AWStats

AWStats is a logfile-based web analytics tool written in Perl that generates detailed graphical reports from web, ftp or mail server logs. It can be run from the command line or as a CGI to produce dynamic or static HTML reports and supports many log formats and platforms.

Key Features

• Parses common web log formats (Apache, IIS, proxy, streaming, ftp, mail) and supports very large and split logs
• Produces detailed metrics: visits, unique visitors, pages, hits, bandwidth, referrers, search keywords, browsers, OS, robots and HTTP errors
• Can run as a CLI updater or as a CGI for near-real-time reports with dynamic filters
• Supports reverse DNS lookups, country/city detection via GeoIP plugins, and optional WHOIS links
• Stores analysis in portable XML format and includes XSLT tools and icon sets for customization
• Plugin architecture and many configuration options; multi-named site (virtual host) support

Use Cases

• Generate historical and per-period web traffic reports from server logs without page tags
• Provide multi-site / virtual-host usage statistics for hosting providers or administrators
• Investigate unusual traffic patterns, bots, broken links and HTTP error trends from raw logs

Limitations and Considerations

• Project status: officially deprecated and no longer actively developed; future security or feature updates are not guaranteed
• Relies on Perl and CGI support on the host; some users may prefer modern JS-tag-based analytics or maintained alternatives
• GeoIP/city/ISP reports require external GeoIP databases or paid data for full functionality

AWStats is a mature, feature-rich log analyzer useful for privacy-conscious, server-log-driven reporting and troubleshooting, but users should consider its deprecated status and evaluate actively maintained alternatives for new deployments.