GoatCounter

GoatCounter is an open source web analytics platform you can run as a hosted service or self-host on your own infrastructure. It focuses on privacy-friendly, easy-to-understand metrics without tracking users with personal identifiers.

Key Features

• Privacy-aware analytics without user profiles or persistent personal identifiers
• Lightweight JavaScript snippet, plus a no-JavaScript image-based tracking option
• Cookie-less unique visit counting using a non-identifiable hash
• Tracks useful aggregate stats such as referrers, campaigns, browser info, location, and screen size
• Data export so you can retain and move your analytics data
• Multiple ingestion options: JavaScript, HTTP/REST API (backend integration), and web server log import
• Built-in TLS support with automatic ACME certificate provisioning
• Accessible web UI designed to work well with assistive technologies

Use Cases

• Privacy-friendly traffic analytics for personal websites and blogs
• Simple analytics for small-to-medium business sites without heavy tracking
• Server-side or log-based analytics when client-side JavaScript is undesirable

GoatCounter is a good fit if you want straightforward web analytics with strong privacy defaults, low overhead, and flexible ways to collect pageview data. It can run with SQLite for smaller setups or PostgreSQL for higher-volume deployments.