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Web Analyticsdocker-ready1-click-deploy100% FOSS🔴 Full · ~2GB

Plausible Analytics: Open Source alternative to Google Analytics in 2026

Plausible is a lightweight web analytics tool: privacy-focused analytics with a minimal-data approach, no cookies, and no user identifiers by default, with a much simpler dashboard than Google Analytics.

Alternative to Google Analytics
License AGPL-3.029.4k starsWebsite Try DemoGitHub Repository

Audit Snapshot

View notes →

  • License — Matches GitHub

  • GitHub — Active

  • Latest release — v3.2.1 · 5 months ago

  • Docker Compose — Partial

  • Production — Not production-tested by AltFreeStack

Plausible Analytics vs. Google Analytics

Pros

  • Privacy by design
  • Far simpler to read than GA4

Things to consider

  • Requires ClickHouse, somewhat heavier to self-host
  • Less analytical depth than GA4 for complex ecommerce

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:
  plausible:
    image: ghcr.io/plausible/community-edition:v2
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8000:8000"
    environment:
      - BASE_URL=https://analytics.yourdomain.com # CHANGE THIS TO YOUR DOMAIN
      - SECRET_KEY_BASE=change-me-64-char-secret # REQUIRED: generate a random secret before first run
      - DATABASE_URL=postgres://postgres:change-me-db-password@plausible-db:5432/plausible
      - CLICKHOUSE_DATABASE_URL=http://plausible-events-db:8123/plausible_events_db
    depends_on:
      - plausible-db
      - plausible-events-db
  plausible-db:
    image: postgres:15-alpine
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=change-me-db-password # must match DATABASE_URL above
    volumes:
      - plausible_pg_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
  plausible-events-db:
    image: clickhouse/clickhouse-server:24-alpine
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - plausible_ch_data:/var/lib/clickhouse
volumes:
  plausible_pg_data:
  plausible_ch_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=plausible" -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 today.

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

Technical profile

License
AGPL-3.0
Category
Web Analytics
Replaces
Google Analytics
Tech stack
ElixirPhoenixClickHousePostgreSQL

Under the hood

Database

PostgreSQL + ClickHouse

Language

Elixir

Platforms

Web

Key features

  • Under-1KB script, doesn't slow down your site
  • No cookies or personal identifiers stored (check your jurisdiction and the rest of your stack to confirm whether you still need a consent banner)
  • Single-page dashboard
  • Imports historical data from Google Analytics

Preview

Plausible Analytics interface preview

Public image provided by Plausible Analytics on its own website.

💾 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:8000
}

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