Didomi CMP Guide: Setup, Customization & Compliance

Didomi is a French consent management platform that has gained significant traction among European publishers, e-commerce sites and media companies. Known for its highly customizable consent banners and strong focus on user experience, Didomi positions itself as the CMP that does not compromise between compliance and design. This guide covers everything you need to know: how Didomi works, how to set it up, how to customize it deeply, and how to make sure it actually blocks cookies before consent.

This guide is based on hands-on testing with the platform and analysis of thousands of real-world cookie scans. For the most current interface options, always refer to the vendor's official documentation.

What makes Didomi different

Didomi was built with a mobile-first, publisher-first mindset. While many CMPs started as desktop banner tools and later adapted to mobile, Didomi designed its architecture for cross-device consistency from day one. The result is a platform that handles complex consent scenarios on small screens remarkably well.

Another key differentiator is customization. Didomi gives developers fine-grained control over every aspect of the banner: layout, animations, transitions, button placement, typography and color schemes. You can build a banner that looks like a native part of your application rather than a third-party widget.

Setting up Didomi for the first time

Didomi is not a self-service tool for small websites. You typically work with a Didomi representative to set up your account, configure your domains and deploy the SDK. However, understanding the setup process helps you ask the right questions during onboarding.

1. Contract and onboarding: Didomi accounts are created through sales. You will receive organization credentials and access to the console.
2. Domain configuration: Add your domains, subdomains and any regional variants.
3. Consent notice creation: Design your banner using the Didomi console or by editing JSON configuration directly.
4. Vendor configuration: Map the vendors (Google, Meta, etc.) you work with and assign them to IAB purposes or custom categories.
5. Tag integration: Implement the Didomi SDK and configure your tag manager or hardcoded scripts to respect consent signals.
6. Testing: Use Didomi's preview mode and staging environment before going live.

Deep customization with the Didomi API

Didomi exposes a comprehensive JavaScript API that lets you control almost every aspect of the consent experience programmatically. Key methods include Didomi.setUserAgreeToAll(), Didomi.setUserDisagreeToAll(), Didomi.on() for event listening, and Didomi.getUserStatus() for reading current consent state.

For advanced use cases, you can completely replace Didomi's default UI with your own React, Vue or Angular component. You still use Didomi's consent engine and data storage, but the presentation layer is entirely yours. This is a powerful feature that few other CMPs offer at this level of flexibility.

Common Didomi pitfalls

Custom UI not syncing with consent state

If you build a custom banner, you must call the official Didomi API methods when users interact with it. Simply hiding the banner with CSS or JavaScript does not record consent. Always use Didomi.setUserStatus() or the equivalent agree/disagree methods.

Tag manager firing before Didomi initializes

Didomi must load before your tag manager container. If GTM fires first, your tags execute before Didomi can suppress them. Load the Didomi SDK as early as possible in the document head.

Verifying Didomi compliance

Use the same testing workflow as with any CMP: fresh browser session, DevTools open, cookies monitored before and after consent. Didomi also provides a browser extension for debugging that visualizes consent signals in real time.

FAQ

Is Didomi suitable for small businesses?

Generally no. Didomi is priced and positioned for mid-market to enterprise publishers. Small businesses usually find better value in self-serve tools like Cookiebot, Complianz or ConsentScope for audits.

Does Didomi support AMP pages?

Yes. Didomi offers an AMP integration that works within Google's accelerated mobile pages framework. This is important for publishers who rely heavily on AMP for mobile traffic.