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.
5 tested recipes · last verified 2 weeks 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/ → 5 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.
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- ▸ A recipe gets an "outdated" badge after 6 months without re-verification.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
Bounce Rate, Time on Page, Sessions: How Plausible, Matomo, Umami & PostHog Calculate Them Differently
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Plausible Custom Events, Revenue & Funnels: Self-Hosted CE (2026)
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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…