You can self-host Plausible Analytics by running its Community Edition Docker stack on an x86_64 VPS that supports SSE 4.2, then placing an HTTPS reverse proxy in front of Plausible’s HTTP service on port 8000. You supply the DNS name, server capacity, upgrades, backups, security and troubleshooting; in return, you control the infrastructure and raw ClickHouse data without paying a Plausible subscription.
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What self-hosted Plausible includes
Plausible Analytics is designed to be self-hosted via Docker. The official hosting repository provides a Docker Compose deployment containing Plausible itself, PostgreSQL, ClickHouse and the configuration needed for email delivery. PostgreSQL stores application and account data; ClickHouse stores analytics data and grows with traffic and retention.
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The application normally listens for unencrypted HTTP on port 8000. Plausible does not terminate TLS itself, so production deployments put a reverse proxy or edge service in front of that port. The proxy handles HTTPS and forwards requests to Plausible.
A self-hosted installation must use its own hostname, such as analytics.example.com. Community Edition is not designed to live below a path such as example.com/analytics. You need DNS control for the hostname and the ability to point it at the VPS or at the service acting as your proxy.
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Requirements and decisions before installation
Server architecture
- Use an x86_64 server with SSE 4.2 support. This is a compatibility requirement, not a capacity recommendation.
- Install a supported Docker engine and Docker Compose implementation before starting the stack.
- Choose storage with enough headroom for PostgreSQL, ClickHouse, Docker images, logs and backups. ClickHouse usage depends on pageview volume and how long you retain data.
Hostname and network
- Create a dedicated DNS name and make sure you can edit its record.
- Decide whether DNS will point directly to the VPS or to an external edge proxy.
- Plan to keep Plausible’s 8000 port private, allowing access only from the reverse proxy or local host.
Secrets and email
- Generate a random 64-character value for
SECRET_KEY_BASEand keep it in a protected secret store or environment file. - Prepare administrator credentials for the first account.
- Arrange SMTP credentials before first login. Plausible sends a verification code by email, so a working SMTP path is part of a normal deployment rather than an optional enhancement.
Install Plausible with Docker Compose
1. Provision the VPS and install Docker
Create the x86_64 VPS, apply the operating system’s security updates, and install Docker and Docker Compose using the instructions for that operating system. Confirm that the Docker daemon starts automatically after a reboot. Do not expose PostgreSQL or ClickHouse directly to the public internet.
2. Clone the official hosting repository
Clone Plausible’s official plausible/hosting repository and enter the resulting directory. It includes docker-compose.yml and plausible-conf.env. Treat the repository’s version and accompanying changelog as the release you are deploying; do not mix files from different releases.
3. Edit the environment configuration
Open plausible-conf.env and set the required values before the first boot:
SECRET_KEY_BASE: a newly generated random 64-character secret. Losing or casually changing this value can invalidate encrypted data and sessions, so include it in your protected backups.- Administrator credentials: set the email and password fields documented in the file. Use a unique, long password and protect the email account used for verification.
BASE_URL: the complete public origin, including scheme and hostname, for examplehttps://analytics.example.com. An optional port may be included when your public service genuinely uses one, but do not append a path component.- SMTP settings: enter the host, port, authentication and sender details supplied by your mail provider. Keep these values private.
The BASE_URL value must match the hostname users actually visit. A mismatch commonly produces incorrect links, redirects or proxy behavior later.
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4. Start the stack
From the hosting repository directory, run:
docker-compose up -dOn the first run, the Compose stack creates the PostgreSQL and ClickHouse databases, runs migrations, creates the administrator account and publishes Plausible on port 8000. Image downloads and migrations can take longer than subsequent starts. Inspect container status and logs if the command returns an error instead of assuming the service is ready.
5. Verify the first login
Open the public HTTPS hostname after the reverse proxy is configured, enter the administrator credentials, and retrieve the verification code from the configured mailbox. Test a password reset or a second login session while you still have console access; this confirms both SMTP delivery and the external URL are correct.
If SMTP cannot be configured, the official self-hosting guide documents a PostgreSQL command that marks users as verified. Use that only as an operational fallback: restrict database access, take a backup first, run the documented command exactly, and restore normal email verification as soon as practical. Do not expose the database or paste an unreviewed SQL statement into production.
Put HTTPS in front of port 8000
The Plausible server itself does not perform SSL termination. Use one of the following front ends, all of which can proxy the public hostname to the local service:
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| Front end | How it fits | Important setting |
|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare | Provides an edge proxy and automatic SSL between visitors and your origin. | Point the hostname at the edge, set the origin to the VPS, and retain the original client IP in the forwarded headers. |
| Caddy | Runs on the VPS and can obtain and renew Let’s Encrypt certificates. | Proxy the hostname to 127.0.0.1:8000 and pass X-Forwarded-For. |
| Nginx | Runs on the VPS with certificates managed by your chosen ACME process. | Forward HTTPS requests to port 8000 and preserve the client IP header. |
| Traefik | Automates routing and certificates in container-oriented setups. | Route the exact BASE_URL hostname to the Plausible container or host port and preserve forwarding headers. |
Whichever option you choose, configure the public host to proxy to 127.0.0.1:8000 (or the appropriate private address), enforce HTTPS, and pass X-Forwarded-For. Plausible uses the client address for country detection and unique-user metrics; replacing it with only the proxy’s address makes those measurements inaccurate. Make sure the proxy’s trusted-header behavior is restricted to your own proxy path so arbitrary visitors cannot forge their location.
After certificates work, close direct public access to port 8000 with the VPS firewall. Keep the proxy and BASE_URL aligned: if the proxy answers on https://analytics.example.com, that exact origin belongs in the environment file.
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- Resolve the analytics hostname from an external network and confirm it reaches the intended VPS or edge service.
- Visit the HTTPS URL and check that the certificate name, redirect behavior and login page are correct.
- Sign in, complete email verification and create a test site in Plausible.
- Load the site-tracking snippet on a staging page and confirm a test visit appears in the dashboard.
- Inspect a request at the proxy to verify that the original client IP is forwarded, not replaced by the proxy address.
- Restart the Docker host or stack during a maintenance window and confirm containers return automatically and data remains present.
How much VPS capacity do you need?
Plausible’s official documentation does not publish one universal RAM, disk or pageview minimum, and there is no authoritative benchmark that converts a pageview count into a fixed VPS size. Treat capacity as an operating decision based on your workload.
Factors that determine sizing
- Traffic: more events increase ClickHouse inserts and query work.
- Retention: keeping months or years of data consumes more disk than a short reporting window.
- Dashboard usage: concurrent reports and date-range queries affect CPU, memory and disk I/O.
- Backups: local staging space and an off-server copy need additional capacity.
- Recovery objectives: a service that must recover quickly may need spare resources or a second host.
Start with a VPS that leaves measurable headroom rather than sizing to the smallest possible instance. Monitor CPU, memory pressure, disk usage, disk I/O, container restarts and ClickHouse growth. Increase resources or shorten retention when those signals approach the limits of the host. Record the traffic level, retention period and observed resource use whenever you change size; that history is more useful than a vendor-wide minimum that does not exist.
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Security practices for a public analytics server
- Use SSH keys, disable password SSH where practical, and restrict administrative access by firewall or private network.
- Keep the operating system, Docker engine, proxy and Plausible images updated according to a planned maintenance window.
- Allow public access only to the proxy’s HTTP/HTTPS ports. Keep PostgreSQL, ClickHouse and the Docker API private.
- Store
SECRET_KEY_BASE, SMTP credentials and administrator secrets outside source control. Limit read permissions onplausible-conf.env. - Enable host monitoring and alerts for disk exhaustion, failed containers, certificate expiry and backup failures.
- Review proxy access logs and Docker logs for unexpected login attempts or repeated crashes.
Backups and restoration
You are responsible for backups in a self-hosted installation. Protect all of the following:
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- PostgreSQL data, including users and application configuration.
- ClickHouse data, whose size and restore time grow with retention and traffic.
- The environment file and other configuration secrets, especially
SECRET_KEY_BASEand SMTP settings. - Reverse-proxy configuration, certificate automation data where applicable, DNS records and firewall rules.
The official sources do not prescribe a universal backup interval. Choose one from your recovery-point objective: a site whose reports can lose a day of data has a different schedule from a business that requires hourly recovery. Keep at least one copy off the VPS, encrypt sensitive backups, restrict access, and test restoring PostgreSQL and ClickHouse on a separate environment. A backup that has never been restored is an assumption, not a recovery plan.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Upgrades and routine maintenance
Updates are operator-applied. Before changing versions, read the release notes and migration guidance, verify that a recent backup can be restored, and reserve enough disk space for the new images and any migration work.
The documented update pattern is:
- Stop the running stack during a maintenance window.
- Pull the newer Plausible image specified by the hosting repository.
- Start the stack again with
docker-compose up -d. - Watch container logs and perform the login, dashboard and test-event checks described above.
Do not delete database volumes as part of a routine upgrade. Keep the repository files and environment values version-aligned, and document the image version, migration result and rollback decision for each change. Self-hosted releases are described as LTS-like: changes generally arrive after hosted features have been battle-tested, so cloud features may appear sooner than they do in the self-hosted distribution.
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Troubleshoot the failures you are most likely to see
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| The site redirects to the wrong host or path. | BASE_URL does not match the public origin, or a subfolder was used. |
Set the scheme and hostname exactly as visitors use them and remove any path component. |
| The login verification email never arrives. | SMTP credentials, sender policy, DNS or outbound mail access is incorrect. | Check SMTP and container logs, sender authorization and spam handling; use the documented database fallback only when necessary. |
| All visitors appear to come from one country or IP. | The proxy is not forwarding the original client address. | Pass and correctly trust X-Forwarded-For; ensure an edge proxy is not overwriting it. |
| The proxy returns 502 or connection refused. | Plausible is stopped, the port is wrong, or the proxy cannot reach the private address. | Check Compose status, container logs, listening sockets and firewall rules; confirm the proxy target is port 8000. |
| The VPS fills up. | ClickHouse retention, Docker images, logs or backups have outgrown the disk. | Measure each consumer, remove obsolete images safely, move backups off-host and increase storage or adjust retention. |
| An upgrade does not complete. | Migration failure, insufficient resources or mismatched repository files. | Read the release notes and logs, restore the last known-good backup if required, and do not remove database volumes while diagnosing. |
Self-hosted Plausible versus Plausible Cloud
The choice is primarily an operations trade-off, not a dashboard feature checklist.
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| Consideration | Self-hosted Community Edition | Plausible Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure and location | You choose the VPS, provider and country, and control the underlying infrastructure. | The vendor operates the infrastructure for you. |
| Recurring cost | You pay the server, storage, email and related service costs instead of a Plausible subscription. | You pay the service subscription; server operation is included. |
| Uptime and capacity | You size, monitor and scale the host and proxy. | The vendor manages capacity and availability. |
| Upgrades and security | You apply image updates, migrations and host security fixes. | The vendor handles maintenance and security operations. |
| Backups and recovery | You design, pay for and test PostgreSQL and ClickHouse backups. | Backups and recovery are managed as part of the hosted service. |
| Data access | You can access raw ClickHouse data directly on your infrastructure. | Access follows the hosted product’s interfaces and export options. |
| Release timing | Self-hosted releases are LTS-like and may follow hosted features. | Features are delivered continuously by the vendor. |
| Support | Support is community-based; the creators do not guarantee troubleshooting for your server. | The hosted service includes vendor-operated support processes. |
Choose self-hosting when
- Infrastructure location, direct raw-data access or control of the operating environment is a requirement.
- You already operate Docker, DNS, TLS, monitoring and backup systems.
- Avoiding the SaaS subscription is worth paying for your own server and engineering time.
Choose Cloud when
- A small team needs analytics without owning uptime, upgrades, capacity, backups and incident response.
- You prefer faster access to hosted features and vendor-managed security operations.
- No one is available to maintain a public-facing database and reverse proxy.
Is self-hosted Plausible worth the maintenance?
It is worth it when control and raw-data access are more valuable than the labor of operating a stateful analytics stack. It is not a “set and forget” container: PostgreSQL, ClickHouse, SMTP, TLS, DNS, storage, upgrades and backups all remain your responsibility. For a video-game site with an operator who already manages servers, the deployment can consolidate analytics on infrastructure you control. For a small editorial team that only needs reliable dashboards, the hosted service removes the operational work that self-hosting adds.
Make the decision with a written estimate of traffic, retention, backup storage, maintenance time and recovery expectations. If those obligations are acceptable, deploy the Compose stack with a correct BASE_URL, SMTP and forwarded client IPs, then monitor and rehearse restoration from the first day.
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