How to Set Up Plausible Analytics (Privacy-Friendly)

By Admin · Mar 2, 2026 · Updated Apr 23, 2026 · 29 views · 3 min read

How to Set Up Plausible Analytics (Privacy-Friendly)

Plausible Analytics is a lightweight, open-source web analytics tool that provides meaningful insights without invasive tracking. It is fully compliant with GDPR, CCPA, and PECR — no cookies, no personal data collection, and no consent banners required. Self-hosting Plausible on your Breeze ensures that your analytics data never leaves your infrastructure.

Prerequisites

A Breeze instance with at least 2 GB of RAM (4 GB recommended for larger sites)
Docker and Docker Compose installed
A domain or subdomain (e.g., analytics.example.com)

Step 1 — Clone the Hosting Repository

Plausible provides an official self-hosting repository with all necessary configuration:

git clone https://github.com/plausible/community-edition ~/plausible
cd ~/plausible

Step 2 — Configure the Environment

Create the plausible-conf.env file with your settings:

BASE_URL=https://analytics.example.com
SECRET_KEY_BASE=$(openssl rand -hex 32)
TOTP_VAULT_KEY=$(openssl rand -base64 32)
MAILER_EMAIL=analytics@example.com
SMTP_HOST_ADDR=mail.example.com
SMTP_HOST_PORT=587
SMTP_USER_NAME=analytics@example.com
SMTP_USER_PWD=your-smtp-password
SMTP_HOST_SSL_ENABLED=true

Step 3 — Launch Plausible

docker compose up -d

The stack includes the Plausible web app, ClickHouse for analytics data storage, and PostgreSQL for user and site configuration. Allow about 60 seconds for ClickHouse to initialize on first boot.

Step 4 — Reverse Proxy Setup

Configure Nginx to forward traffic to Plausible on port 8000:

server {
    listen 443 ssl http2;
    server_name analytics.example.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8000;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
    }
}

Step 5 — Add Your Website

Register your account at https://analytics.example.com, then add your first site. Plausible will generate a lightweight tracking script (under 1 KB) to add to your website:

<script defer data-domain="yoursite.com"
  src="https://analytics.example.com/js/script.js"></script>

Add this snippet to the <head> section of every page you want to track.

Dashboard Overview

The Plausible dashboard shows at a glance:

Unique visitors and page views with trend indicators
Bounce rate and visit duration averages
Top pages — which content gets the most traffic
Traffic sources — referrers, search engines, social media, and campaigns
Locations — visitor countries, regions, and cities
Devices — browser, OS, and screen size breakdowns

Advanced Features

Goal tracking — track button clicks, form submissions, and custom events
UTM parameters — monitor marketing campaign performance
Custom properties — send custom dimensions with events for deeper analysis
API access — query your analytics data programmatically
Email reports — receive weekly or monthly traffic summaries

How to Set Up Plausible Analytics (Privacy-Friendly)