generated: '2026-08-13'
method: searched
source: >-
  https://raw.githubusercontent.com/arp242/goatcounter/main/cmd/goatcounter/help.go (usageTop),
  https://raw.githubusercontent.com/arp242/goatcounter/main/README.md,
  https://www.goatcounter.com/help/api
name: goatcounter
description: >-
  GoatCounter ships a single first-party CLI: the `goatcounter` binary. It is the same artifact as
  the self-hosted server — one static Go binary that runs the service, manages the database,
  imports pageviews, and reads dashboard statistics from the terminal. It is an operator tool
  rather than an API client, with one exception: `goatcounter dashboard` is the reference consumer
  of the /api/v0/stats/* endpoints and the GoatCounter docs point API users at it as the worked
  example for loading statistics.
usage: goatcounter [command] [flags]
install:
  - method: binary
    detail: Statically compiled binaries for several platforms, no dependencies beyond SQLite or PostgreSQL.
    url: https://github.com/arp242/goatcounter/releases
  - method: go
    command: go install zgo.at/goatcounter/v2/cmd/goatcounter@latest
    url: https://pkg.go.dev/zgo.at/goatcounter/v2
  - method: docker
    command: docker run --rm arp242/goatcounter help serve
    url: https://hub.docker.com/r/arp242/goatcounter
commands:
  - name: help
    group: general
    description: Show help; use "help <topic>" or "help all" for more details.
  - name: version
    group: general
    description: Show version and build information and exit.
  - name: serve
    group: server
    description: Start the HTTP server.
    example: goatcounter serve -listen=:443 -tls=tls,rdr,acme
    key_flags: [-listen, -tls, -db, -ratelimit, -geodb, -smtp, -debug]
  - name: import
    group: data
    description: Import pageviews from an export or a logfile.
    detail: >-
      Parses nginx, Apache, Caddy, CloudFront and other HTTP server logfiles; works against both the
      hosted goatcounter.com service and a self-hosted instance.
  - name: dashboard
    group: data
    description: Show dashboard statistics in the terminal.
    api_client: true
    detail: >-
      The GoatCounter API help page names this command as the worked example for consuming the
      /api/v0/stats/* endpoints, in place of a shell script.
  - name: db
    group: database
    description: Modify the database and print database info.
    subcommands:
      - name: db create site
        example: goatcounter db create site -vhost=stats.example.com -user.email=me@example.com
      - name: db create user
      - name: db migrate
  - name: monitor
    group: operations
    description: Monitor for pageviews.
help_topics:
  - name: listen
    description: Detailed documentation on the -listen and -tls flags.
  - name: logfile
    description: Documentation on importing from logfiles.
  - name: debug
    description: List of modules accepted by the -debug flag.
flows:
  - name: Stand up a self-hosted instance
    steps:
      - goatcounter serve
      - goatcounter db create site -vhost=stats.example.com -user.email=me@example.com
      - goatcounter serve -listen=:443 -tls=tls,rdr,acme
  - name: Backfill from server logs
    steps:
      - goatcounter help logfile
      - goatcounter import
  - name: Read stats without writing an API client
    steps:
      - goatcounter dashboard
package: packages/goatcounter-packages.yml
maintainers:
  - FN: Kin Lane
    email: kin@apievangelist.com