Upsert User Data

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You can also use the Upsert User Data API Wizard to generate an API key, configure headers, and create API payloads based on your planned user data.

The Upsert User Data API creates or updates user profiles in Insider One by sending attributes and events from your backend systems. Upsert means insert or update: if a profile already exists for the identifier you send, the API updates it; if not, it creates one. This makes it the primary integration path for systems that don't use the web or mobile SDKs, offline data sources, CRM platforms, and external tools, feeding into the same unified profile Insider One uses for segmentation and personalization.

You can use the Upsert User Data API for:

  • Offline and historical events. Import purchases and other events that occurred in-store, over the phone, or before the user was tracked online. Use skip_hook to control whether imported history triggers active Architect journeys or data streams.

  • Leads from external platforms. Push leads captured on landing pages, forms, or your platforms so you can follow up through Insider One channels.

  • Segments prepared outside Insider One. Add users directly to a static segment with static_segment_id, for example, an audience you built in your data warehouse.

  • CRM and loyalty attributes. Keep profile fields such as loyalty tier, age, or language in sync with your source systems, and update them whenever they change.

  • Consent and channel opt-ins. Pass GDPR opt-in and channel permissions for email, SMS, and WhatsApp from your consent or preference center, so campaigns always use the latest permissions.

You can implement IP restrictions to limit access to the Upsert API for users with a Unified Customer Database (UCD) API Key, or to control data transmission through this API. This ensures that only Upsert API requests from approved IP addresses will be accepted. If you want to make such a custom adjustment, please get in touch with the Insider One team.

To update a user’s identifier (such as email or phone number) listed in your Identity Resolution Management Settings, use the Update Identifiers API. The Upsert API can add or modify attributes, but will not change an existing identifier.

To clear an existing attribute through this API, set delete_null to true and send the attribute value as the string "<null>". An empty string or JSON null does not delete anything. You can also use the Delete User Attribute API.

Endpoint and Headers

POST https://unification.useinsider.com/api/user/v1/upsert

Visit our Postman collection to test this request.

Header

Sample Value

Description

X-PARTNER-NAME

mybrand

This is your partner name. Navigate to Inone Settings > Account Settings to copy your partner name. The partner name should be lowercase.

X-REQUEST-TOKEN

1a2b3c4e5d6f

This key is required to authorize your request. Refer to API Authentication Tokens to generate your token.

Content-Type

application/json

This header specifies the media type of the resource.

Body Parameters

You can send two types of data to our data ingestion API: attributes and events.

Each user object must include an identifier and at least one non-empty attributes object, events array, or object_attributes object.

Attributes

  • An attribute is a single, static piece of information about a user, such as gender, age, or loyalty class.

  • For array attributes, new values are appended by default.

  • To overwrite instead of append, include "not_append": true or "append": false in the request.

  • If both are included, "append" takes priority.

  • To remove an attribute from the profile, send its value as "<null>" together with "delete_null": true.

To update an Array of Objects attribute, such as a list of subscriptions or loyalty records, use action-based operations (add, merge, replace, and remove) instead of setting the value directly. See Manage Array of Objects Attributes via the Upsert API for the full syntax and examples.

No default attribute is mandatory. If you use the attributes object in the request, you need to have at least one attribute in your object.

When the same attribute is sent again via Upsert API, Unified Customer Database (UCD) stores the latest written value for that attribute on the User Profile. Earlier values are not versioned on the profile and are not included in raw profile exports after they are overwritten.

Events

  • An event is a collection of information, such as purchased products or visited stores.

  • If you send multiple updates for the same user with the same event name, the new event will be added to the existing collection.

You can use the event group ID to group events of the same type when sending multiple events of this type.

When sending events via the Upsert API, ensure that the values fall within the TTL (Time-to-Live) of the events. Events with timestamps exceeding the TTL will not be written. For further information, refer to the Data Retention article.

Import historical data with the Upsert API

The Upsert API allows you to import historical data. When you do this, keep in mind:

If an active Architect On Event element or a set data stream is present, and the imported data meets their conditions, the journey or data stream can be triggered.

For example, if you send purchase events from one year ago via the Upsert API and an Architect journey is active with an On Event condition set to 'purchase', those users will enter the journey, even though the events occurred a year ago.

A boolean flag called skip_hook is available in the Upsert request body. This flag controls whether historical data should trigger journeys or data streams. This flag is not mandatory. Its rules are:

  • skip_hook: false → Default if not specified. Imported data can trigger Architect On Event elements and data streams.

  • skip_hook: true → Prevents imported data from triggering Architect journeys or data streams.

Remove attributes with the Upsert API

A boolean flag called delete_null is available in the Upsert request body. When it is true, every attribute sent with the value "<null>" is removed from the user profile. This lets you keep Insider One in sync with your source system in a single request, without a separate deletion call. The flag is not mandatory and defaults to false.

delete_null

Value sent

Result

true

"<null>"

The attribute is removed from the profile.

true

Any other value

The attribute is updated as usual.

false or not sent

"<null>"

The text <null> is stored as the attribute value.

true or false

JSON null or empty string

Ignored. The existing value is kept.

  • The value must be the string "<null>" for every data type, including number, date, boolean, and URL attributes.

  • To clear an array attribute, send the string "<null>" as the value, not an array that contains it.

  • Custom attributes are supported. Send them inside the custom object in the same way.

  • One request can update some attributes and remove others.

  • delete_null applies to attributes only. It does not change events or event parameters.

  • To clear a single key of an object attribute, see Object Type Attributes.

  • Removal cannot be undone. Send "delete_null": true only in requests that are meant to remove data

Identifiers must be placed under the identifiers object only. They should not be sent within attributes, events, or any other part of the payload. This structure ensures accurate identity resolution and consistent data processing across the platform.

Insider One allows these parameters to be sent:

Parameter

Description

Data Type

Required

users

Array of user information, such as identifiers, attributes, and events.

Array

Yes

identifiers

User's identifier information.

Object

Yes

attributes

Attributes object of user information, such as gender and age.

Object

No

email

Attribute. User's email address; can be used as an identifier.

String

No

phone_number

Attribute. User's phone number in E.164 format (e.g., +6598765432), can be used as an identifier.

String

No

email_optin

Attribute. User's permission for marketing emails:
True = emails allowed;
False = email not allowed

Boolean

No

gdpr_optin

Attribute. User's permission for Insider One campaigns, data collection, and processing:
False = user will not see any Insider One campaign or receive any message from any channel;
True or empty = Insider One may interact with the user through personalization campaigns

Boolean

No

sms_optin

Attribute. User's permission for SMS:
True = SMS allowed;
False = SMS not allowed

Boolean

No

whatsapp_optin

Attribute. User's permission for WhatsApp Message:
True = WhatsApp Message allowed
False = WhatsApp Message not allowed

Boolean

No

name

Attribute. User's name.

String

No

surname

Attribute. User's surname.

String

No

birthday

Attribute. User's birthday in RFC 3339 format (e.g. 1993-03-12T00:00:00Z).
Note: Ensure the birthday ends with Z to indicate UTC time; no other time offset is included.

Date/Time

No

gender

Attribute. Gender of the user

String

No

age

Attribute. Age of the user

Number

No

language

Language information of the user

String

No

country

Attribute. The user's country information in ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 format.

String

No

city

Attribute. City information of the user.

String

No

static_segment_id

Attribute. Static segment IDs (users are added directly).

Numbers (Number array)

No

uuid

Attribute. User’s UUID, can be used as an identifier.

String

No

error_callback_endpoint

An endpoint to notify you if your upsert request fails on our end due to a unification error. Requests that receive an error are not retried.

URL

No

delete_null

When true, attributes sent with the value "<null>" are removed from the user profile. Default is false.

Boolean

No

locale

User's locale information

String

No

events

List of events

Array

No

event_name

Name of the event

String

Yes

timestamp

Event time, the purchase date for the purchase event in RFC3339 format.

Datetime

Yes

event_params

Event parameters for purchase-related properties. Each string value can be up to 50,000 characters. See Limitations.

Object

No

         custom

Object consisting of custom event parameters

Object

No

event_group_id

Event group ID. Keep one shared event_group_id per order, but avoid sending multiple purchase lines with the same timestamp when they must be stored as separate rows.

String

No (Yes only when the event_name is purchase or cart_page_view)

product_id

Event parameter. Unique product ID.

String

No

name

Event parameter. Name of the product.

String

No

taxonomy

Event parameter. Category tree of the product.

Array

No

         url

Event parameter. Product URL for purchase events

URL

No

currency

Event parameter. Currency used for product pricing, in ISO 4217 format (e.g., USD).

String

No (Yes only when the event_name is purchase or cart_page_view)

quantity

Event parameter. Quantity of the product.

Integer

No (Yes, only when the event_name is purchase)

unit_price

Event parameter. Price of the product without any discount(s).

Float

No

unit_sale_price

Event parameter. Unit price of the product.

Float

No (Yes only when the event_name is purchase or cart_page_view)

         locale

Event parameter. Locale of the user.

String

No

color

Event parameter. Color of the product (selected by user).

String

No

size

Event parameter. Size of the product (selected by user).

String

No

shipping_cost

Event parameter. Shipping cost of the items in basket.

String

No

promotion_name

Event parameter. Name of the promotion.

String

No

promotion_discount

Event parameter. Total amount of discount applied by promotions.

Float

No

object_attributes

Array of Objects attributes associated with the user. Use action-based operations such as add, merge, replace, or remove. See Manage Array of Objects Attributes via the Upsert API for the supported structure and operations.

Object

No

If your company obtains your users' consent in compliance with the local regulations, make sure to pass the GDPR opt-in field to Insider One. If you want to stop collecting and processing the data of an identified user, GDPR opt-in field should have the false value. Insider One cannot be held liable if these obligations are not fulfilled and reserves the right to seek compensation from your company.

The timestamp determines the event’s occurrence date in Insider One. It does not default to the date when the API request is received. If you send a historical timestamp, the event is recorded in the past and might not match segments that filter for recent activity. Ensure that the timestamp reflects the event’s actual occurrence time and falls within the event’s TTL.

Sample Requests

Keep the following limitations in mind when you send requests through the Upsert API

If you send a custom attribute or parameter that doesn’t exist in the panel, it will be automatically created. However, if it’s not being created during your request, make sure that your custom attribute/parameter limit has not been reached. Once the limit is full, no new custom attributes or parameters can be created.

Use one identifier per user object where possible. If you include multiple identifiers, such as email and uuid, that belong to different existing profiles, attributes may be applied to the wrong profile.

When you need to send multiple identifiers, verify they all belong to the same person before sending. Use insider_id when available; it resolves directly to a known profile without requiring cross-identifier lookup. Check succes.count and fail.count in the response body to confirm per-user outcomes, and configure error_callback_endpoint to be notified of any processing issues

Before you send a request:

Identifiers and attributes are handled differently by Insider One's matching engine. Read How Identifiers Work in Insider One to make sure your identifier fields are enabled in Identity Resolution Management (IRM) and placed in the identifiers object. This prevents the most common validation and duplicate-profile errors.

The request body contains a users array. Each user must include an identifiers object.

One user with attributes and events

The sample request below shows a purchase event with user attributes. For more supported events and parameters, see Default Events & Attributes.

curl --location --request POST 'https://unification.useinsider.com/api/user/v1/upsert' \
--header 'X-PARTNER-NAME: mybrand' \
--header 'X-REQUEST-TOKEN: 1a2b3c4e5d6f' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--data-raw '{
  "skip_hook": false,
  "users": [
    {
      "identifiers": {
        "email": "sample@insiderone.com",
        "uuid": "1x2y3z",
        "custom": {
          "user_loyalty_id": "xyz123"
        }
      },
      "attributes": {
        "email_optin": true,
        "age": 30,
        "language": "en_US",
        "static_segment_id": [
          1,
          2
        ],
        "birthday": "1980-01-01T00:00:00Z",
        "custom": {
          "favorite_color": [
            "green"
          ]
        }
      },
      "events": [
        {
          "event_name": "purchase",
          "timestamp": "2021-01-10T21:35:20Z",
          "event_params": {
            "product_id": "ABC21000",
            "name": "Your Product Name",
            "unit_price": 990.9,
            "unit_sale_price": 890.9,
            "event_group_id": "ORDER123",
            "taxonomy": [
              "Electronic",
              "Phone"
            ],
            "currency": "USD",
            "quantity": 1
          }
        },
        {
          "event_name": "account_created",
          "timestamp": "2021-01-17T14:41:21+03:00",
          "event_params": {
            "custom": {
              "customer_type": "trial",
              "trial_start_date": "2021-01-17T14:39:21+03:00",
              "trial_end_date": "2021-01-24T14:41:21+03:00"
            }
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}'

Profile by insider_id, with an error callback and array overwrite

The request body below includes insider_id, an internal ID maintained by Insider One for each user. You can find this value as the Profile ID on the User Profiles page.

It also includes error_callback_endpoint, which is triggered if the upsert request fails due to a unification error. In such cases, Insider One will resend the same payload you initially submitted for that user.

curl --location --request POST 'https://unification.useinsider.com/api/user/v1/upsert' \
--header 'X-PARTNER-NAME: mybrand' \
--header 'X-REQUEST-TOKEN: 1a2b3c4e5d6f' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--data-raw '{
  "skip_hook": false,
  "error_callback_endpoint":"http://your-error-callback-endpoint.yourdomain.com",
  "users": [
    {
      "insider_id": "sampleinsiderid",
      "attributes": {
        "email_optin": true,
        "age": 30,
        "language": "en_US",
        "static_segment_id": [
          1,
          2
        ],
        "birthday": "1980-01-01T00:00:00Z",
        "custom": {
          "favorite_color": [
            "green"
          ]
        }
      },
      "not_append": true,
      "events": [
        {
          "event_name": "purchase",
          "timestamp": "2021-01-10T21:35:20Z",
          "event_params": {
            "product_id": "ABC21000",
            "name": "Your Product Name",
            "unit_price": 990.9,
            "unit_sale_price": 890.9,
            "event_group_id": "ORDER123",
            "taxonomy": [
              "Electronic",
              "Phone"
            ],
            "currency": "USD",
            "quantity": 1
          }
        },
        {
          "event_name": "account_created",
          "timestamp": "2021-01-17T14:41:21+03:00",
          "event_params": {
            "custom": {
              "customer_type": "trial",
              "trial_start_date": "2021-01-17T14:39:21+03:00",
              "trial_end_date": "2021-01-24T14:41:21+03:00"
            }
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}'

Several users in one request

The request below sends data for two users, each with their own attributes, events, and custom parameters. If the request fails, the same payload is returned to your error_callback_endpoint.

curl --location --request POST 'https://unification.useinsider.com/api/user/v1/upsert' \
  --header 'X-PARTNER-NAME: mybrand' \
  --header 'X-REQUEST-TOKEN: 1a2b3c4e5d6f' \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data-raw '{
    "skip_hook": false,
    "error_callback_endpoint":"http://your-error-callback-endpoint.yourdomain.com",
    "users": [
      {
        "insider_id": "sampleinsiderid",
        "attributes": {
          "email_optin": true,
          "age": 30,
          "language": "en_US",
          "static_segment_id": [
            1,
            2
          ],
          "birthday": "1980-01-01T00:00:00Z",
          "custom": {
            "favorite_color": [
              "green"
            ]
          }
        },
        "not_append": true,
        "events": [
          {
            "event_name": "purchase",
            "timestamp": "2021-01-10T21:35:20Z",
            "event_params": {
              "product_id": "ABC21000",
              "name": "Your Product Name",
              "unit_price": 990.9,
              "unit_sale_price": 890.9,
              "event_group_id": "ORDER123",
              "taxonomy": [
                "Electronic",
                "Phone"
              ],
              "currency": "USD",
              "quantity": 1
            }
          },
          {
            "event_name": "account_created",
            "timestamp": "2021-01-17T14:41:21+03:00",
            "event_params": {
              "custom": {
                "customer_type": "trial",
                "trial_start_date": "2021-01-17T14:39:21+03:00",
                "trial_end_date": "2021-01-24T14:41:21+03:00"
              }
            }
          }
        ]
      },
      {
        "insider_id": "sampleinsiderid_2",
        "attributes": {
          "email_optin": true,
          "age": 23,
          "language": "en_US",
          "static_segment_id": [
            1,
            2
          ],
          "birthday": "1996-08-08T00:00:00Z",
          "custom": {
            "favorite_color": [
              "blue"
            ]
          }
        },
        "not_append": true,
        "events": [
          {
            "event_name": "purchase",
            "timestamp": "2024-01-10T21:35:20Z",
            "event_params": {
              "product_id": "CYD21000",
              "name": "Your Product Name",
              "unit_price": 990.9,
              "unit_sale_price": 890.9,
              "event_group_id": "ORDER123",
              "taxonomy": [
                "Electronic",
                "Phone"
              ],
              "currency": "USD",
              "quantity": 1
            }
          },
          {
            "event_name": "account_created",
            "timestamp": "2022-02-17T14:41:21+03:00",
            "event_params": {
              "custom": {
                "customer_type": "trial",
                "trial_start_date": "2021-04-17T14:39:21+03:00",
                "trial_end_date": "2021-04-24T14:41:21+03:00"
              }
            }
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }'

Remove attributes

The request below removes the birthday attribute and the custom loyalty_tier attribute, and updates city in the same call.

curl --location --request POST 'https://unification.useinsider.com/api/user/v1/upsert' \
--header 'X-PARTNER-NAME: mybrand' \
--header 'X-REQUEST-TOKEN: 1a2b3c4e5d6f' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--data-raw '{
  "delete_null": true,
  "users": [
    {
      "identifiers": {
        "uuid": "1x2y3z"
      },
      "attributes": {
        "birthday": "<null>",
        "city": "Paris",
        "custom": {
          "loyalty_tier": "<null>"
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}'

If an attribute is not removed, confirm that the request includes "delete_null": true and that the value is the string "<null>", not JSON null or an empty string.

If an Upsert User Data API request succeeds but the expected data does not appear on the User Profile, verify field names, data types, identifiers, and event parameters using a minimal single-user payload.

For event data, confirm that the event is active and available for data collection under Attributes and Events.

If none of the attributes, events, or parameters are reflected, or if the User Profile is not created after a few hours of sending the request, please reach out to the Insider One team.

Code Samples

These samples are provided as is, as a starting point for your integration. Insider One does not guarantee that they work in every environment, so test them in your own environment before you use them in production.

Each sample upserts two users: one with a purchase event and one with an SMS opt-in. Replace the users list with your own records; the samples batch any number of users.

  1. Set your partner name in the INSIDER_PARTNER_NAME environment variable and your API key in INSIDER_API_TOKEN.

  2. Copy the sample for your language into a file named upsert.py or upsert.mjs.

  3. Run the file. Each batch prints a line such as Batch of 2: 0 failed, followed by the error for each failed user.

Python

Requires Python 3.8 or later and the requests package (pip install requests). Run python upsert.py.

"""Create or update user profiles with POST /api/user/v1/upsert.

Sample code, provided as is. Test it in your own environment before you use it in production.
Requires Python 3.8+ and the requests package: pip install requests
"""
import os
import time

import requests

URL = "https://unification.useinsider.com/api/user/v1/upsert"
HEADERS = {
    "X-PARTNER-NAME": os.environ["INSIDER_PARTNER_NAME"],  # Lowercase, as shown in Account Settings
    "X-REQUEST-TOKEN": os.environ["INSIDER_API_TOKEN"],
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
}
BATCH_SIZE = 1000  # Maximum users per request. Use smaller batches if a request could exceed 5 MB.


def post(body, retries=3):
    """Send the request. On 429 or 5xx, wait and retry up to `retries` times."""
    for attempt in range(retries + 1):
        response = requests.post(URL, json=body, headers=HEADERS, timeout=60)
        if (response.status_code != 429 and response.status_code < 500) or attempt == retries:
            return response
        wait = float(response.headers.get("Retry-After", 2 ** attempt))  # 1, 2, 4 s without Retry-After
        print(f"HTTP {response.status_code}: retrying in {wait:.0f}s")
        time.sleep(wait)


users = [
    {
        "identifiers": {"email": "alice@example.com"},
        "attributes": {"name": "Alice", "email_optin": True, "custom": {"loyalty_tier": "gold"}},
        "events": [
            {
                "event_name": "purchase",
                "timestamp": "2026-09-30T14:05:00Z",
                "event_params": {
                    "product_id": "ABC21000",
                    "event_group_id": "ORDER123",
                    "currency": "USD",
                    "quantity": 1,
                    "unit_sale_price": 24.9,
                },
            }
        ],
    },
    {"identifiers": {"phone_number": "+6598765432"}, "attributes": {"sms_optin": True}},
]

for start in range(0, len(users), BATCH_SIZE):
    batch = users[start:start + BATCH_SIZE]
    response = post({"users": batch})
    if response.status_code != 200:
        # Stop on any other error, such as a 403 for a wrong token.
        raise SystemExit(f"Batch failed ({response.status_code}): {response.text[:300]}")
    # A 200 can still contain failed users. users.0 in an error key is the first user of this batch.
    fail = response.json().get("data", {}).get("fail") or {}
    print(f"Batch of {len(batch)}: {fail.get('count', 0)} failed")
    for key, messages in (fail.get("errors") or {}).items():
        print(f"  {key}: {'; '.join(messages)}")
    if fail.get("message"):  # The response lists at most 10 error groups
        print(" ", fail["message"])

Node.js

Requires Node.js 18 or later. No packages are needed. Run node upsert.mjs.

// Create or update user profiles with POST /api/user/v1/upsert.
// Sample code, provided as is. Test it in your own environment before you use it in production.
// Requires Node.js 18+ (built-in fetch). No dependencies.

const URL = "https://unification.useinsider.com/api/user/v1/upsert";
const HEADERS = {
  "X-PARTNER-NAME": process.env.INSIDER_PARTNER_NAME, // Lowercase, as shown in Account Settings
  "X-REQUEST-TOKEN": process.env.INSIDER_API_TOKEN,
  "Content-Type": "application/json",
};
const BATCH_SIZE = 1000; // Maximum users per request. Use smaller batches if a request could exceed 5 MB.
const sleep = (ms) => new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, ms));

// Send the request. On 429 or 5xx, wait and retry up to `retries` times.
async function post(body, retries = 3) {
  for (let attempt = 0; ; attempt++) {
    const response = await fetch(URL, {
      method: "POST",
      headers: HEADERS,
      body: JSON.stringify(body),
      signal: AbortSignal.timeout(60000),
    });
    if ((response.status !== 429 && response.status < 500) || attempt === retries) return response;
    const wait = Number(response.headers.get("Retry-After") ?? 2 ** attempt); // 1, 2, 4 s without Retry-After
    console.warn(`HTTP ${response.status}: retrying in ${wait}s`);
    await sleep(wait * 1000);
  }
}

const users = [
  {
    identifiers: { email: "alice@example.com" },
    attributes: { name: "Alice", email_optin: true, custom: { loyalty_tier: "gold" } },
    events: [
      {
        event_name: "purchase",
        timestamp: "2026-09-30T14:05:00Z",
        event_params: {
          product_id: "ABC21000",
          event_group_id: "ORDER123",
          currency: "USD",
          quantity: 1,
          unit_sale_price: 24.9,
        },
      },
    ],
  },
  { identifiers: { phone_number: "+6598765432" }, attributes: { sms_optin: true } },
];

for (let start = 0; start < users.length; start += BATCH_SIZE) {
  const batch = users.slice(start, start + BATCH_SIZE);
  const response = await post({ users: batch });
  if (response.status !== 200) {
    // Stop on any other error, such as a 403 for a wrong token.
    throw new Error(`Batch failed (${response.status}): ${(await response.text()).slice(0, 300)}`);
  }
  // A 200 can still contain failed users. users.0 in an error key is the first user of this batch.
  const fail = (await response.json()).data?.fail ?? {};
  console.log(`Batch of ${batch.length}: ${fail.count ?? 0} failed`);
  for (const [key, messages] of Object.entries(fail.errors ?? {})) console.log(`  ${key}: ${messages.join("; ")}`);
  if (fail.message) console.log(`  ${fail.message}`); // The response lists at most 10 error groups
}

What the samples do

  • Batch. Users are sent in requests of up to 1,000 users. A request can be at most 5 MB, so lower BATCH_SIZE when your users carry many attributes or events.

  • Retry. 429 and 5xx responses are retried up to three times. The sample waits for the Retry-After interval when the response includes one, and otherwise waits 1, 2, then 4 seconds. It does not pace requests, so at high volume, count your requests against the limit of 25,000 per minute. A retry after a 5xx does not duplicate events, but it can trigger journeys and data streams again.

  • Stop on errors. Any other error, such as a 403 for a wrong token, stops the sample instead of sending more requests.

  • Check every user. A 200 means Insider One accepted the request, not that every profile was written. The response can still list failed users, and some failures, such as an identifier that is not enabled in IRM, reach only your error_callback_endpoint. The sample prints each error key, such as users.1.identifiers.required, with its message. users.0 is the first user of the batch. When the response hides some errors, the sample prints the message that says so.

Sample Responses

200 OK

This response indicates that the event_group_id and unit_sale_price parameters are included together in the request for the purchase event.

{
    "data": {
        "successful": {},
        "fail": {
            "count": 1,
            "errors": {
                "users.0.events.0.event_params.*.required": [
                    "event_group_id parameter is required on purchase event",
                    "unit_sale_price parameter is required on purchase event"
                ]
            }
        }
    }
}

200 OK

For the request below, you need to use an identifier for the user, which can be either insider_id or UUID, email, phone number, or a custom attribute. Besides, you can also send these attributes as attributes if any one of them is not an identifier.

{
    "data": {
        "successful": {},
        "fail": {
            "count": 1,
            "errors": {
                "users.0.events.0.event_params.*.required": [
                    "event_group_id parameter is required on purchase event",
                    "unit_sale_price parameter is required on purchase event"
                ],
                "users.0.identifiers.required": [
                    "either insider_id or identifiers must be specified"
                ],
                "users.0.insider_id.required": [
                    "either insider_id or identifiers must be specified"
                ]
            }
        }
    }
}

200 OK

For the request below, you must have a valid email address in the format specified in the parameters table.

{
    "data": {
        "successful": {},
        "fail": {
            "count": 1,
            "errors": {
                "users.0.events.0.event_params.*.required": [
                    "event_group_id parameter is required on purchase event",
                    "unit_sale_price parameter is required on purchase event"
                ],
                "users.0.identifiers.*.regexp(^.+@.+\\..+$)": [
                    "not a valid email address: sample"
                ]
            }
        }
    }
}

200 OK

For the request below, you need to have the valid UUID in the format stated in the parameters table.

{
    "data": {
        "successful": {},
        "fail": {
            "count": 1,
            "errors": {
                "users.0.events.0.event_params.*.required": [
                    "event_group_id parameter is required on purchase event",
                    "unit_sale_price parameter is required on purchase event"
                ],
                "users.0.identifiers.*.type(string)": [
                    "uuid must be string: 12345"
                ]
            }
        }
    }
}

200 OK

For the request below, you must have a valid identifier in the format specified in the parameters table.

{
    "data": {
        "successful": {},
        "fail": {
            "count": 1,
            "errors": {
                "users.0.events.0.event_params.*.required": [
                    "event_group_id parameter is required on purchase event",
                    "unit_sale_price parameter is required on purchase event"
                ],
                "users.0.identifiers.*.in(defaults_column)": [
                    "key must be one of phone_number(pn), email(em) or uuid"
                ]
            }
        }
    }
}

200 OK

For the request below, you must provide a valid phone number in the format specified in the parameters table.

{
    "data": {
        "successful": {},
        "fail": {
            "count": 1,
            "errors": {
                "users.0.events.0.event_params.*.required": [
                    "event_group_id parameter is required on purchase event",
                    "unit_sale_price parameter is required on purchase event"
                ],
                "users.0.identifiers.*.regexp(^\\+[1-9]\\d{6,14}$)": [
                    "user has an invalid phone number: 12345"
                ]
            }
        }
    }
}

Insider One returns a 200 status code because it indicates that the payload structure is valid and the data has been correctly sent. Since Insider One validates the payload itself, a successful HTTP response is returned as long as there are no issues with the request format.

However, the actual ingestion of the data is evaluated separately at a profile level and is reflected in the response body, which includes a success count and a fail count. For example, a request may return status 200 with succes.count: 0 and fail.count: 1, meaning that although the request structure was correct, the data could not be fully processed or written to the profile.

400 Bad Request

If you do not include a user in your request, you receive an error shown below:

{"error":"users must be defined: bad request"}

400 Bad Request

The entire request must be no larger than 5 MB in size. If you send more than that limit, you receive an error shown below:

{"error": "request body is bigger than maximum allowed size 5,000,000 bytes"}

429 Too Many Requests

If you exceed the rate limits, you receive an error shown below:

{
    "error": "rejected: too many requests"
}

If a 429 error occurs, consider implementing retries and reviewing your connection configuration to remain within the Upsert API's rate limits. Not retrying may prevent some data from being successfully applied.

Error Codes

  • 400 Bad Request

  • 500 Internal Server Error

  • 403 Forbidden

  • 429 Too Many Requests

If you receive a 403 response instead of 200 OK, stop or pause the current data sending. Check your headers, which are your partner name and token, and correct any errors. Once the issues are fixed, resume your integration and retry the failed requests. If your headers are correct but you continue encountering problems, please create a ticket for the Insider One team.

For 5XX and 429 errors, implement a retry mechanism with exponential backoff, as these are likely short-term issues. Adding a retry feature would be highly beneficial in handling these errors effectively.

Error reference

Use this table to identify and resolve the errors this endpoint returns. Each row shows the status code, the response body you receive, what causes it, and how to fix it.

Status

JSON response

Cause

Fix

200 OK

{ "data": { "successful": {}, "fail": { "count": 1, "errors": { "users.0.events.0.event_params.*.required": [ "event_group_id parameter is required on purchase event", "unit_sale_price parameter is required on purchase event" ] } } } }

The request was accepted, but one or more records inside it failed validation. In this example, a purchase event was sent without the event_group_id and unit_sale_price parameters. A 200 response does not confirm that every record was written.

Read the fail.errors object. The key gives you the exact position of the failed record, in the format users.[index].events.[index]. Add the missing parameters, then resend only the failed records. Treat any response where fail.count is greater than zero as a partial failure in your integration logic.

200 OK (user under fail)

An event parameter value is longer than 50,000 characters.

Shorten the value, or send long text through another channel, then resend the user. Characters are counted, not bytes.

400 Bad Request

{"error": "users must be defined: bad request"}

The request body does not contain a users array. This is the most common result of sending a single user object at the top level instead of nesting it.

Wrap every record inside a users array, even when you are sending one user.

400 Bad Request

{"error": "request body is bigger than maximum allowed size 5,000,000 bytes"}

The request body exceeds the 5 MB limit.

Split the payload into smaller batches. Each request supports a maximum of 1,000 user records, and the whole body must stay under 5 MB. Attribute-heavy or event-heavy profiles reach 5 MB well before 1,000 records, so size your batches on bytes, not record count.

403 Forbidden

{ "success": false, "message": "Access Denied. You do not have sufficient access to perform this action." }

X-REQUEST-TOKEN is invalid, revoked, or does not belong to the partner in X-PARTNER-NAME. Partner names are case-sensitive and must match your panel name exactly.

Stop or pause data sending before you retry. Confirm that X-PARTNER-NAME is lowercase and matches your panel name exactly, and that X-REQUEST-TOKEN is a current, active token. Resume the integration and retry the failed requests once you correct the headers. If the headers are correct and the response persists, create a support ticket for the Insider One team.

429 Too Many Requests

{"error": "rejected: too many requests"}

You exceeded the rate limit of 25,000 requests per minute. This limit is shared with the Delete User Attribute API, so traffic from that endpoint counts against the same budget.

Implement retries with exponential backoff. Batch up to 1,000 records per request to reduce request volume. To request a higher limit, contact the Insider One team.

500 Internal Server Error

{ "success": false, "message": "The request processing has failed because of an unknown error." }

An unexpected error occurred on the Insider One side. The Insider One team receives an automatic alert when this response is returned.

Retry the request with exponential backoff. If the response continues, contact the Insider One team with sample requests.

Limitations

  • All functions must be executed with a simple HTTPS POST request.

  • Only new data can be inserted and updated with this API. No data can be retrieved.

  • The request token should be provided in the request header. If the token is incorrect, the API will not execute any operation.

  • The entire request must not exceed 5 MB.

  • Each request can upsert data for a maximum of 1,000 records (users).

  • The rate limit is shared with the Delete User Attribute, allowing a total of 25,000 requests per minute, which means you can process up to 25 million user records per minute with full batching.

  • The value of the X-PARTNER-NAME header should be lowercase.

  • Attribute removal with delete_null requires the string value "<null>". JSON null and empty strings are ignored.

  • Each string value in an event parameter can be up to 50,000 characters. This applies to every value in event_params, including each value under custom and each element of an array. If any value is longer, the whole user is rejected: the response returns 200 with the user under fail, and none of that user's events or attributes in the request are written. Other users in the request aren't affected.

The default limit shown here is a standard baseline. If your use case requires higher capacity, feel free to reach out to the Insider One team. We can adjust it to fit your needs.

Suggested Next

See Get User Profiles to verify the attributes and events you sent by querying the profile with the same user identifier.