The self-hosted tracking cookbook for EU developers.
Install recipes for Plausible CE, Matomo, Umami, and PostHog. Cookieless patterns, GTM alternatives, custom-event modelling, and CNIL/GDPR teardowns — written from the server, not the marketing deck.
4 tested recipes · last verified 2 days ago · MIT · 0 cookies set
View commands
$ ssh deploy@hetzner-eu $ docker compose up -d $ # Plausible live in <5 min
- // no email gate
- // no affiliate links
- // no paid tier
- // every stack deployed on a real box
Three paths off Google. Pick the one that matches your stack.
Most teams don't switch tools — they switch hosts. Here's what running each option on your own infrastructure looks like, including the trade you make in return.
The whole tree, one screen.
Six clusters. Each is the answer to a different real question — installation, identifier handling, tag orchestration, event modelling, regulatory exposure, and the SQL that connects them.
├── install-recipes/ → 4 tested deploys, real cost figures
├── cookieless-tracking/ → ditch the banner, keep the data
├── self-hosted-tag-manager/ → GTM, but yours
├── custom-events/ → goal modelling that survives a migration
├── eu-compliance/ → CNIL/DPA teardowns, dated
└── sql-lab/ → query your own warehouse
Friday 6pm. PM drops a Slack: "we need conversion tracking on the new pricing page by Monday." You've got a Next.js app, an EU customer base, and zero appetite for a cookie banner argument with legal. You start at the cookbook. You finish before dinner.
Latest recipe
Plausible CE on Hetzner: 20-Minute Self-Host Setup with Caddy (€4.51/mo)
Step-by-step recipe to deploy Plausible Community Edition on Hetzner Cloud (€4.51/mo CX22) behind Caddy auto-HTTPS. Tested 2026-05-02. Zero cookies, EU-hosted.
Why these recipes are different.
Every entry in the cookbook follows the same protocol. Read the long form on the methodology page.
- ▸ Every recipe runs end-to-end on a fresh VPS before it ships.
- ▸ Cost figures are real invoice line-items, not list prices.
- ▸ A recipe gets an "outdated" badge after 6 months without re-verification.
- ▸ No affiliate links. No sponsorships. No paid tier coming.
Pick the stack. Run the recipe. Self-host by Sunday.
The 60-second quiz lands you on one tool with the reason explained. Or just open the recipe library and browse by deploy date.
Across the rest of the cookbook
7 Self-Hosted GTM Alternatives That Actually Work in 2026
Compare 7 self-hosted tag manager alternatives to Google Tag Manager: Matomo TM, Cloudflare Zaraz, sGTM container, Piwik PRO, Stape, Adobe Launch, Snowplow. With install costs, server-side support, and a 60-second decision wizard.
Plausible Custom Events, Revenue & Funnels: Self-Hosted CE (2026)
Self-hosted Plausible custom events plus Stripe/Paddle revenue tracking. Webhook payloads, ClickHouse SQL funnels, refund handling. The $19/mo Cloud Funnels bypass.
Matomo Ecommerce Tracking 2026: WooCommerce + Shopify Self-Hosted
Self-host Matomo CE for WooCommerce and Shopify revenue tracking. Four tracking calls, three log tables, refund workarounds, abandoned-cart SQL. Production code with idempotency baked in.
Server-Side Tracking Explained: Why It Matters for Privacy
What Is Server-Side Tracking, and Why Should You Care? If you run a website and rely on analytics data to make decisions, there is a good chance your…
Conversion Tracking Beyond E-commerce: Measuring What Matters for Any Site
When most people hear “conversion tracking,” they immediately think of e-commerce: add to cart, checkout, purchase. But here’s the thing — I’ve set up conversion tracking for everything…
Attribution Models Compared: Which One Fits Your Business
What Is Marketing Attribution, and Why Does It Matter? Here’s a scenario I’ve seen play out dozens of times: a CMO walks into a quarterly review, pulls up…