From 07e4a2dafe248280b5610f8c7d09b0f30b530f54 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Bradley Taunt Date: Mon, 10 Jun 2024 09:41:25 -0400 Subject: Initial modifications to rebuilt only changed files based on mod date, performance updates --- build/posts/self-hosting-fathom/index.html | 82 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 82 insertions(+) create mode 100644 build/posts/self-hosting-fathom/index.html (limited to 'build/posts/self-hosting-fathom') diff --git a/build/posts/self-hosting-fathom/index.html b/build/posts/self-hosting-fathom/index.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c9db539 --- /dev/null +++ b/build/posts/self-hosting-fathom/index.html @@ -0,0 +1,82 @@ + + + + + + + + Self-Hosting Fathom Analytics with DigitalOcean + + + + + + + +
+

Self-Hosting Fathom Analytics with DigitalOcean

+

2021-02-02

+

Since my previous post walked through the process of setting up Fathom PRO on Netlify, I figured it made sense to create a similar tutorial for the “Lite” variation, self-hosted on DigitalOcean.

+

Please note that while I think the PRO version of Fathom Analytics is truly great, for my small, niche blog it seemed overkill compared to self-hosting. Switching over from $14/mo to $5/mo while retaining most of the same functionality was a no-brainer. Choose the option that best suits your needs (or in the case - budget & bandwidth).

+

With that cleared up - let’s get into it!

+

Prerequisites

+
    +
  1. One or more website(s) where you would like to include analytics
  2. +
  3. DigitalOcean account (this link will give you a $100 credit!)
  4. +
  5. Positive attitude and passion for privacy-respecting analytics!
  6. +
+

Create a Droplet

+

Once your DigitalOcean account is setup, navigate to the Marketplace and search for Fathom Analytics. Then click the Create Fathom Analytics Droplet.

+

From here you’ll be brought to a page that allows you to customize the specifications of your new droplet. If you’re a smaller traffic site (personal blog, etc) selecting the $5/month Basic Shared CPU option is your best bet.

+

Select the data-center region based on where most of your traffic originates from. I would suggest enabling IPv6 and setting up your authentication via SSH instead of a regular password system. Adding backups is entirely at your own discretion.

+

Once you’re ready, click Create Droplet.

+

Enter the Matrix (not really)

+

Once DigitalOcean finishes spinning up your new droplet, open a terminal and connect to it by entering:

+
ssh root@YOUR_DROPLET_IP
+
+

If you setup your login via SSH everything should work as-is. If you went the password route, you’ll given a prompt to enter it.

+

Now that you’re connected, Fathom will guide you through a simple configuration setup. It’s fairly straightforward and painless. Once complete, move to the next step.

+

Domains

+

You’ll most likely want to host this instance on your own domain or subdomain - instead of connecting directly via the droplet’s IP. Head over to your Networking page in the sidebar of DigitalOcean and add your custom domain.

+

Then, click on that newly added domain - we need to add some new records. You’re going to add two new A records to this domain:

+

The last thing you need to do is set your nameservers to point to DigitalOcean:

+
ns1.digitalocean.com
+ns2.digitalocean.com
+ns3.digitalocean.com
+
+

Give it some time to propagate and you’ll be in business!

+

SSL FTW

+

There is hardly a good reason not to practice security on the web, so setting up your new analytics to be served over HTTPS is just the smart thing to do. Did I mention that this is completely free as well? See - no excuses.

+

In order to get a free SSL certificate setup, you’ll need to install certbot. While connected to your droplet, enter the following:

+
sudo apt-get install python-certbot-nginx
+
+

Once installed, enter the following to setup SSL (remember to swap out the domain with your own):

+
certbot --nginx -d your-cool-domain.com
+
+

Follow the steps (it’s very quick and easy) and you’ll have HTTPS setup in a jiffy!

+

The Final Lap

+

The last thing to do is login to your newly self-hosted Fathom instance, add your site you wish to track, grab the generated tracking code and then slap that badboy on whatever pages you need to track!

+

Congrats! You’re now officially running your own set of analytics tools. You should be happy about what you’ve accomplished and proud for respecting your users’ privacy!

+ \ No newline at end of file -- cgit v1.2.3-54-g00ecf