From 6b742c459266b18e2b375b35205ce8a6c02f0452 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Bradley Taunt Date: Thu, 6 Jun 2024 08:05:12 -0400 Subject: Initial commit --- build/self-hosting-fathom/index.html | 105 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 105 insertions(+) create mode 100644 build/self-hosting-fathom/index.html (limited to 'build/self-hosting-fathom/index.html') diff --git a/build/self-hosting-fathom/index.html b/build/self-hosting-fathom/index.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f1c294c --- /dev/null +++ b/build/self-hosting-fathom/index.html @@ -0,0 +1,105 @@ + + + + + + + Self-Hosting Fathom Analytics with DigitalOcean + + + + + + +
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Self-Hosting Fathom Analytics with DigitalOcean

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2021-02-02

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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.

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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).

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

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Prerequisites

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

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

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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.

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+ Fathom Droplet Details +
Creating the new droplet (direct link to image)
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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.

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Once you're ready, click Create Droplet.

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Enter the Matrix (not really)

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

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ssh root@YOUR_DROPLET_IP
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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.

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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.

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Domains

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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.

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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:

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TypeHostnameValue
A@YOUR_DROPLET_IP
AwwwYOUR_DROPLET_IP

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

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ns1.digitalocean.com
+ns2.digitalocean.com
+ns3.digitalocean.com
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Give it some time to propagate and you'll be in business!

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SSL FTW

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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.

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

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sudo apt-get install python-certbot-nginx
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Once installed, enter the following to setup SSL (remember to swap out the domain with your own):

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certbot --nginx -d your-cool-domain.com
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Follow the steps (it's very quick and easy) and you'll have HTTPS setup in a jiffy!

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The Final Lap

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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!

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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!

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