GoatCounter
Privacy-friendly, lightweight web analytics with no tracking of personal data, self-hosted on your own server.
- One-click install
- Managed HTTPS
- Secrets in panel
- Multi-app VPS
Get GoatCounter running in minutes
Install GoatCounter from the VPSnet Applications catalog, claim secrets in the panel, open when HTTPS is ready, and finish initial setup in the app — without SSH as the default path.
Order a server and install
Order Cloud VPS or VDS, or open an existing service. Install GoatCounter from Applications — safe defaults apply when the recipe allows.
Claim one-time secrets in the panel
Usernames and passwords appear once in the VPSnet panel after install. Copy them when the credentials window opens — they are never emailed.
Open when HTTPS is ready
Most apps use managed HTTPS on a *.vpsnet.cloud host. Wait until the certificate is active, then Open URL from the panel — certificate pending is not an install failure.
Complete initial setup in the app
Sign in with the secrets you claimed (or finish the in-app admin wizard). Complete one real job for GoatCounter. If you enabled Optional packs at install, finish each pack’s first-run inside the app. Restart, logs, update, and uninstall stay in the Applications panel.
Continue reading the full install guide → — numbered steps, configuration variables, NOTES, and troubleshooting for GoatCounter.
How to install GoatCounter on VPSnet
Managed install of GoatCounter from the Applications panel — credentials in-panel, HTTPS included.
- 01. Choose a plan for GoatCounterOpen the GoatCounter product page and note minimum and recommended vCPU, RAM, and disk. Order a new Cloud VPS or VPS, or use a running server that still has free capacity.
- 02. Install from ApplicationsIn the service panel open Applications → GoatCounter → Install. Choose an access mode and expand Additional settings. If a customer-editable password field is offered, enter your own strong value or leave it empty for VPSnet to generate a random one. Confirm a runtime restart if the panel asks.
- 03. Save one-time credentialsWhen install finishes, the panel shows owner or admin credentials once. Copy them into your password manager immediately — they are never sent by email. If you closed the dialog too early, use the recovery path on that install in Applications.
- 04. Open the managed HTTPS URLWhen GoatCounter exposes a web UI, VPSnet assigns a *.vpsnet.cloud hostname. A short Certificate pending state is normal while DNS and SSL finish. When the status is active, use Open URL in Applications.
About the application
GoatCounter is a lightweight, privacy-friendly web analytics platform — an open-source alternative to heavyweight tracking suites. It counts page views, referrers, browsers, screen sizes and visitor countries without collecting personal data or using tracking cookies, so in most cases no consent banner is required, and every statistic stays in a local SQLite database under your control. Deploy it in one click as a managed application self-hosted on a VPSnet VPS (Firecracker microVM or Cloud VPS); email reports are optional and work when outbound access is enabled.
Server requirements
| Requirement | vCPU | RAM | NVMe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | 1 | 0.5 GB | 5 GB |
| Recommended | 2 | 1 GB | 10 GB |
Tested compatibility
| Server type | Operating system | Architecture |
|---|---|---|
| VPS | Almalinux 10 | x86_64 |
| VPS and Cloud VPS | Almalinux 9 | x86_64 |
| VPS | Centos stream 10 | x86_64 |
| VPS and Cloud VPS | Centos stream 9 | x86_64 |
| VPS | Rocky 10 | x86_64 |
| VPS and Cloud VPS | Rocky 9 | x86_64 |
| VPS and Cloud VPS | Ubuntu 24.04 | x86_64 |
| Cloud VPS | Almalinux 8 | x86_64 |
| Cloud VPS | Arch latest | x86_64 |
| Cloud VPS | Oracle 9 | x86_64 |
| Cloud VPS | Rocky 8 | x86_64 |
What you will configure
These are the customer-editable fields for this recipe version. In the install dialog they live under Additional settings (Basics and Optional packs). Access mode is a separate control above that section. Generated passwords and owner accounts appear once as secrets in the panel after install — they are not free-text catalog fields unless listed below.
| Variable | Label | Type | Required | Secret | Default | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ADMIN_EMAIL | Admin email | email | Optional | No | admin@example.com | Email address used as the GoatCounter admin login. |
Additional notes
- The install dialog has more than the variables table: Application access (VPSnet HTTPS, Private, Public IP, Managed HTTPS, External HTTPS when offered), Use VPSnet AI plus a model picker when the recipe supports it, Additional settings (Basics and Optional packs), and a runtime restart confirmation on the first managed install.
Frequently asked questions
01How do I install GoatCounter on a VPSnet server?
Choose GoatCounter while ordering and it will be installed automatically as soon as the server is ready. On an active server, open Applications, select GoatCounter and choose Install. You may leave optional settings blank or change them before installation.
02What are the minimum requirements for GoatCounter?
The catalog lists a minimum of 1 vCPU, 0.5 GB RAM and 5 GB NVMe for GoatCounter. Requirements may differ by server type; compare the table above.
03How can I access GoatCounter after installation?
During installation, you can use an automatically created VPSnet HTTPS address, choose a domain from your VPSnet account and enter its subdomain, provide an existing HTTPS address, open it through the server public IP over HTTP or keep the application private.
04How do I manage GoatCounter after installation?
In Applications, you can start, stop or restart GoatCounter, check its health and review recent activity. The same actions are available through the API and MCP.