Insights

SSP, ad exchange, and prebid adapter development

FatTail partnered with Avenga to design and build their AdBookPSP solution — the first SSP designed specifically for deal-based programmatic transactions.

September 21, 2025 4 min read

  • Client FatTail
  • Industry Programmatic advertising
  • Service AdTech & programmatic
  • Technologies NodeJS, GO, Azure, Terraform, React, NestJS, Grafana, Material UI

Introduction 

FatTail and Avenga joined forces to combine FatTail’s expertise in deal-based (direct) transactions, FatTail’s existing supply-side technology (AdBook+), Avenga’s expertise in programmatic technology, and our experienced AdTech developers to build a first-of-its-kind SSP, or as we like to say, a premium supply platform (PSP). This platform is known as AdBookPSP and it specializes in deal ID-based programmatic transactions. 

  • 5

    Platform components delivered—Ad exchange, Prebid adapter, Lab environment, Reporting service, Decisioning logic

  • 10

    Core technologies used—Node.js, Nest.js, Go, React.js, Material UI, Azure (DataBricks & Blob), Kubernetes, Terraform, Grafana

We believe this solution is timely for the market as increasing privacy restrictions across many fronts continue to erode identity resolution, thereby limiting buyer audience-driven programmatic strategies and creating increased demand for direct transactions with premium publishers. 

Challenge 

Adjusting the Prebid Adapter 

Adjusting the Prebid adapter to send all the bids from the demand sources to GAM instead of the default of 3 was the biggest challenge. 

The character string needed to be modified to include all bids coming from the demand sources. Also, adapting FatTail’s Prebid Adapter to replace the key value pairs in a way that would allow us to integrate with GAM was also a challenge. 

We also had to create each line item separately for the private auction workflow, which was a lot of manual work. While this step couldn’t be avoided in the current setup, AdBook+ will handle it automatically for publishers running live deals. This challenge is inherent to the way Prebid is integrated with the GAM ad server to pass through programmatic demand. 

Learning About Configuring Google Ad Manager 

It was a new experience for us, but it was just a matter of learning about how to integrate with GAM and configure and match key value pairs like line items. 

Solution 

AdBookPSP acts as an exchange that takes impressions from the Prebid adapter, matches them with AdBook+ deals, and sends bid requests to DSPs. It then collects the responses and routes them back to GAM through Prebid.
Prebid normally sends only the highest bid per SSP, but AdBookPSP uses the “sendAllBids” feature to forward all relevant bids from different deal types. A custom key-value setup ensures that GAM receives the right signals to evaluate bids based on more than just price.
A dedicated test environment was set up to mirror production, using mock DSPs and websites. It allows FatTail to create and test custom deal files, creatives, and scenarios without affecting live traffic.
This setup runs auctions limited to selected deals and sends only the highest bid to GAM. It’s similar to the programmatic guaranteed flow but more selective in what gets passed through.
The reporting service runs via APIs. We didn’t build a UI for this, we just exposed an endpoint. In the future it will be integrated with AdBook+.

Process 

Discovery

The process began with a deep dive into FatTail’s deal-based workflows and the existing AdBook+ setup to map how deal data would connect to the new exchange.

Key integration points with DSPs, Google Ad Manager, EngageBDR, and RTBiQ were outlined early on to ensure a smooth path for direct transactions.

Architecture & Design

A modular architecture was designed to bring together the AdBookPSP exchange, Prebid adapter, lab environment, reporting service, and decisioning logic.

The system was planned for high performance, scalability, and adaptability to evolving programmatic needs.

Development & Integration

AdBookPSP was built as a fully functional exchange, along with FatTail’s official Prebid adapter and a dedicated lab environment for controlled testing.

Custom JavaScript and decisioning logic handled creative execution on winning bids, while all platform components were integrated with GAM, DSPs, EngageBDR, and RTBiQ.

Testing & Launch

The lab environment allowed for realistic scenario testing to validate bid handling and performance.

After launch, continuous monitoring and tuning helped stabilize the platform and optimize live operations.

Results 

We built the AdBookPSP and handed the project over to FatTail so they could start testing it with their clients.

Building your own SSP or adapter? We can help you get it right without the guesswork. 

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The delivery included the full exchange setup, a custom Prebid adapter, real-time decisioning logic, and a lab environment for simulating demand. We also provided a reporting service and ensured smooth integrations with DSPs, Google Ad Manager, and FatTail’s existing platform, AdBook+. 

Post-launch, ongoing support and maintenance have helped keep the system stable and ready for future iterations. 

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