Does self-hosting Plausible require a separate database server?

No. The official Docker Compose file includes Postgres for application data and Clickhouse for analytics events; both run as containers alongside the app.

Can I migrate from Plausible Cloud to a self-hosted instance later?

Yes. Plausible publishes an export/import path between cloud and self-hosted instances, though large datasets may take time to transfer.

How to Self-Host Plausible Analytics

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Plausible Analytics is a lightweight, cookie-free alternative to Google Analytics, released under AGPL-3.0. Running it yourself removes per-pageview billing and keeps visitor data on infrastructure you control, in exchange for handling your own updates, backups, and uptime.

Before you start

You need a server you can SSH into, a domain or subdomain you control, and roughly 30–45 minutes. This guide assumes Ubuntu 24.04 LTS with Docker already installed; the same containers run on any Docker-compatible host.

Step-by-step setup

Follow the steps listed in this guide’s structured data in order. Each step is independently verifiable: you can confirm Docker is installed before configuring environment variables, and you can confirm containers are healthy before creating your admin account.

Ongoing maintenance

Self-hosted Plausible still needs periodic image updates (docker compose pull && docker compose up -d) and a backup routine for the Postgres and Clickhouse volumes. Budget for this operational time when comparing self-hosting against the managed cloud plan.

Editorial verdict

Self-hosting Plausible takes under an hour on a 2 vCPU / 4 GB VPS and removes per-pageview billing entirely, at the cost of running your own upgrades and backups.