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Plausible on a VPS

Cookie-free web analytics

Install on a VPSGitHub
Category
Websites / CMS
Hosting
Web hosting
Author
Plausible Insights
License
AGPL-3.0
Version
3.2.1

The script is free · VPS from $4.63 per month · installs in about 4 minutes

Install over SSH

root@vps:~# command -v docker >/dev/null || curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh; D=stats.example.com; git clone -b v3.2.1 --single-branch https://github.com/plausible/community-edition plausible-ce && cd plausible-ce && echo "BASE_URL=https://$D" >> .env && echo "SECRET_KEY_BASE=$(openssl rand -base64 48)" >> .env && echo "HTTP_PORT=80" >> .env && echo "HTTPS_PORT=443" >> .env && printf 'services:\n plausible:\n ports:\n - 80:80\n - 443:443\n' > compose.override.yml && docker compose up -d

  • SystemUbuntu 24.04 · x86_64ok
  • Sourcegithub.com/plausible/community-editionok
  • Version3.2.1ok
  • Port80/tcplisten
  • Port443/tcplisten

✓ Plausible 3.2.1 installed · about 4 minutes

root@vps:~#

Install command from the library. Output is shortened and may differ on your server.

What it is

  • Analytics
  • Cookie-free
  • Privacy
  • ClickHouse

Plausible is simple web analytics, an alternative to Google Analytics and Yandex Metrica. The script weighs under 1 KB, uses no cookies and collects no personal data, so you don't need a cookie banner.

Community Edition runs on your own server: visitor data stays with you, and there are no limits on the number of sites or pageviews. Under the hood are PostgreSQL and ClickHouse.

The built-in web server issues a Let's Encrypt certificate on its own, so installation requires a domain pointed at the server.

  • Single-page dashboard: sources, pages, countries, devices
  • No cookies and no personal data
  • Goals, events and UTM tags
  • Unlimited sites
  • Import data from Google Analytics

Recommended plan

For Plausible: at least 2 vCPU, 3 GB RAM and 45 GB NVMe.

Minimum to run
1 vCPU · 2 GB RAM · 10 GB disk
Systems
Ubuntu 22.04 · Ubuntu 24.04 · Debian 12

How to install

Three steps in the bot or one command over SSH; installation takes about 4 minutes.

  1. 01

    Choose a plan in the bot

    Open @ExpressHost_bot and pay for a VPS. The server will be ready in about 60 seconds.

  2. 02

    Add Plausible

    At the “Add-ons” step pick the script from the library, or run it later: Server settings → Scripts.

  3. 03

    Finish the setup

    Before launching, replace stats.example.com with your domain that has an A record pointing to the server

Manually over SSH

Connect to the server as root and run the command. Supported systems: Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 24.04, Debian 12.

Install command
command -v docker >/dev/null || curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh; D=stats.example.com; git clone -b v3.2.1 --single-branch https://github.com/plausible/community-edition plausible-ce && cd plausible-ce && echo "BASE_URL=https://$D" >> .env && echo "SECRET_KEY_BASE=$(openssl rand -base64 48)" >> .env && echo "HTTP_PORT=80" >> .env && echo "HTTPS_PORT=443" >> .env && printf 'services:\n  plausible:\n    ports:\n      - 80:80\n      - 443:443\n' > compose.override.yml && docker compose up -d

Ports

Plausible ports
PortProtocolPurpose
80tcpHTTP and certificate issuance
443tcpDashboard and event ingestion over HTTPS

After installation

  1. 1.Before launching, replace stats.example.com with your domain that has an A record pointing to the server
  2. 2.Open https://your-domain and create the first user
  3. 3.Add a site and paste the provided script into the <head> of your pages

Plausible FAQ

Didn’t find an answer? Message @ExpressHost_SupportBot.

What are the server requirements?

You need at least 2 GB RAM and a CPU with SSE 4.2 — ClickHouse requires it. Modern Ryzen CPUs are fine.

How do I update Plausible?

Change the version in the plausible-ce repository (git fetch and git checkout the new branch), then run docker compose up -d. Read the release notes before a major upgrade.

Where is the data stored?

In the PostgreSQL and ClickHouse Docker volumes created by docker compose in the plausible-ce folder.

Plausible installs at checkout — in the bot.

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