Send first-party events

Use the SpendDaddy API when your backend sends subscription and attribution events directly instead of using RevenueCat.

Before you start

Choose SpendDaddy API while adding your app, then copy the generated API key into a server-side secret store.

Never embed this key in a mobile app or other downloadable client. Anyone with the key can send events for the connected app.

All requests use:

Authorization: Bearer <spenddaddy_api_key>
Content-Type: application/json

The base URL is https://api.spenddaddy.app.

Identify an install

Call POST https://api.spenddaddy.app/identify when your backend first sees an app user. Send the same stable user ID you will use for later events.

curl https://api.spenddaddy.app/identify \
  --request POST \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $SPENDDADDY_API_KEY" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{
    "appUserId": "user_123",
    "installedAt": "2026-07-17T12:34:56Z",
    "asaToken": "optional_apple_ads_attribution_token"
  }'

Field	Required	Description
appUserId	Yes	Stable identifier for this app user.
installedAt	No	Install time in ISO 8601 format. Defaults to the time SpendDaddy first sees the user.
asaToken	No	Apple Ads attribution token obtained by your app and forwarded to your backend.

Example response:

{
  "status": "identified",
  "created": true,
  "attribution": "fetched"
}

created is true when SpendDaddy created the app user. attribution is fetched, failed, or not_requested depending on whether an Apple Ads token was supplied and resolved.

Send an event

Call POST https://api.spenddaddy.app/event for trials, purchases, renewals, refunds, and cancellations.

curl https://api.spenddaddy.app/event \
  --request POST \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $SPENDDADDY_API_KEY" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{
    "appUserId": "user_123",
    "eventType": "initial_purchase",
    "occurredAt": "2026-07-17T12:40:00Z",
    "eventId": "evt_01",
    "transactionId": "txn_01",
    "productId": "monthly_pro",
    "amount": 9.99,
    "currency": "USD",
    "store": "app_store",
    "country": "US"
  }'

Event fields

Field	Required	Description
appUserId	Yes	The same stable user ID used with /identify.
eventType	Yes	One of the supported event types below.
occurredAt	Yes	Event time in ISO 8601 format.
eventId	Recommended	Unique event identifier used to safely update a previously received event.
transactionId	Recommended for purchases	Store transaction identifier.
renewalNumber	No	Renewal sequence number when available.
productId	No	Subscription or product identifier.
amount	Required for revenue events	Positive revenue amount. Send refunds as a positive amount; SpendDaddy applies the negative sign.
currency	Recommended for revenue events	Three-letter currency code. Defaults to USD when omitted.
store	No	Store that processed the event, such as app_store.
country	No	Two-letter country code when available.

Supported event types

Event type	Requires amount
trial_started	No
trial_converted	Yes
initial_purchase	Yes
non_renewing_purchase	Yes
renewal	Yes
refund	Yes
cancellation	No

Example response:

{
  "status": "ingested",
  "created": false
}

Here, created indicates whether SpendDaddy created the app user while processing the event. It does not indicate whether the event was new.

Retries and duplicate events

Provide a stable eventId or transactionId whenever possible. If a request times out, retry it with the same identifiers and payload so SpendDaddy can recognize the existing event.

Errors

Status	Meaning	What to do
400	Unsupported event type, missing revenue amount, or invalid amount.	Correct the request body and retry.
401	Missing, invalid, disabled, or rotated API key.	Confirm the bearer token or rotate the key in SpendDaddy Settings.
422	A required field is missing or has an invalid format.	Compare the request with the field tables above.

Rotate the API key

Open the app in SpendDaddy, go to Settings > First-party attribution API, and choose Rotate API key.

Rotation invalidates the previous key immediately. Update the server-side secret used by every event sender before sending more requests.