VAST Tag Validator and Debugger for Revive Adserver

VAST Tag Validator and Debugger inspects the VAST tags you use in Revive Adserver and reports what is wrong with them before a player does. Ad ops teams see the tag as a tree in the admin, with errors, dead URLs and wrapper hops listed per zone.

What it does

• Shows a VAST tag as a tree in the admin, so you can see which creative, media files and tracking events it contains before it serves.
• Flags structure errors and missing required elements, so a broken tag is caught before a video player rejects it.
• Checks that media file and tracking URLs respond, which finds dead assets that lead to blank or skipped ads.
• Follows wrapper chains and lists each hop with its response, so you can see where a chain fails or grows too long.
• Re-checks live tags on a schedule and sends an email alert, so problems that appear after launch reach you instead of showing up as lost impressions.
• Reports failing tags per zone, so ad ops knows which placements to fix first.

How it fits your ad stack

The plugin works in the Revive admin on tags used in your video zones and campaigns, and reads VAST 4.x. VAST is the IAB Tech Lab standard that tells a video player which ad to play and how, and teams running video and CTV commonly test tags against it before launch. The plugin does not repair tags and does not play the ad in a player. Support for older VAST versions is not described, so check before relying on it.

Full feature details

• Tag structure view in the Revive admin.
• Checks for structure errors and missing required elements in VAST 4.x tags.
• Checks that media file URLs respond.
• Checks that tracking URLs respond.
• Wrapper chain follow-through with the response of each hop.
• Scheduled re-checks of live tags with email alerts.
• Per-zone report of failing tags.
• Does not repair tags and does not play ads.

Requirements

• A running Revive Adserver installation of a version listed in the Product Versions drop-down on this page.
• A server that can make outbound web requests to the tag, media and tracking URLs.
• A scheduled task (cron) on the server for the re-checks. Other details are confirmed at order.

Frequently asked questions

Does it fix broken tags?

No. It reports what is wrong and where, so you or your demand partner can fix the tag.

Does it play the ad?

No. It reads the tag and checks the URLs in it. It does not test playback in a specific player.

Which VAST versions does it read?

It is described for VAST 4.x. Support for older versions is confirmed at order.