Goatcounter Privacy First Web Analytics Platform

---
name: "GoatCounter Privacy-First Web Analytics Platform"
slug: "goatcounter-privacy-first-web-analytics-platform"
description: "GoatCounter is an open source analytics platform for privacy-friendly pageview tracking, referrer reporting, and lightweight site stats. It can be used as a hosted service or self-hosted, and it supports JavaScript, backend API, and logfile-based ingestion paths."
github_stars: 5628
verification: "security_reviewed"
source: "https://github.com/arp242/goatcounter"
author: "arp242"
category: "Monitoring & Alerts"
framework: "Multi-Framework"
tool_ecosystem:
  github_repo: "arp242/goatcounter"
  github_stars: 5628
---

# GoatCounter Privacy-First Web Analytics Platform

GoatCounter is an open source analytics platform for privacy-friendly pageview tracking, referrer reporting, and lightweight site stats. It can be used as a hosted service or self-hosted, and it supports JavaScript, backend API, and logfile-based ingestion paths.

## Installation

Use the upstream install or setup path that matches your environment:
- make improvements, or <strong>self-host</strong> it for any purpose.
- database file or a PostgreSQL connection. Alternatively you can use Docker, as

Requirements and caveats from upstream:
- ### Running with Docker
- % docker run \
- % docker exec -it [..] goatcounter db create site -vhost=stats.example.com -user.email=me@example.com

Basic usage or getting-started notes:
- There are two ways to run this: as hosted service on [goatcounter.com][www], or
- run it on your own server. The source code is completely Open Source/Free
- Use the HTTP/REST API, for example from your backend server middleware.

- Source: https://github.com/arp242/goatcounter
- Extracted from upstream docs: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/arp242/goatcounter/HEAD/README.md

## Documentation

- https://www.goatcounter.com

## Source

- [Agent Skill Exchange](https://agentskillexchange.com/skills/goatcounter-privacy-first-web-analytics-platform/)