Session Identifier Caching for Low-Latency Content Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current header content selection techniques introduce network latency and inaccuracies in selecting supplementary content as client devices repeatedly make requests to multiple content providers, leading to increased latency and outdated selection parameter values.
Innovation Solution
A system that generates a session identifier for a client device, allowing the content selection server to manage content provider interactions, reducing latency by minimizing direct client requests and using a chain of selection parameter values with machine learning to maintain accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If client devices repeatedly make requests to multiple content providers for header content selection, then content selection can be performed, but network latency increases and selection parameter values become outdated
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-fetching and caching selection parameter values from content providers before they are actually needed for content selection. The server maintains a cache of these parameter values and uses them in subsequent requests, eliminating the need for repeated real-time requests to content providers and thus reducing network latency while maintaining selection accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The content selection server acts as an intermediary between client devices and content providers. Instead of client devices directly requesting content from multiple content providers (causing latency), the server mediates by receiving requests, fetching necessary parameter values from content providers in bulk, caching them, and then serving multiple clients simultaneously. This intermediary approach eliminates repeated direct client-to-provider requests.
2Measurement precision
If direct client requests are made to content providers for each content selection, then fresh parameter values can be obtained, but network latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-fetching and caching selection parameter values from content providers before they are actually needed for content selection. The server maintains a cache of these parameter values and uses them in subsequent requests, eliminating the need for repeated real-time requests to content providers and thus reducing network latency while maintaining selection accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The server continuously maintains and updates the cache of selection parameter values, ensuring that fresh and accurate parameter values are always available for content selection. This continuous operation allows the system to serve multiple client requests without interruption or repeated external calls, maintaining both accuracy and speed.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for maintaining session identifiers across multiple webpages for content selection are described herein. A server can generate a session identifier corresponding to the client device for use in selecting content to be served across the information resources of a content publisher. The server can then receive, from the client device, a request for instructions to insert into a header of an information resource for selecting a content provider. The server can determine that the request includes the session identifier that matches the one generated for a previous request. The server can obtain a parameter value for each content provider with the session identifier. The server can select a content provider using the parameter values. The server can provide a script to the client device for the header. The script can be configured to cause the client device to obtain a content item from the selected content provider to insert into the information resource.