VAST Tag Setup Guide — Connect Any Video Player to eTubeAds

What Is a VAST Tag?

VAST (Video Ad Serving Template) is the IAB standard protocol for serving video ads to video players. A VAST tag is a URL that your video player calls to retrieve an ad. The ad server responds with an XML file containing the ad creative, tracking pixels, and playback instructions.

Getting Your VAST Tag from eTubeAds

1. Log into your eTubeAds publisher dashboard
2. Navigate to Zones and click your zone
3. Copy the VAST Tag URL shown on the zone detail page
4. The URL will look like: https://etubeads.com/api/vast?zone=YOUR_ZONE_ID

Adding the VAST Tag to Video.js

Video.js with the IMA plugin is the most common setup:

var player = videojs('my-video');
player.ima({
  adTagUrl: 'https://etubeads.com/api/vast?zone=YOUR_ZONE_ID'
});

Adding the VAST Tag to JW Player

In your JW Player setup object, add the advertising block:

advertising: {
  client: 'vast',
  tag: 'https://etubeads.com/api/vast?zone=YOUR_ZONE_ID'
}

Testing Your Setup

Use the Google VAST Inspector tool to verify your tag returns valid XML before going live. In your eTubeAds dashboard, enable Preview Mode to see test ads without affecting your campaign statistics.

Troubleshooting

If ads are not showing, check: CORS headers on your site, HTTPS on both your site and the VAST URL, and that your video player's IMA/VAST plugin is correctly installed.