Full Answer

DebugView works because Google routes any event carrying a debug flag into a live debugging stream, separate from normal report processing. For Measurement Protocol events, that means adding the debug parameter to the payload — or sending it to the validation endpoint first — as described in Google's verification guide. Once events land, check four things: the event name matches what you expect, the transaction ID is present, the value and currency are correct, and the item parameters came through intact. If both your browser and your server send the same purchase, this is also where duplicates surface — two purchase events sharing one transaction ID means your deduplication needs attention.

The Realtime report is a reasonable second check, confirming events are arriving, but it shows far less parameter detail than DebugView, as Analytify's GA4 testing guide notes. Server responses can mislead you too: the Measurement Protocol returns a success code even for malformed payloads, so a 2xx status proves delivery, not correctness. Translation: DebugView is the only place you actually see what GA4 received.

Testing is not a one-off job. Google has revised the Measurement Protocol repeatedly, and each revision can quietly break a working setup — our guide to the GA4 Measurement Protocol changes for WooCommerce covers what moved and when. Some server-side tracking tools, such as Transmute Engine, also include built-in event logging, which lets you verify events on your own server before they reach GA4 — a useful complement to DebugView rather than a replacement for it.