> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.cello.so/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Key Concepts > Essential terms and concepts for understanding Cello's referral platform and attribution system ## Quick Reference | Term | Description | | - | - | | [**Referrer**](#referrer) | Existing user who shares their unique referral link | | [**New User**](#new-user-referred-user-referee) | Person who receives and uses a referral link | | [**Referral Code (UCC)**](#referral-code-or-ucc-unique-campaign-code) | Unique 11-character identifier for tracking referrals | | [**Partner**](#partner) | Professional referrer with exclusive rewards and dedicated portal | | [**Landing Page Attribution**](#landing-page-attribution-referral-attribution) | Process of capturing and storing referral codes | | [**Referral Conversion Tracking**](#referral-conversion-tracking) | Tracking when referred users complete target actions | | [**Attribution Script**](#attribution-script-attribution-js) | JavaScript library for detecting referral parameters | | [**Referral Component**](#referral-component-cello-js) | Embeddable UI component for referrers | | [**Payment Gateway**](#payment-gateway-or-payment-provider) | Third-party payment processors integrated with Cello | | [**Pre-launch Phase**](#pre-launch-phase-testing-mode) | The state your account is in while you integrate, where all data is test data | | [**Launching Your Program**](#launching-your-program) | Taking your account out of pre-launch so referrals are processed and paid out | | [**Sandbox**](#sandbox) | Optional isolated environment with its own credentials | | [**Event Sources**](#event-sources) | Where Cello expects your signup and purchase events to come from | | [**Recommendations and Score**](#recommendations-and-score) | Enhancements that drive program performance, and how far along you are | *** ## Referrer The existing user (or customer) who initiates the referral by sharing their unique referral link. The referrer is the source of the referral traffic and is typically eligible to receive rewards when the referred user (new user) completes the desired action (e.g., signup, purchase). *** ## New User (Referred User / Referee) The person who receives the referral invitation or link from the referrer and engages with it. They are considered a "new user" if they have not previously registered or purchased. Often called the **referee** in referral programs. *** ## Partner A professional referrer who promotes your product as part of a formal partnership. Unlike regular user referrers, partners typically receive: * **Special reward structures** - Different campaigns from user referrals; can include higher rates, reward caps, or even lifetime rewards * **Dedicated Partner Portal** - Professional dashboard for tracking referrals, conversions, and earnings * **Marketing resources** - Media kits, branded assets, and pre-written promotional content Partners can include affiliates, influencers, agencies, consultants, or other businesses that systematically refer customers. Cello unifies both user referrals and partner programs in a single platform, requiring no additional technical integration beyond the standard referral setup. Learn more about [managing partners](/guides/partners/partner-overview). *** ## Referral Code or UCC (Unique Campaign Code) A unique identifier tied to the referrer. It is a unique set of 11 alphanumeric characters, composed of numbers, uppercase and lowercase letters. It always appears at the end of the referral link. When a new user uses the referral link with a referral code, it allows the system to attribute their actions back to the referrer. **Referral Code** is a more general term for the code shared by the referrer. **UCC (Unique Campaign Code)** refers to the same code but is a specific Cello term which will be used throughout this documentation and in API references. * ucc: `pNRB1aYqArN` * referral link: `moonly.cello.so/pNRB1aYqArN` *** ## Landing Page Attribution / Referral Attribution The process of **capturing and storing the referral code** (`ucc`) when a referred user lands on a [website](/attribution/for-web) or [mobile app](/attribution/for-mobile) via the referral link. This step ensures the system knows **which referrer** brought the user, so later actions (signups, purchases) can be attributed correctly. This step also involves storing the code in a cookie or user record until the user completes a tracked action. *** ## Referral Conversion Tracking The stage where a new user completes the targeted action defined by the referral program. This can include: * [Signups / Tracking Signups](/attribution/tracking-signups): When a new user successfully creates an account. The system links this signup to the referrer. * [Purchases / Tracking Purchases](/attribution/tracking-purchase): When a new user makes a purchase, often the ultimate revenue-driving conversion. *** ## Attribution Script / Attribution JS [Attribution JS is a JavaScript library](/sdk/client-side/attribution-js-introduction) embedded on landing pages that automatically detects referral parameters (`ucc`, `productId`, `referrerName`), stores them in cookies for indirect signups, and provides JS methods to easily retrieve these parameters for further conversion events. *** ## Referral Component / Cello JS The embeddable component provided by the Cello referral platform to handle referral-related functionality for the referrer in your [web or mobile application](/referral-component/introduction). *** ## Payment gateway or payment provider Third-party services that handle payment processing and billing for your application. These platforms (such as Stripe, Chargebee, Paddle, Recurly, etc.) integrate with Cello to enable automatic tracking of referral-driven purchases and revenue attribution. When a referred user makes a purchase through your payment provider, Cello can automatically detect and attribute that conversion back to the original referrer, enabling seamless reward distribution and revenue tracking. *** ## Pre-launch Phase / Testing Mode The state your account is in from the moment you sign up until you launch your program. You integrate and test against your real production account while it is in pre-launch, and everything is treated as test data: events still appear on your dashboards and under **Developers → Events**, marked as testing, but they are not counted in analytics calculations or billing. Rewards are not paid out, the payout delay does not apply, and fraud checks do not run. Notifications still send, reaching your test users when the activity that triggers them happens, so you can test them before you go live. This is why you do not need a separate environment to build in. *** ## Launching Your Program The point where you take your account out of pre-launch. Once every task in your setup checklist is complete, the **Go live** card in the portal unlocks and **Launch program** switches your account to live: rewards pay out, notifications reach real referrers, the payout delay applies, fraud checks run, and all new events are treated as live data. Launching cannot be undone. *** ## Sandbox An optional, fully isolated environment with its own credentials and its own data, available under **My account** in the portal. You do not need one to integrate, because pre-launch already gives you safe test data on production. A sandbox is useful if working in a separate environment suits your development process, or for testing changes after you have launched. *** ## Event Sources Where Cello expects your signup and purchase events to come from, for example the Cello API, a Stripe webhook, a Chargebee webhook, or Auto Attribution. Both a signup source and a purchase source have to be set before Cello can recognise your events, which is what allows your integration tasks to verify themselves. See the [Setup Overview](/integration-overview) for how to choose them. *** ## Recommendations and Score Enhancements the portal suggests to improve how your program performs, grouped into activation, sharing and conversion, and shown if they are enabled for your account. Your **score** summarises how many you have adopted, rated Poor, Okay or Good. Recommendations are separate from your setup tasks and never block launching, but they are what drives program performance once you are live. Some need code, so it is worth knowing which ones apply before you build. See [Performance enhancements](/integration-overview#performance-enhancements) for the developer view, and [Performance Recommendations](/guides/attribution/recommendations) for how the score works. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.