What is Prebid?
Feature-rich, open source, and supported by hundreds of demand sources.
Introduction to Prebid.org
A high-level introduction to the Prebid community and its products.
A Brief Prehistory
Header bidding is a response to the “waterfall” method, a fragmented and highly inefficient process for implementing programmatic advertising. Instead of offering impressions to one partner at a time, header bidding lets all partners bid simultaneously. With header bidding, publishers can also receive bids that may be unavailable through their primary ad server.
The Early Days of Bidding
The early days of header bidding were dominated by bad practices, closed proprietary tech, poor standards, and little to no cooperation amongst competing companies. Publishers were presented with the confusing and time-consuming process of having to manually patch together various solutions from different companies.
Prebid is Born
Prebid.js launched in 2015 to make header bidding easy for publishers by bringing conformity and simplicity to the header bidding process. By creating a simple, open tech layer upon which companies could add their code to a standard but optimized foundation, Prebid.js made it easier to implement header bidding, and offered the largest repository of working adapters.
Today, Prebid.js is the most widely used header bidding “container” or “wrapper” on the web.
More than a Technology
Prebid is a product suite, community, and organization.
Prebid.org
A collection of leading ad tech companies
that oversees & funds the development
Complete Product Suite
A collection of leading ad tech companies that oversees & funds the development
Global Community
Strong support from market-leading publishers, buyers & technology providers
Frequently Asked Questions
Becoming a Member
Frequently asked questions around how to become a member and the benefits of membership
How do I join Prebid?
To join Prebid, please visit our Membership page to read more about the benefits of membership and to see the various membership categories, tiers and pricing. Please also review Prebid’s code of conduct, which all members are expected to follow. Once you have made the decision to join, please complete and sign an online application form here. On the form, you will need to indicate the membership category and revenue tier to which you are applying. Revenue numbers are self-reported, and based on your company’s total annual global revenue. If you are applying to the Fellowship tier, please complete an application here. Within two months of applying, someone from the Prebid team will follow-up with you directly.
What are the membership fees?
The membership fees vary by membership category and revenue tier. You can see the full pricing details here. For revenue, we rely on applicants to use the honor system when self-reporting their company’s total annual global revenue. Any company found to be reporting false numbers will have the option of re-joining at the correct revenue tier, or having their membership revoked.
What is the Fellowship tier? How do I apply?
The Fellowship Tier is a new membership level, which waives member fees for one calendar year in exchange for a commitment of resources to support various Prebid initiatives. To join at the Fellowship level requires submitting a specific application, which can be found here. All accepted Fellows will meet quarterly with the Prebid.org management team to ensure satisfactory participation levels are being met to maintain your Fellowship status. At the end of 2023, it is expected that all Fellows will transition to being paid members at the appropriate tier to make room for a new class of Fellows to join Prebid. Any company not accepted into the Fellowship program will need to join at a full membership level, or re-apply for the Fellowship program the following calendar year.
Can I still use Prebid technology without being a member of Prebid?
Yes. Prebid.org is committed to remaining fully open sourced, meaning all Prebid technology and solutions will still be available at no charge to all companies, regardless of membership status. By joining, however, your membership dues will help us to:
- Innovate in emerging programmatic channels, including CTV, DOOH, and Audio;
- Maintain and expand our current solution portfolio;
- Provide additional value through education and thought leadership programs;
- Tackle broader issues facing the industry, including privacy and cookie deprecation.
Can I participate in Prebid Project Management Committees without being a member?
No, only Prebid members are allowed to participate on Project Management Committees.
Can I get access to the Prebid Slack channel without being a member?
No, access to Prebid’s private Slack community is a benefit reserved for members.
Can I get access to the Prebid Docs portal without being a member?
Yes, our docs portal is available to everyone here.
I have other questions. How do I get them answered?
Email membership@prebid.org
Other
Frequently asked questions about header bidding and Prebid solutions
Do I have to pay to use Prebid?
No, use of Prebid products downloaded from an open source repository is free. If you want help running Prebid, a number of members offer managed services for a fee.
If you want to become a member of Prebid.org, fees vary by membership category and revenue tier. You can see the full pricing details here. For revenue, we rely on applicants to use the honor system when self-reporting their company’s total annual global revenue. Any company found to be reporting false numbers will have the option of re-joining at the correct revenue tier, or having their membership revoked.
What is Header Bidding?
Header bidding is a response to the “waterfall” method, a fragmented and highly inefficient process for implementing programmatic advertising. Instead of offering impressions to one partner at a time, header bidding lets all partners bid simultaneously. With header bidding, publishers can also receive bids that may be unavailable through their primary ad server.
See https://docs.prebid.org/overview/intro-to-header-bidding.html for more background.
Where do I find information on how to use Prebid.js?
More information about how to use Prebid JS can be found at https://docs.prebid.org/prebid/prebidjs.html
What are the advantages to using Prebid?
Prebid.js launched in 2015 to make header bidding easy for publishers by bringing conformity and simplicity to the header bidding process. By creating a simple, open tech layer upon which companies could add their code to a standard but optimized foundation, Prebid.js made it easier to implement header bidding, and offered the largest repository of working adapters.
How do I join a Prebid Committee?
You can get a list of the committees at https://prebid.org/project-management-committees/
To join one, email membership@prebid.org
How are Prebid Board members selected?
The Technology and Publisher PMC’s each get one voted board representative on a yearly basis. The rest of the board is made up of leader tier companies, and a representative from each company.
Where do I find information about configuring Prebid?
Our docs site has very detailed information about configuring Prebid.
How do I apply for the Prebid Grant Program?
The Prebid.org Grant Program was launched in 2020. Each year, the board will set aside funds for community-driven projects that improve Prebid.
The Grant Program aims to fund projects that can demonstrably:
:: Increase adoption of Prebid products
:: Add new capabilities to Prebid
:: Grow Prebid.org membership
Here are some example projects:
:: A Prebid event or marketing campaign
:: Resources for training and troubleshooting
:: A new Prebid feature
:: Prebid “swag”
And here are some criteria that will make your application more likely to succeed:
:: A dedicated Project Manager (ideally the person writing the application)
:: Benefits that accrue to the Prebid community as a whole
:: A plan with clear and measurable KPIs
If approved, a Prebid.org Grant is NOT a direct transfer of funds to the applicant. Instead, it represents a budget against which you can expense items related to your project.
I have other questions. How do I get them answered?
Email membership@prebid.org