Deploying Prisme Analytics

Introduction

Prisme Analytics is a privacy-focused, open-source web analytics platform designed to give you meaningful insights about your website visitors without tracking personal data or using cookies. It provides a lightweight alternative to Google Analytics that respects user privacy while still delivering actionable metrics.

Built with performance in mind, Prisme’s tracking script is minimal and doesn’t slow down your website. The platform focuses on essential metrics that matter for understanding your audience without the complexity of enterprise analytics tools.

Key highlights of Prisme Analytics:

• Privacy First: No cookies, no personal data collection, GDPR compliant by design
• Lightweight Script: Minimal impact on page load times
• Real-Time Analytics: See visitor activity as it happens
• Essential Metrics: Page views, unique visitors, referrers, and more
• Simple Dashboard: Clean interface focused on actionable insights
• Self-Hosted: Complete control over your analytics data
• API Access: Programmatic access to your analytics data
• Open Source: Transparent codebase you can audit and modify

This guide walks through deploying Prisme Analytics on Klutch.sh using Docker.

Why Deploy Prisme Analytics on Klutch.sh

Deploying Prisme Analytics on Klutch.sh provides several advantages:

Simplified Deployment: Klutch.sh automatically detects your Dockerfile and builds Prisme Analytics without complex configuration.

Persistent Storage: Attach persistent volumes for your analytics database.

HTTPS by Default: Klutch.sh provides automatic SSL certificates, essential for analytics collection.

GitHub Integration: Connect your repository directly from GitHub for automatic deployments.

Custom Domains: Assign a custom domain for your analytics dashboard.

Always-On Availability: Your analytics platform remains accessible 24/7 for continuous data collection.

Prerequisites

Before deploying Prisme Analytics on Klutch.sh, ensure you have:

• A Klutch.sh account
• A GitHub account with a repository for your Prisme configuration
• Basic familiarity with Docker and containerization concepts
• A website where you want to install the tracking script
• (Optional) A custom domain for your Prisme Analytics instance

Understanding Prisme Analytics Architecture

Prisme Analytics consists of:

Tracking Script: A lightweight JavaScript snippet that collects page view data.

Collection API: Receives events from the tracking script and stores them.

Dashboard: Web interface for viewing analytics data.

Database: Stores all analytics events and aggregated metrics.

Preparing Your Repository

Create a GitHub repository containing your Dockerfile for Prisme Analytics deployment.

Repository Structure

prisme-deploy/
├── Dockerfile
└── .dockerignore

Creating the Dockerfile

Create a Dockerfile in the root of your repository:

FROM prismeanalytics/prisme:latest

# Set environment variables
ENV PRISME_DATABASE_URL=${DATABASE_URL}
ENV PRISME_SECRET_KEY=${SECRET_KEY}
ENV PRISME_BASE_URL=${BASE_URL}

# Create data directory
RUN mkdir -p /data

EXPOSE 8000

CMD ["prisme", "serve"]

Alternative Dockerfile with SQLite

For simpler deployments using SQLite:

FROM prismeanalytics/prisme:latest

# Set environment variables
ENV PRISME_DATABASE_URL=sqlite:///data/prisme.db
ENV PRISME_SECRET_KEY=${SECRET_KEY}
ENV PRISME_BASE_URL=${BASE_URL}

# Create data directory
RUN mkdir -p /data

VOLUME ["/data"]

EXPOSE 8000

CMD ["prisme", "serve"]

Creating the .dockerignore File

Create a .dockerignore file:

.git
.github
*.md
LICENSE
.gitignore
*.log
.DS_Store
.env

Deploying Prisme Analytics on Klutch.sh

Generate a Secret Key

Generate a secure secret key for Prisme Analytics:

openssl rand -hex 32

Save this key securely for the environment variables configuration.

Push Your Repository to GitHub

Initialize your repository and push to GitHub:

git init
git add Dockerfile .dockerignore
git commit -m "Initial Prisme Analytics deployment configuration"
git remote add origin https://github.com/yourusername/prisme-deploy.git
git push -u origin main

Create a New Project on Klutch.sh

Navigate to the Klutch.sh dashboard and create a new project. Give it a descriptive name like “prisme” or “analytics”.

Create a New App

Within your project, create a new app. Connect your GitHub account if you haven’t already, then select the repository containing your Prisme Analytics Dockerfile.

Configure HTTP Traffic

In the deployment settings:

• Select HTTP as the traffic type
• Set the internal port to 8000

Set Environment Variables

Add the following environment variables:

Variable	Value
SECRET_KEY	Your generated secret key
BASE_URL	https://your-app-name.klutch.sh
DATABASE_URL	sqlite:///data/prisme.db (or PostgreSQL URL)

Attach Persistent Volumes

Add the following volumes:

Mount Path	Recommended Size	Purpose
/data	10 GB	Analytics database

Deploy Your Application

Click Deploy to start the build process. Klutch.sh will:

• Detect your Dockerfile automatically
• Build the container image
• Attach the persistent volumes
• Start the Prisme Analytics container
• Provision an HTTPS certificate

Access Prisme Analytics

Once deployment completes, access your Prisme Analytics dashboard at https://your-app-name.klutch.sh. Create your admin account and add your first website.

Adding the Tracking Script

Installing on Your Website

After creating a site in Prisme Analytics, add the tracking script to your website:

<script defer src="https://your-analytics-domain.klutch.sh/js/script.js" data-site="your-site-id"></script>

Framework-Specific Installation

Next.js:

// In _app.js or layout.js
import Script from 'next/script'

export default function App({ Component, pageProps }) {
  return (
    <>
      <Script
        defer
        src="https://your-analytics-domain.klutch.sh/js/script.js"
        data-site="your-site-id"
      />
      <Component {...pageProps} />
    </>
  )
}

Gatsby:

// In gatsby-browser.js
export const onClientEntry = () => {
  const script = document.createElement('script')
  script.defer = true
  script.src = 'https://your-analytics-domain.klutch.sh/js/script.js'
  script.dataset.site = 'your-site-id'
  document.head.appendChild(script)
}

WordPress: Add the script to your theme’s header.php or use a header scripts plugin.

Understanding the Dashboard

Key Metrics

Metric	Description
Unique Visitors	Distinct visitors based on daily aggregation
Total Pageviews	All page loads across your site
Bounce Rate	Visitors who left after viewing one page
Session Duration	Average time spent on your site

Traffic Sources

• Direct: Visitors who typed your URL directly
• Referrers: Links from other websites
• Search Engines: Traffic from organic search
• Social Media: Links from social platforms

Geographic Data

View visitor locations by country and region without tracking individual IP addresses.

API Access

Prisme Analytics provides an API for programmatic access:

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  https://your-analytics-domain.klutch.sh/api/v1/stats?site_id=your-site-id

Privacy Compliance

Prisme Analytics is designed for privacy compliance:

• No Cookies: Works without setting any cookies
• No Personal Data: Doesn’t collect IP addresses or fingerprints
• GDPR Compliant: No consent banner needed
• Data Ownership: All data stays on your server

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Tracking Script Not Loading

Solutions:

• Verify the script URL is correct
• Check for ad blockers or privacy extensions
• Ensure HTTPS is working correctly
• Check browser console for errors

Data Not Appearing

Solutions:

• Wait a few minutes for data processing
• Verify the site ID matches your configuration
• Check that the script is on all pages
• Review server logs for errors

Dashboard Not Loading

Solutions:

• Verify the deployment is running
• Check database connectivity
• Review application logs

Additional Resources

• Prisme Analytics Website
• Prisme Analytics GitHub Repository
• Klutch.sh Persistent Volumes
• Klutch.sh Deployments

Conclusion

Deploying Prisme Analytics on Klutch.sh gives you a privacy-respecting analytics solution that provides meaningful insights without compromising visitor privacy. With automatic HTTPS, persistent storage, and easy deployment, you can start collecting analytics data quickly while maintaining complete control over your data.

Whether you’re running a personal blog or a business website, Prisme Analytics provides the essential metrics you need without the privacy concerns of traditional analytics platforms.