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Web Analyticsdocker-ready1-click-deploy100% FOSS🟢 Lightweight · ~256MB

GoatCounter: Open Source alternative to Google Analytics in 2026

GoatCounter is extremely lightweight web analytics (a single Go binary) focused on privacy, built for blogs and personal sites that don't need a full GA4.

Alternative to Google Analytics
License EUPL-1.26.1k starsWebsite GitHub Repository

Audit Snapshot

View notes →

  • License — Not verifiable on GitHub

  • GitHub — Active

  • Latest release — v2.7.0 · 10 months ago

  • Docker Compose — Partial

  • Production — Not production-tested by AltFreeStack

GoatCounter vs. Google Analytics

Pros

  • A single binary with no external dependencies, no separate database to maintain

Things to consider

  • Not built for complex product analytics

Quick Docker installation guide

Copy this docker-compose.yml, adjust the example passwords and run docker compose up -d on your server. See the full step-by-step guide →

💡 Official SaaS or self-hosted with AltFreeStack?

  • On the official cloud: a recurring monthly fee and usage limits on Google Analytics.
  • On your own VPS: 100% free software on your own server, with no artificial row, project or user limits.
docker-compose.yml
version: "3.9"
services:
  goatcounter:
    image: arp242/goatcounter:2.7.0
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    command: ["serve", "-listen", ":8080", "-tls", "none"]
    volumes:
      - goatcounter_data:/home/goatcounter/db
volumes:
  goatcounter_data:

🚀 Deploy in 1 command

Recommended for beginners

Copy this single command and paste it into your freshly created VPS's console (Vultr, DigitalOcean...). It downloads the script, prints it to your screen so you can see exactly what it's about to do (never a blind direct pipe), and only then installs Docker if needed, writes the files with secrets already generated, and starts everything — no nano, no pasting code blocks.

curl -sSL ".../api/deploy?stack=goatcounter" -o deploy.sh && cat deploy.sh && bash deploy.sh
See what this script does →

This docker-compose corresponds to an actively maintained project — last commit 15 days ago.

This docker-compose not working for you? Report it on GitHub →

Technical profile

License
EUPL-1.2
Category
Web Analytics
Replaces
Google Analytics
Tech stack
GoSQLite

Under the hood

Database

SQLite

Language

Go

Platforms

Web

Key features

  • Single binary, no external dependencies
  • Simple visits and referrers dashboard
  • No cookies or fingerprinting
💾 Backups in 3 steps (Day 2)

As long as the ./data folder (the "volume" mapped into the container) exists on your server, your data survives any restart or container update — that's the only thing you need to back up.

1. Create a compressed backup on the server

tar -czvf backup-$(date +%F).tar.gz ./data

2. Download it to your computer

From your computer's terminal (not your server's):

scp root@YOUR_IP:~/app/backup-*.tar.gz ./

3. Restore in case of emergency

tar -xzvf backup-file.tar.gz
🌐 Connect your domain with free SSL

Step 1 — Set up the DNS

In your domain registrar's dashboard (Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy...), create a record:

Type
A
Name/Host
@ (root domain) or a subdomain, e.g. app
Content/Value
Your server's public IP

Wait 5 to 15 minutes for the record to propagate across the internet.

Step 2 — Automatic reverse proxy with Caddy

One single file, no Nginx config or manual certificates — Caddy issues and renews Let's Encrypt HTTPS on its own.

Create a file called Caddyfile:

yourdomain.com {
    reverse_proxy localhost:8080
}

Start Caddy with this command (pulls the image and runs it in the background):

docker run -d -p 80:80 -p 443:443 --name caddy --restart always -v $PWD/Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile -v caddy_data:/data caddy