the listing: portal.netactuate.com/platform/marketplace/l/prebid-server
- Public listing: netactuate.com/marketplace/prebid-server
Need Help?
Contact support@netactuate.com or open a support ticket from the portal.