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Plausible is open-source, privacy-friendly web analytics, a lightweight, cookie-free alternative to Google Analytics. You manage it from its web UI at your *.suji.fr address and embed a small script on the sites you track. This page covers running Plausible on Suji end-to-end. Plausible is maintained upstream; Suji provides the marketplace packaging.

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Before you install

Plausible needs one thing you generate yourself: a secret key of at least 64 characters. Create one with:
Keep it handy for the install form. Everything else (its PostgreSQL and ClickHouse databases) is bundled. You don’t manage them.
The first person to open the URL creates the owner account. Set yours up immediately after install.

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Install

Dashboard → Apps → Plausible → Install: Recommended VM size: Medium or larger: Plausible bundles its own PostgreSQL and ClickHouse, so it’s heavier than a single-container app. See Recommended size. Click Deploy. First boot runs database migrations, so it takes a little longer than a single-container app. When it’s running, it’s live at https://plausible-<random>.suji.fr over HTTPS through the tunnel.

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First connection: create your account

  1. Open the install URL (https://plausible-<random>.suji.fr).
  2. You’re redirected to /register: create your account (email + password).
  3. Add your first site (the domain you want to track) and copy the tracking snippet.
  4. Paste the snippet into that site’s <head>. Stats start flowing in.
Registration is open the moment the install is running. Claim the owner account right after deploy. (To lock registration down afterwards, see Plausible’s self-host settings.)

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Email & reports

Plausible sends email for account invites, password resets, and scheduled email reports, but no mail provider is configured by default, so those won’t send until you add SMTP. Note the network blocks outbound SMTP on ports 25 and 465; use port 587 or an HTTP-based provider. Add the SMTP env vars to the install yourself via Edit Install → environment variables, then redeploy.

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Using an external database

By default Plausible runs its own bundled PostgreSQL and ClickHouse: nothing to manage. If you need to point at external database servers instead (advanced), use the compose-edit escape hatch: set DATABASE_URL and CLICKHOUSE_DATABASE_URL to your servers and drop the bundled services.

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Day-to-day management

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Troubleshooting

First boot runs PostgreSQL and ClickHouse migrations before the app serves. That’s normal and only happens once. Give it a minute after running.
The secret must be at least 64 characters. Regenerate with openssl rand -base64 64 and update the install.
Expected until you configure SMTP. See Email & reports above (use port 587; 25/465 are blocked upstream).
Plausible isn’t reachable through the tunnel yet, usually still migrating/starting (wait ~30–60 s). If it persists, the Logs tab shows why the container isn’t up.

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Where things live

Uninstalling deletes both volumes by default. That’s all your analytics history. Choose keep data during uninstall to preserve it.
  • Medium or larger. Plausible runs three services (app + PostgreSQL + ClickHouse) and needs roughly 3 GB total; ClickHouse in particular is memory-hungry.
  • Memory/disk grow with traffic volume and history retention.
  • If you run other apps on the same VM, factor in that the VM’s total CPU/memory is shared. Plausible is one of the heavier marketplace apps.

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Reporting issues