Stream name dimension
The stream name dimension reports which data stream sent a hit — for example a website stream or a specific app stream within the same GA4 property. GA4 derives it from the stream configuration each hit is tagged to. It is essential for separating platforms or sites that share one property, and it pairs with the numeric stream ID; relying on the editable name alone for joins is fragile, since names can change while IDs do not.
What this means
Stream name is the label you give a data stream — the connection between a platform (a website, an Android app, an iOS app) and a GA4 property. When a property aggregates several streams, the stream name tells you which one each hit came from.
It is the right dimension for separating, say, marketing-site and app traffic, or two sites, that have intentionally been combined under one property.
Name versus ID
Each stream also has an immutable numeric stream ID. The name is human-friendly but editable, so if you rename a stream, historical and live data keep flowing under the same ID while the displayed name updates. For stable joins, configuration scripts, or the Data API, key on the stream ID and treat the name as a display label. Seeing unexpected stream names is a useful signal that a tag is pointed at the wrong stream.
- Identifies the source data stream of a hit
- Editable label paired with an immutable stream ID
- Key joins on stream ID, not the name
How it appears in analytics and logs
A stream name value identifies the configured data stream a hit belongs to. Unexpected names can reveal data sent to the wrong property or stream.
Diagnostic use case
Use stream name to split reporting by platform or property when a single GA4 property collects from multiple web and app data streams.
What WebmasterID can help detect
WebmasterID multi-site reporting separates traffic by origin first-party, complementing GA4 stream-level splits without cross-site identity.
Common mistakes
- Keying joins on the editable stream name.
- Assuming one property maps to one stream.
- Overlooking misrouted tags hiding under a familiar name.
Privacy and accuracy notes
Stream name is property configuration, not user identity. It carries no personal data and is safe to expose in reporting.
Related pages
- Hostname dimension
The hostname dimension records the domain that served each page_view — example.com, staging.example.com, or a domain you do not own. It comes from the host portion of the page_location URL. It is one of the most useful data-quality filters: unexpected hostnames reveal staging traffic, mis-deployed tags, or hits faked by referrer/measurement spam against your property.
- Platform dimension: web, Android, or iOS
Platform is the dimension that records the broad surface a hit came from: web, Android, or iOS. In GA4 it is determined by the data stream the event arrived through, since a property can combine app and web streams. It is coarser than the operating-system dimension and is the right axis for comparing app versus web behaviour — but mixing app-only and web-only metrics across platforms is a frequent reporting error.
- Hostname leakage across properties
Your measurement ID is visible in page source, so anyone can paste it on another site and have that traffic report into your property. Staging copies, scraped clones, and proxies do this too. The leaked hits inflate and pollute your data with another domain's traffic. This page explains hostname/property leakage and the valid-hostname filtering that contains it.
- Multi-site analytics
Separate traffic by origin across many properties.
Sources and verification notes
Last reviewed 2026-06-24. Facts are checked against primary/official sources where available; uncertain specifics are marked “Data not yet verified” rather than guessed.