Self-Hosted Analytics with Umami

This article is more of a why, rather than a step-by-step tutorial. If you’re looking for more of a guide on how to self-host Umami then check out this article.

So, why Umami? Well, I needed a way to analyse traffic to my site whilst also respecting visitor privacy. There are a few options when it comes to this - Fathom, Plausible, and Umami to name a few. All of them do the job well, however, since Umami came with the simplest method to self-host, it was the clear winner for me.

Self-hosting gives you a number of benefits. It provides full control over your data, ensuring that no third parties have access to it. It’s also economical, as you’re only paying for the compute power you use rather than a fixed monthly subscription. I’ve followed the deployment strategy outlined in the article above, using Fly.io for hosting. Fly.io is a great option because almost everything can be managed from the CLI, and you’re only billed for what you use—plus, any bill under $5 isn’t charged. Since this is just my blog site, this setup is by far the most cost-effective way to add analytics.

Umami in a nutshell

Umami is a privacy-first analytics tool that only collects essential data, respecting user privacy while still providing valuable insights. Unlike traditional analytics solutions, it is simple and lightweight, ensuring that it doesn’t slow down your website. Being open source, it’s transparent and community-driven, allowing developers to review and contribute to its codebase.

One of its standout features is that it’s self-hosted, giving you complete control over your data without relying on third-party services. The modern interface is clean and intuitive, making it easy to navigate and extract useful insights without unnecessary complexity. And because Umami doesn’t rely on invasive tracking methods, it allows you to comply with privacy regulations without requiring an intrusive cookie banner—no more frustrating consent prompts for visitors.

By choosing Umami, I’ve found a way to monitor traffic on my site without compromising user privacy, while also keeping costs low by self-hosting on Fly.io. If you’re looking for a straightforward, privacy-friendly analytics solution, it’s definitely worth considering.