---
title: "Deploy Plausible Self-Hosted (Docker)"
description: "Step-by-step guide to self-hosting Plausible with Docker Compose. "
---

# Deploy Plausible

Simple, open source, lightweight and privacy-friendly web analytics alternative to Google Analytics.

<div className="deploy-hero">
  <span className="deploy-hero-item">⭐ 24.2k stars</span>
  <span className="deploy-hero-item">📜 GNU Affero General Public License v3.0</span>
  <span className="deploy-hero-item">🔴 Advanced</span>
  <span className="deploy-hero-item">⏱ ~20 minutes</span>
  
</div>

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    href="https://m.do.co/c/2ed27757a361" 
    target="_blank" 
    rel="noopener noreferrer"
    className="flex items-center justify-center w-full px-6 py-4 text-lg font-bold text-white transition-all bg-blue-600 rounded-xl hover:bg-blue-700 hover:scale-[1.02] shadow-lg shadow-blue-500/30"
  >
    🚀 Deploy on DigitalOcean ($200 Free Credit)
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</div>


A production-ready Plausible Analytics instance. Note that Plausible uses a two-database architecture:

- **PostgreSQL:** Stores your users, sites, and metadata.
- **ClickHouse:** A high-performance columnar database that stores the millions of raw events (pageviews) you'll be collecting.

> 🌍 **Geolocation Tip:** To see where your visitors are coming from, you'll need to download the free MaxMind GeoLite2 database after deployment and place it in the `./geoip` folder.

## Prerequisites

- A server with Docker and Docker Compose installed ([setup guide](/quick-start/choosing-a-server))
- A domain name pointed to your server (optional but recommended)
- Basic terminal access (SSH)

## The Config

Create a directory for Plausible and add this `docker-compose.yml`:

```yaml
# -------------------------------------------------------------------------
# 🚀 Created and distributed by The AltStack
# 🌍 https://thealtstack.com
# -------------------------------------------------------------------------

version: '3.8'

services:
  plausible:
    image: plausible/analytics:latest
    container_name: plausible
    restart: unless-stopped
    command: sh -c "sleep 10 && /entrypoint.sh db createdb && /entrypoint.sh db migrate && /entrypoint.sh run"
    depends_on:
      - plausible_db
      - plausible_events_db
      - mail
    ports:
      - "8000:8000"
    environment:
      - BASE_URL=http://localhost:8000
      - SECRET_KEY_BASE=ChangeMeChangeMeChangeMeChangeMeChangeMeChangeMeChangeMeChangeMe
      - DATABASE_URL=postgres://postgres:postgres@plausible_db:5432/plausible_db
      - CLICKHOUSE_DATABASE_URL=http://plausible_events_db:8123/plausible_events_db
      - MAILER_EMAIL=admin@example.com
      - SMTP_HOST_ADDR=mail
      - SMTP_HOST_PORT=25
      - SMTP_USER_NAME=
      - SMTP_USER_PWD=
      - SMTP_SSL_Enabled=false
    volumes:
      - ./geoip:/geoip:ro

  plausible_db:
    image: postgres:14-alpine
    container_name: plausible_db
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - plausible_db_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=postgres
      - POSTGRES_DB=plausible_db

  plausible_events_db:
    image: clickhouse/clickhouse-server:24.3.3.102-alpine
    container_name: plausible_events_db
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - plausible_events_data:/var/lib/clickhouse
      - ./clickhouse/clickhouse-config.xml:/etc/clickhouse-server/config.d/logging.xml:ro
      - ./clickhouse/clickhouse-user-config.xml:/etc/clickhouse-server/users.d/logging.xml:ro
    ulimits:
      nofile:
        soft: 262144
        hard: 262144

  mail:
    image: bytemark/smtp
    container_name: plausible_mail
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  plausible_db_data:
  plausible_events_data:
```

## Let's Ship It

```bash
# Create a directory
mkdir -p /opt/plausible && cd /opt/plausible

# Create the docker-compose.yml (paste the config above)
nano docker-compose.yml

# Pull images and start
docker compose up -d

# Watch the logs
docker compose logs -f
```

## Environment Variables

| Variable | Default | Required |
|---|---|---|
| `BASE_URL` | `http://localhost:8000` | No |
| `SECRET_KEY_BASE` | `ChangeMeChangeMeChangeMeChangeMeChangeMeChangeMeChangeMeChangeMe` | No |
| `DATABASE_URL` | `postgres://postgres:postgres@plausible_db:5432/plausible_db` | No |
| `CLICKHOUSE_DATABASE_URL` | `http://plausible_events_db:8123/plausible_events_db` | No |
| `MAILER_EMAIL` | `admin@example.com` | No |
| `SMTP_HOST_ADDR` | `mail` | No |
| `SMTP_HOST_PORT` | `25` | No |
| `SMTP_SSL_Enabled` | `false` | No |
| `POSTGRES_PASSWORD` | `postgres` | No |
| `POSTGRES_DB` | `plausible_db` | No |


## Post-Deployment Checklist

- [ ] Service is accessible on the configured port
- [ ] Admin account created (if applicable)
- [ ] Reverse proxy configured ([Caddy guide](/concepts/reverse-proxies))
- [ ] SSL/HTTPS working
- [ ] Backup script set up ([backup guide](/concepts/backups))
- [ ] Uptime monitor added ([Uptime Kuma](/deploy/uptime-kuma))

## The "I Broke It" Section

**Container won't start?**
```bash
docker compose logs plausible | tail -50
```

**Port already in use?**
```bash
# Find what's using the port
lsof -i :PORT_NUMBER
```

**Need to start fresh?**
```bash
docker compose down -v  # ⚠️ This deletes volumes/data!
docker compose up -d
```

## Going Further

- [Plausible on AltStack Directory](https://thealtstack.com/alternative-to/plausible)
- [Plausible Self-Hosted Guide](https://thealtstack.com/self-hosted/plausible)
- [Official Documentation](https://plausible.io)
- [GitHub Repository](https://github.com/plausible/analytics)