How To Create A Free Server-Side Container Sandbox For GTM

TJ Aldrich-Shadle
Aug 30, 2024
3 min read

Creating A Free Server-Side Container Sandbox

The instructions below go over how to create a server-side container in Google Tag Manager for free. However, this method is likely not a realistic option for actual business applications. These instructions are for those who want to experiment and create a sandbox setting to expand their skillset within a GTM server-side container.

Prerequisites

Google Account:
- You need to have a Google Account to create a Google Tag Manager account. If you don't have one, you can create a Google Account by visiting the Google Account creation page.

Website:
- You should have a website where you want to implement and manage tags using Google Tag Manager.

Access to the Website's Code or Mobile App Development Environment:
- You need access to the source code of your website to add the Google Tag Manager container code

Google Tag Manager Account and Client-Side(Web) Container
- You need a Google Tag Manager account. If you don't have one, you can create an account at Google Tag Manager. Follow this link for instructions on how to create a Google Tag Manager Account.

Steps To Creating A Server-Side Sandbox

Create A New Container

Within your GTM Platform Home, click into your previously made client-side(web) container.

Click on the “Admin” tab, then click the “+” button in the top right.
Enter the container name that you want and ensure that you select Server down below.

When you get to the install prompt, make sure you select “Manually provision tagging server”. Do not click “Close” and do not take any further steps in GTM for now. We will return to this later.

Create A Stape Server

Create an account within Stape.io
Once you have created your account, go to “Create Container”

Fill in the “Container name” with your desired container name
Then enter your “Container configuration”. To find your container configuration, go back to your GTM tab and copy from there.
Lastly, you will select your server location. Since this is for sandbox purposes, I would recommend selecting the server location that is closest to your physical location.

Select create container and select the free subscription plan on the next screen.
Make sure that “Upgrade container to the next tier automatically” is turned off and continue with the free plan.

You will then need to input billing information. However, you will not be charged for this server as long as you select the free container and turn off the automatic upgrade.
Once you finish, you officially have a Stape server that you can use for a GTM server-side container for free.

Connect the Stape Server to Your Domain

Within Stape, scroll down and input your domain name, preceded by “gtm.” Similar to the image below.
Then select “Stape global CDN” from the “CDN” drop-down.
Do not click “Verify” yet, we will revisit this.

Next, go into the backend of your website.
For a WordPress site, enter your site’s domain and click on “DNS records”

From there, click on “Manage”, then “Add a record”.

Input new a new “Type A” DNS record and a new “Type CNAME” DNS record.
For “Name”, input the subdomain “gtm”.
For “Points To”, input the corresponding “Value” from within Stape for the “Type”.