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Serve personalized and targeted content, improve security with authentication and enable caching and analytics with Customer HTTP Headers

Our web page app that allows for passing custom HTTP header values enables your end users (digital signage managers/operators) to achieve advanced, dynamic, and highly personalized content delivery.

Available in our Web Page app. Requires App v112+.

Screenshot of custom header values in the web page app.

🎯 Serve Personalized & Targeted Content

Custom headers are an excellent way to localize and personalize content without complex API integrations or changes to the webpage's URL.

  • Location-Specific Content: End users can set a custom header like X-Location-ID: 1005 or X-Store-Name: Midtown-Mall. The web server receives this ID and automatically populates the webpage with relevant content, such as:
  • Local Promotions: Displaying sales or offers specific to that store.
  • Local Inventory: Showing real-time stock levels for that location.
  • Local Announcements: Presenting region-specific news or events.
  • Device/Player-Specific Content: Headers can communicate unique details about the display or player.
  • Screen Orientation: A header like X-Orientation: Portrait ensures the server delivers a CSS/HTML layout optimized for the vertical screen, overriding any default layout.
  • License/Player Identification: A header like X-Player-UUID: abc123def456 can be used for server-side licensing checks or for logging which specific player is requesting content.
  • Audience/Time-Based Targeting: While scheduling handles time, a custom header can dynamically influence content for a specific audience. For example, a header could signal that the screen is in a staff breakroom (X-Audience: Employee) versus a lobby (X-Audience: Visitor), prompting the server to deliver internal metrics or a company newsletter, respectively.

🔒 Improve Security and Authentication

Custom headers can serve as a simple, yet effective, layer of security for restricting content access.

  • Token-Based Access: End users can pass a secret key or token using a header like Authorization: Bearer [custom-token-here].
  • This token is not visible in the public URL (unlike a query parameter) and is only available via the web page app, allowing the server to authenticate that the request is coming from a verified digital signage player and not a standard web browser.
  • The server will only deliver the content if the custom token is valid.

📊 Enable Advanced Caching and Analytics

The header information helps the server make better decisions about data management and reporting.

  • Smarter Caching: Headers can instruct content delivery networks (CDNs) or proxy servers on how to manage the content.3 For example, a header that includes a unique identifier for the content version can help ensure the display always pulls the latest update, improving performance and accuracy.

  • Detailed Reporting: The server-side application can log the custom header values for enhanced analytics. Instead of just seeing an anonymous request, the end-user's analytics platform can track and report:
  • "How often was the content viewed on screens with X-Location-ID: 1005?"
  • "What was the uptime for players with X-Orientation: Portrait?"

In essence, passing custom header values transforms a generic Web Page display into a powerful, two-way Dynamic Data Integrator, allowing your end users to inject critical context into the content request, which the content server can use to deliver a fully customized experience.

If you need assistance with this feature, please don't hesitate to reach out.