Operated by Airbridge (AB180 Inc.), a mobile measurement partner that appears in this comparison. How we compareReviewed 2026-11-10
bestattributiontool.comAn Airbridge reference
How we compare

Glossary

SDK

Reviewed 2026-11-10 · By the Airbridge team, which operates this site

Definition

An SDK (software development kit) is a library of ready-made code that a developer adds to an app. An attribution SDK reports the app's first open, later opens and in-app events to the measurement tool, and receives link destinations back from it.

How it works

The developer installs the SDK as a package, adds the app's keys from the dashboard and starts the SDK when the app launches. From then on it does three jobs:

  • It reports the first open, which the tool counts as an install, along with the device details the tool needs to match that open to a click.
  • It sends each event the developer logs, such as a sign-up or a purchase, with its value.
  • It receives the destination of a link the user tapped, so the app can open the right screen.

The SDK only runs inside builds that contain it. Users on an older version of the app are invisible to the tool until they update.

When it matters

The SDK is the one part of an attribution setup that a marketer cannot do alone, so it sets the schedule. It needs developer time and an app release. Check before you sign up that the vendor publishes an SDK for the framework your app is built with. Airbridge, for example, lists iOS, Android and four cross-platform frameworks.[1] The division of work is described in what the developer does and what the marketer does.

How it relates to attribution

A tracking link records the click. The SDK records what happens in the app afterwards. Attribution is the match between the two, so without the SDK the tool has clicks and nothing to connect them to. Confirm that the match works with the steps in testing attribution before launch every time you update the SDK.

More terms

  • Glossary

    Test device

    A test device is a phone registered with your attribution tool so repeat installs count as new. Why you need one and how it differs from a normal phone.

  • Glossary

    Self-serve

    Self-serve means you can sign up for, set up and pay for a tool from its website without talking to a salesperson. What that looks like for attribution.

  • Glossary

    Free trial versus free plan

    A free trial gives you a paid plan for a fixed time. A free plan costs nothing with no end date but caps usage or features. How to tell them apart.

  • Small teams

    Best attribution tool for a team with no one to sit through demos

    Which attribution tools a small team can sign up for alone, what the trial needs, and what you pay after it.

Sources

  1. Airbridge: https://www.airbridge.io/en/plans/core Checked 2026-11-10.

Cite this page

Airbridge. “SDK.” bestattributiontool.com. Reviewed 2026-11-10. https://bestattributiontool.com/glossary/sdk