Platform Setup

Platform Setup confirms you have the accounts and access needed for the rest of the setup. This stage assumes you already have a production GA4 property and a web GTM container in use. If you're starting from scratch, see the notes in each section below.

What this stage does

Platform Setup verifies that your existing Google accounts, properties, and containers are accessible. It does not change your production tracking — it only confirms that what you already have is ready for the app to scan.

Platform overview

  1. P.1 Google Cloud (GCP) Setup: prepare a GCP project for the server-side infrastructure. Project selection in the app is part of the Cloud stage.
  2. P.2 GA4: confirm you have admin access to the GA4 account with your existing production property.
  3. P.3 GTM: confirm you have access to the GTM account with your existing web container.
  4. P.4 Settings: Google sign-in, API verification, and app configuration.

P.1 Google Cloud (GCP) Setup

The server-side infrastructure runs on Google Cloud. You'll need a GCP project with billing enabled and the required APIs turned on. You don't need to select the project in the app until the Cloud stage — but having it ready saves time.

How to set up the GCP project for GetServerSide

Project structure, billing, free tier, permissions, required APIs, and a step-by-step walkthrough.

P.2 GA4

The app needs access to your existing production GA4 property so it can scan your current setup. Confirm you have admin access to the GA4 account and that the property has at least one web data stream with an active measurement ID.

A test GA4 property will be created during the Build stage. You do not need to create it now.

Starting from scratch? If you don't have a GA4 property yet, create one in Google Analytics and add a web data stream for your site before continuing.

P.3 GTM

The app scans your existing web GTM container to classify your tags and events. Confirm you have edit access to the GTM account and that the web container is published and active on your site.

A server GTM container will be created during the Build stage if you don't already have one. You do not need to create it now.

Starting from scratch? If you don't have a GTM account or web container, create one in Google Tag Manager and install the snippet on your site before continuing.

P.4 Settings

The app's Settings page is where you connect Google access and confirm the setup prerequisites before you start the audit.

  1. 1

    Open Settings in the app

    Start in the app's Settings page. This is where Google access, API checks, and project configuration are managed.

  2. 2

    Sign in with Google

    Use the hosted Google sign-in flow in the app. You do not need to create a separate OAuth client or provide a client_secret.json file for GSS.

    What to expect:

    1. Click Sign in with Google in the app.
    2. Use the Google account that has access to the Analytics, GTM, Cloud Run, and GCP resources for this implementation.
    3. Approve the requested scopes so the app can read configuration and perform setup actions later in the workflow.
    4. If the wrong account is connected, disconnect it in Settings and sign in again with the correct one.
  3. 3

    Confirm required APIs and account access

    Use Settings to verify that the required Google APIs are enabled and that the connected account can access the Analytics, GTM, Cloud Run, and GCP resources for this implementation.

  4. 4

    Select the GCP project when the app prompts for it

    You do not need to bind the project before the first audit. Once you move into the build stage, select the prepared GCP project in the app so deployment and validation happen in the right place.

Important

GSS now uses a hosted Google sign-in flow. You do not need a separate desktop app, local pairing, or a downloaded OAuth client secret file to use the app.

What you'll have when done

A GCP project with required APIs enabled, confirmed access to your existing GA4 property and GTM web container, and Google access connected in the app. You're ready to audit.