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Difference between VAST, VPAID and VMAP

For some reason I need to know the difference between VAST, VPAID and VMAP. I know both are tags for displaying video ads, they are IAB-compliant, but I need to know the clear difference between the three. Any help is appreciated.

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2 answers


VAST, VMAP and VPAID solve different problems when it comes to displaying ads in a video player.

Short answer

VAST describes ads and how the video player should handle them. (more or less)

The VPAID (deprecated, see Update below) describes what "public" communication (methods, properties and events) an executable ad unit must at least implement / expose so that the video player can communicate with the ad unit in a uniform way and control it.

VMAP describes when an ad should be played.

In details

VAST (Video ad serving template) is used to describe ads and how the video player should handle them. Note that the specific implementation depends on the video player itself. There are three types of ads:

  • An inline ad is a video ad that is displayed inside a video player.
  • A non-linear ad is an ad overlaid on a video player. This is mainly a banner image, but it can also be HTML or iFrame.
  • Companion ads are ads that are placed outside of the video player. It is mostly displayed in conjunction with a linear or non-linear ad as they can complement each other (hence the name).

More examples of cool stuff VAST describes:

  • When an ad is allowed to skip (for line ads)
  • What URIs need to be pinged for tracking
  • A sequence of ads (ad units) to be played together
  • Different resolutions / codecs for the same ad


VMAP (Multiple Video Playlist) is an optional add-on that allows you to specify when to show ads. With VMAP, you can specify whether an ad is a pre-ad (ad before content), medium ad (ad somewhere in the content), or post-ad (ad after content). VMAP can also reference multiple VAST files that will play at different times.

VPAID (Video Player Advertising Interface Definition) is a specification describing what an executable ad unit (= interactive advertising) must at least implement and provide for public communication / control. This allows the player to communicate instructions to the announcement and at the same time retain control over it (e.g. start, pause, end ...). Thus, the player can give instructions (methods) and request information (properties). The ad itself can also send events indicating that a certain action has occurred (e.g. volume changed, ad was skipped, ad clicked ...).

It is interesting to note that VPAID has two versions, version 1 is Flash only and version 2 is JavaScript only.

How are these three related to each other

VMAP refers to VAST, but never any other VMAP.

VAST can contain its ad data inside (Inline) or link to another VAST (Wrapper), but never VMAP. VAST describes ads. Some ads may be executable (interactive).

If an ad is executable, it must implement VPAID in order for the player to cooperate with it.

Update June 2019

Quite a few things have changed since this answer was posted. In VAST 4.1, the IAB is deprecated in the VPAID specification in favor of a future specification. VAST 4.2 (currently in public comment) has formalized the VPAID successor:

  • you should use the Open Measurement SDK to check ads
  • for interactivity, the SIMID (Secure Interactive Media Interface) specification must be implemented .
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VAST stands for Video ad serving template. VAST is an XML schema that defines a video ad and contains information on how to serve it.

For example, it will contain the video URL and any trackers required to post the ad. For example, when your video player shows an ad in a VAST file, it pings the URL specified in the impressions section, when it reaches halfway, it pings the URL in the midpoint tracking events section, and so on. One linear linear example , IAB , Read more .

VPAID stands for Ad Display Interface Definition in Video Player. Communication between VideoPlayer and AdUnit. This is usually js code that can display additional components in the player view.

VPAID is a special version of VAST designed for interactive advertising in a video player. For example, VPAID allows you to serve ads that can expand or have multiple windows. The VPAID standard encodes this interactivity for the video player and has tools for collecting interaction details. Linear VPAID 2.0 Linear , SpotXChange , Innovid



VMAP standard , which stands for "Video Playlist with Multiple Ads". VMAP is another XML template that is used to create or schedule a video ad playlist for a player. This allows video owners to control or specify the exact placement of ads. For example, using VMAP, you can tell that you want your video to have one pre-roll ad and one mid-roll ad. It is important to note that VMAP does not define the ads themselves. VMAP creates resources for video ads, and these ads are usually identified by a VAST response. Example of VMAP pre-check and Read more

There are more standards that AdTech uses - MRAID , OM SDK, etc.

Please watch the video: https://youtu.be/4tNj3YbI45c?t=28
More examples here

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