> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/plausible/analytics/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Self-Hosting Overview

> Learn about Plausible Analytics Community Edition and how to self-host your analytics platform

## What is Plausible Community Edition?

Plausible Community Edition (CE) is the free and open-source version of Plausible Analytics that you can self-host on your own infrastructure. It provides privacy-focused web analytics without relying on cloud services.

<Info>
  Plausible CE is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License Version 3 (AGPLv3). The JavaScript tracker is released under the MIT license.
</Info>

## Cloud vs Community Edition

Before deciding to self-host, consider the differences between Plausible Cloud and Community Edition:

| Feature                       | Plausible Cloud                                                       | Community Edition                                                       |
| ----------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Infrastructure Management** | Fully managed with worldwide CDN, backups, security, and maintenance  | Self-managed - you handle installation, upgrades, backups, and security |
| **Release Schedule**          | Continuous deployment with new features multiple times per week       | Long-term releases published twice per year                             |
| **Premium Features**          | All features including funnels, ecommerce revenue, SSO, and Sites API | Premium features not available                                          |
| **Bot Filtering**             | Advanced filtering with \~32K data center IP ranges excluded          | Basic User-Agent and referrer spam filtering                            |
| **Server Location**           | EU-owned infrastructure (Germany)                                     | Deploy anywhere you choose                                              |
| **Data Access**               | Dashboard, CSV export, Stats API, Looker Studio connector             | Direct ClickHouse database access available                             |
| **Support**                   | Premium support from creators                                         | Community-supported only                                                |
| **Costs**                     | Subscription fee based on traffic                                     | Server and infrastructure costs                                         |

## Technology Stack

Plausible Analytics is built with:

* **Backend**: Elixir/Phoenix application
* **Databases**:
  * PostgreSQL for general application data
  * ClickHouse for analytics data and stats
* **Frontend**: React with TailwindCSS
* **Container**: Alpine Linux-based Docker image

## System Requirements

### Minimum Requirements

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="PostgreSQL" icon="database">
    Version 12 or higher for application data storage
  </Card>

  <Card title="ClickHouse" icon="chart-line">
    Version 21 or higher for analytics data storage
  </Card>

  <Card title="Memory" icon="memory">
    At least 2GB RAM for small deployments
  </Card>

  <Card title="Storage" icon="hard-drive">
    Varies based on traffic volume (plan for growth)
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Recommended Infrastructure

For production deployments:

* **CPU**: 2+ cores
* **RAM**: 4GB+ (more for high-traffic sites)
* **Storage**: SSD with regular backups
* **Network**: Reliable internet connection with static IP (if using HTTPS)

## Key Features

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Privacy-Focused Analytics">
    * No cookies or persistent identifiers
    * No personal data or IP address storage
    * GDPR, CCPA, and PECR compliant by default
    * No data shared with third parties
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Lightweight Tracking">
    * Small JavaScript tracker (\< 1KB)
    * Fast page load times
    * Optional Events API for server-side tracking
    * Support for single-page applications
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Comprehensive Metrics">
    * Real-time visitor tracking
    * Page views and unique visitors
    * Traffic sources and referrers
    * Geographic data (countries, regions, cities)
    * Device, browser, and OS statistics
    * Custom event tracking
    * Goal conversions
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Team Collaboration">
    * Multiple user roles (admin, viewer, editor)
    * Shared dashboards
    * Public stats links
    * Email and traffic reports
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Support and Community

<Warning>
  Community Edition is community-supported only. There are no guarantees of support from the Plausible creators for self-hosting issues.
</Warning>

Get help with self-hosting:

* **GitHub Discussions**: [Self-hosted support forum](https://github.com/plausible/analytics/discussions/categories/self-hosted-support)
* **Documentation**: [Community Edition Wiki](https://github.com/plausible/community-edition/)
* **Issue Tracker**: Report bugs on GitHub
* **Community Forum**: Connect with other self-hosters

## Funding Open Source

Plausible's only source of funding is the premium managed cloud service. When you self-host:

* You pay for your own infrastructure costs
* You get full control over your data and deployment
* You never pay licensing fees to Plausible
* Consider supporting the project if you find value in CE

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Installation" icon="download" href="/self-hosting/installation">
    Set up Plausible CE with Docker
  </Card>

  <Card title="Configuration" icon="gear" href="/self-hosting/configuration">
    Configure environment variables
  </Card>

  <Card title="Upgrade Guide" icon="arrow-up" href="/self-hosting/upgrade">
    Upgrade to newer versions
  </Card>

  <Card title="Maintenance" icon="wrench" href="/self-hosting/maintenance">
    Operations and troubleshooting
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## License Information

Plausible Community Edition is open source under AGPLv3:

* Source code must be made available if you modify and distribute
* Network use (SaaS) counts as distribution
* JavaScript tracker is MIT licensed (no virality)
* Plausible name and logo are trademarked

Copyright (c) 2018-present Plausible Insights OÜ