What does Google Analytics measure

This documentation is for Universal Analytics. See Measurement Protocol (Google Analytics 4) if you are using Google Analytics 4.

The Google Analytics Measurement Protocol allows developers to make HTTP requests to send raw user interaction data directly to Google Analytics servers. This allows developers to measure how users interact with their business from almost any environment. Developers can then use the Measurement Protocol to:

Measure user activity in new environments.
Tie online to offline behavior.
Send data from both the client and server.

Note: The Measurement Protocol only allows developers to collect user-interaction (event / hit) data. It does not allow developers to upload aggregated data like tables.

Getting Started

Here are the resources you need to get started:

Read the developer guide to learn how to send data to Google Analytics.
Read the parameter reference guide to learn about the types of data you can send.
Try out the Measurement Protocol Hit Builder, a tool that lets you interactively construct and validate Measurement Protocol hits.

Note: all applications that use the Measurement Protocol must follow the protocol policy.