TL;DR — Quick Summary
Deploy Plausible Analytics for privacy-friendly web analytics. Lightweight (<1KB script), no cookies, GDPR-compliant. Covers Docker setup, goals, custom events, and comparison with GA4.
What Is Plausible?
Plausible Analytics is a privacy-first, open-source alternative to Google Analytics. It gives you essential web analytics — pageviews, sources, countries, devices — without tracking individuals, using cookies, or slowing down your site.
| Aspect | Plausible | Google Analytics 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Script size | <1 KB | 45+ KB |
| Cookies | ❌ None | ✅ Multiple |
| Cookie banner needed | ❌ No | ✅ Yes (GDPR) |
| User tracking | ❌ No PII | ✅ Detailed profiles |
| Data ownership | ✅ You own it | ❌ Google owns it |
| Ad blocker proof | ✅ (self-hosted) | ❌ 30-40% blocked |
| Dashboard simplicity | ✅ One page | ❌ Complex |
| Free | ✅ (self-hosted) | ✅ |
Installation (Docker Compose)
git clone https://github.com/plausible/community-edition.git
cd community-editionConfigure plausible-conf.env:
BASE_URL=https://plausible.yourdomain.com
SECRET_KEY_BASE=your_64_char_secret_key
TOTP_VAULT_KEY=your_32_char_totp_keydocker compose up -dAdd to Your Site
<script defer data-domain="yourdomain.com"
src="https://plausible.yourdomain.com/js/script.js"></script>That’s it. One script tag, no configuration, no consent needed.
Features
Goals & Custom Events
// Track custom event
plausible('Signup', {props: {plan: 'premium'}});
// Track outbound links (add .outbound-link-click to script)
// src="https://plausible.yourdomain.com/js/script.outbound-links.js"Available Script Extensions
| Extension | Script Suffix | Tracks |
|---|---|---|
| Outbound links | .outbound-links | Clicks on external links |
| File downloads | .file-downloads | PDF, ZIP, etc. downloads |
| 404 pages | .404 | Not found errors |
| Hash routing | .hash | SPA hash-based navigation |
| Revenue | .revenue | Revenue per conversion |
Combine extensions: script.outbound-links.file-downloads.js
Plausible vs. Other Privacy Analytics
| Feature | Plausible | Umami | Matomo | Fathom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ (paid) |
| Script size | <1 KB | <2 KB | 22 KB | 1 KB |
| Cookies | ❌ | ❌ | Optional | ❌ |
| Dashboard | Simple | Simple | Complex (GA-like) | Simple |
| Custom events | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| API | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| RAM usage | ~200 MB | ~50 MB | ~500 MB | N/A |
Summary
Plausible gives you the web analytics you actually need — without cookies, tracking, or compliance headaches. Self-host it to own all your data, avoid ad blockers, and get a clean, fast analytics dashboard.