IndieRadar Logo
IndieRadar
Back to analytics

GoAccess

Free (open-source, MIT license)
4.6/5

Terminal-based web log analyzer for DevOps and sysadmins.

Visit Website

Why founders use GoAccess

Real-time HTTP statistics
Terminal and HTML output
Visitor and request tracking
Top pages, referrers, bandwidth metrics
GeoIP location tracking
Device/browser/OS breakdown
HTTP status code analysis
CSV/JSON export
Support for Apache, Nginx, CloudFront logs

The Good

Completely free and open-source
Zero external dependencies or SaaS costs
Real-time log analysis in terminal
Generates self-contained HTML reports
Supports all major web server logs
Fast (written in C, minimal overhead)
Full data privacy (runs locally)
GeoIP and device tracking

The Bad

Terminal interface requires DevOps mindset
No user behavior tracking (log-based only)
No event tracking or custom metrics
Learning curve for non-technical users
No paid support available

The Verdict

GoAccess is a free, open-source real-time web log analyzer that runs in your terminal and generates HTML reports. It parses server logs (Apache, Nginx, CloudFront) directly—no JavaScript tracking code, no third-party services, pure server-side analytics. The terminal interface updates in real-time as logs are processed, and it outputs self-contained HTML dashboards for sharing.\n\nFor indie hackers and DevOps-minded developers, GoAccess is the ultimate privacy and cost solution: completely free, runs locally on your server, requires zero external dependencies, and gives you all server metrics (requests, bandwidth, top pages, referrers, geoip). It's not designed for product analytics (no user tracking, no events), but for infrastructure monitoring and content performance analysis, nothing beats its speed and simplicity.

Daily Newsletter

Join 10,000+ indie hackers building in public

We curate the top launches, revenue milestones, and growth tactics — so you don't have to scroll for hours.

Trusted by indie hackers shipping real products.