Add a supplier and connect traffic

This article shows how to add a supplier to a campaign, choose Internal or External, and copy credentials so traffic can post leads. Suppliers are the supply side of the program.

After the supplier exists, share credentials privately and point partners to the supplier's in-app API documentation for examples.

What is a supplier?

A supplier is the publisher that submits leads into a campaign. Each supplier belongs to one campaign and has a source type that changes how tracking works.

Credentials live on the supplier page after save. Copy them there. Do not invent ingest details from memory, and do not paste secrets into public tickets.

Prerequisites

• An existing campaign with fields defined (or nearly defined)
• Clarity on whether traffic is yours (internal) or a partner's (external)
• A private channel to share credentials with the submitting party

Add a supplier

1. Go to Campaigns and open the campaign.
2. Open the Suppliers tab.
3. Click Add Supplier.
4. Choose Source: Internal or External.
5. Set a clear supplier name you will recognize in reports.
6. For external suppliers, complete pricing or margin fields the form shows.
7. Optionally set volume or budget caps if you already know limits.
8. Click Save.
9. Open the new supplier from the Suppliers table.
10. Copy the credentials shown on that page.
11. Open the supplier's in-app API documentation and use those examples with the partner or your form team.
12. Share credentials only with the party that submits leads.

Connect traffic (internal suppliers)

If the supplier is Internal and you track affiliates separately:

1. Open the campaign Traffic Sources tab.
2. Add the affiliate channels that drive traffic to your shared page.
3. Give each affiliate the supplier credentials plus the traffic source identifier your UI shows for that channel.
4. Remind affiliates that a traffic source is not a second API key. They post through the same supplier credentials and identify their channel as documented in the in-app API docs.

For deeper affiliate setup, see Traffic sources for affiliates.

Tips and gotchas

• Internal vs External is a real product choice, not a label. Pick Internal when Datahubb should track affiliates. Pick External when the partner posts from their platform.
• Caps on suppliers stop intake when hit. Set them intentionally.
• After field changes, tell suppliers immediately. Required fields reject incomplete posts.
• Rotate or revoke access by updating the supplier rather than posting credentials into shared chat history.
• One successful test lead beats ten unread API emails. Test before wide credential distribution.

Expected result

The campaign Suppliers tab shows an active supplier, credentials are copied from the supplier page, and the submitting party can follow the in-app API documentation to send a test lead.

Frequently asked questions

Where do I find the API examples? On the supplier page, use the supplier's in-app API documentation. Copy credentials from that same supplier page.

Do external suppliers need traffic sources? Usually no. External publishers manage their own channels. Traffic Sources are for affiliates under internal suppliers.

Can one publisher post into multiple campaigns? Yes. Add a supplier on each campaign and share that campaign's supplier credentials.

What if leads arrive but have no affiliate breakdown? You may be on an external supplier, or internal posts may omit the traffic source identifier. Check the Traffic Sources setup and what the affiliate is sending per the in-app docs.

Should I share credentials before fields are final? Prefer waiting until required fields are stable, or clearly mark the integration as test-only until fields freeze.

How do supplier caps differ from buyer caps? Supplier caps limit how much can be submitted or spent on the supply side. Buyer caps limit how much a buyer can purchase. Both can stop a lead path for different reasons.

Related articles

• Key concepts: campaigns, buyers, and suppliers
• Traffic sources for affiliates
• Set up campaign fields
• Test before you go live
• Campaign postback overrides