How to Install Fathom Analytics on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS?

Updated: 28 September 2026 · Applies to: Self-hosted analytics options, 2026

Ubuntu 18.04 is end of life. Fathom Lite, the free self-hosted version of Fathom Analytics, is no longer developed (its last release was in January 2023); Fathom now focuses on its paid hosted service.

Maintained self-hosted alternatives

• Matomo: full-featured analytics (see "How to install self-hosted analytics on your VPS Matomo?").
• Umami and Plausible Community Edition: simple, privacy-friendly analytics without cookies, similar to Fathom Lite; both run with Docker.
• GoAccess: reports from your server logs, with no tracking code (see "What Is GoAccess(A Real-Time Apache and Nginx) And How To Use It?").

If you still run Fathom Lite, it keeps working, but plan the move: export your data and replace the tracking script on your sites.

Moving to another application safely

1. Back up the old application's files and database, and keep the backup until the new system has run for a while.
2. Install the new application on a test subdomain first (for example new.example.com) and import your data there.
3. Check the imported data and set up users and permissions.
4. Switch the domain to the new application, and add 301 redirects for old addresses that change.
5. Remove the old application from the server so it cannot be attacked later.

Prefer not to do it yourself? Our engineers can set this up on your Ucartz VPS or dedicated server as a paid task.