How to Install Plausible Analytics on Linux Mint

In this tutorial, we will guide you on how to install Plausible Analytics on Linux Mint, which is a lightweight and privacy-focused website analytics platform. Plausible Analytics is an open-source application that provides you with insights into your website's traffic without compromising your visitors' privacy.

Prerequisites

• A Linux Mint system.
• root or sudo access to the system.
• Access to a terminal.

Step 1: Update System

Before starting the installation process, it is essential to update your system's packages to the latest version. To do that, execute the following commands in the terminal:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Install Dependencies

Plausible Analytics is built on Node.js, and it requires some system packages to be installed before moving forward. First, install Node.js and npm by running the following command:

sudo apt install nodejs npm -y

Now, let's install other required dependencies by executing the command below:

sudo apt install git curl -y

Step 3: Clone and Setup Plausible Analytics

Move to your home directory and clone the Plausible Analytics repository from Github by running the following command:

cd ~
git clone https://github.com/plausible/analytics/

The above command will create a folder named "analytics" in your home directory.

Now, navigate to the "analytics" directory and install the required packages by running:

cd analytics
npm install

Step 4: Configure Plausible Analytics

After successfully installing the dependencies, create a configuration file for your Plausible Analytics instance. Execute the following command:

nano /home/{your_user_name}/analytics/config.js

This command will open a new file in the Nano text editor. Copy the following lines to this file:

module.exports = {
  db: "sqlite",
  debug: false,
  server: {
    host: "localhost",
    port: 8000,
  },
  embedded_script: false,
  force_https: false,
  public_url: "http://localhost:8000",
  secret: "YOUR_SECRET_KEY",
};

Replace "YOUR_SECRET_KEY" with a unique and secure secret key. Save the file by pressing (Ctrl + O) and then (Ctrl + X) to exit the editor.

Step 5: Launch Plausible Analytics

To start the Plausible Analytics server, execute the following command:

npm start

This will start the server in development mode. Once the server has started successfully, you can check it out by visiting "http://localhost:8000" from your web browser.

Step 6: Run Plausible Analytics as a Service

To run Plausible Analytics as a service, create a new service file by executing the command:

nano /etc/systemd/system/plausible.service

Paste the following content into the file:

[Unit]
Description=Plausible Analytics Server
After=network.target

[Service]
WorkingDirectory=/home/{your_user_name}/analytics/
ExecStart=/usr/bin/npm start
Restart=always
User={your_user_name}
Group={your_user_group_name}

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Change the "{your_user_name}" and "{your_user_group_name}" with your Mint user name and group name, respectively. Save the file and exit the editor.

Next, reload the systemd daemon by running the following command:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload

To start the Plausible Analytics service, execute the following command:

sudo systemctl start plausible

To check the status of the service, run:

sudo systemctl status plausible

To make the service persistent across reboots, enable the service by running:

sudo systemctl enable plausible

Now, your Plausible Analytics installation is up and running as a service, and you can monitor your web traffic by visiting "http://localhost:8000" from your web browser.

Conclusion

Plausible Analytics is an easy-to-use and privacy-focused website analytics application that allows you to monitor your website's traffic without compromising your visitors' privacy. In this tutorial, we have shown you how to install Plausible Analytics on your Linux Mint system.

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