How to Use Umami to Build Your Own Google Analytics Alternative
# **Umami: A Privacy-Friendly, Open-Source Analytics Alternative to Google Analytics**
Website analytics are **crucial** for understanding how visitors engage with your content.
While **Google Analytics** dominates, it can be **complex** for small projects and raises **privacy concerns**.
If you want something **simpler**, **open-source**, and **privacy-friendly**,
[**Umami**](https://github.com/umami-software/umami) is an excellent alternative — lightweight, easy to deploy, and compliant with privacy laws like **GDPR**.
This guide explains **what Umami is**, **why it’s better for privacy-focused projects**, and **how to install it from scratch** — both locally and in the cloud via **Sevalla**.
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## 📖 Table of Contents
- [Understanding Umami](#understanding-umami)
- [Why Choose Umami Over Google Analytics](#why-choose-umami-over-google-analytics)
- [Prerequisites](#prerequisites)
- [Installation Steps](#installation-steps)
- [Step 1: Get the Source Code](#step-1-get-the-source-code)
- [Step 2: Configure the Database](#step-2-configure-the-database)
- [Step 3: Build the Application](#step-3-build-the-application)
- [Step 4: Start the Server](#step-4-start-the-server)
- [Step 5: Keep Umami Updated](#step-5-keep-umami-updated)
- [Step 6: Add Tracking to Your Website](#step-6-add-tracking-to-your-website)
- [Step 7: Explore the Dashboard](#step-7-explore-the-dashboard)
- [Hosting Umami on the Cloud using Sevalla](#hosting-umami-on-the-cloud-using-sevalla)
- [Privacy and Compliance](#privacy-and-compliance)
- [Conclusion](#conclusion)
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## Understanding Umami
Umami is a **self-hosted**, **open-source** analytics platform designed to be:
- **Lightweight**
- **Privacy-respecting**
- **Easy to run anywhere**
It collects essential metrics like **page views**, **referrals**, and **device info** —
**without tracking personal details** or using cookies.
> 🖼️ 
> Try the [**live demo here**](https://cloud.umami.is/analytics/eu/share/LGazGOecbDtaIwDr)
> Repo: **github.com/umami-software/umami**
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## Why Choose Umami Over Google Analytics
Google Analytics is powerful — but also **heavy**, **complex**, and tied to **Google’s data collection ecosystem**.
Umami, in contrast:
- **Privacy-first** — No cookies, no third-party tracking.
- **GDPR-compliant** — Suitable for privacy-focused orgs.
- **Lightweight** — Runs well on modest hardware.
- **Fully open-source** — MIT licensed.
You **own** your analytics data entirely.
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## Prerequisites
Before installing Umami, ensure:
- **Node.js** ≥ 18.18 installed
- A supported database:
- PostgreSQL ≥ 12.14
- MySQL ≥ 8.0
- MariaDB ≥ 10.5
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## Installation Steps
### Step 1: Get the Source Code
git clone https://github.com/umami-software/umami.git
cd umami
npm install -g pnpm
pnpm install
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### Step 2: Configure the Database
Create `.env` in the root directory with:
DATABASE_URL=connection-url
Examples:
**PostgreSQL**postgresql://username:password@localhost:5432/umami
**MySQL**mysql://username:password@localhost:3306/umami
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### Step 3: Build the Application
pnpm run build
This will:
- Compile the app
- Set up tables
- Create **admin** user:Username: admin
Password: umami
🔒 Change the password immediately.
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### Step 4: Start the Server
pnpm run start
Open [http://localhost:3000](http://localhost:3000) to log in.
To make Umami public, use a reverse proxy (e.g., **nginx**).
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### Step 5: Keep Umami Updated
**From source:**git pull
pnpm install
pnpm run build
**If using Docker:**docker compose pull
docker compose up --force-recreate -d
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### Step 6: Add Tracking to Your Website
1. Log in to the dashboard
2. Add a new website
3. Copy the **tracking ``**
4. Paste into the `<head>` section of your site
You can track multiple sites from a single Umami instance.
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### Step 7: Explore the Dashboard
- Page views
- Referrers
- Operating systems
- Devices
- Live activity
- Date filtering
- Exporting data
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## Hosting Umami on the Cloud using Sevalla
**Sevalla** makes deployment fast — prebuilt templates & free credits.
**Why Sevalla?**
- 🎁 $50 credit for testing
- 📦 Comes with an [Umami template](https://docs.sevalla.com/templates/overview)
**Deploy steps:**
1. [Login](https://app.sevalla.com/login)
2. Navigate to **Templates**
3. Select **Umami**
4. Click **Deploy Template**
5. Wait for PostgreSQL & Redis provisioning
6. Click **Visit app** & log in:</code></pre><p> admin / umami</p><pre><code>
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## Privacy and Compliance
**Umami doesn’t:**
- Use cookies
- Track individuals
- Share data externally
Complies with **GDPR**, **CCPA**, **PECR** out of the box.
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## Conclusion
Umami offers **transparent**, **fast**, and **privacy-respecting** analytics.
It’s ideal for blogs, SaaS products, or client projects — letting you **control your data** entirely.
For multi-platform publishing powered by analytics,
[**AiToEarn官网**](https://aitoearn.ai/) is a **free**, **open-source** solution to:
- Generate AI-powered content
- Distribute to Douyin, Kwai, WeChat, Bilibili, Xiaohongshu, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, YouTube, Pinterest, X/Twitter
- Monetize and track performance — integrating seamlessly with Umami metrics
By combining Umami with AiToEarn, you can **measure**, **optimize**, and **monetize** content across platforms — all while maintaining **data ownership** and **user privacy**.
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