Introduction to Fathom Lite
Fathom Lite is a straightforward and open-source website analytics tool. It's an earlier version of Fathom Analytics, a paid service that serves as an alternative to Google Analytics. Since its inception, Fathom Lite has enjoyed immense popularity, with millions of downloads worldwide. Despite transitioning to its more advanced counterpart, Fathom Lite still receives maintenance and bug fixes, ensuring it remains a reliable option for basic website analytics needs.
Fathom Lite vs Fathom Analytics
Key Differences
While both tools share the same lineage, Fathom Analytics offers a more enriched experience compared to Fathom Lite. It provides a wealth of advanced features tailored to users who are concerned about privacy laws. For those interested in Fathom Analytics, there's an option to try it risk-free with a 30-day trial that includes a $10 credit.
Feature Comparison
Here's a comparison highlighting some main differences between Fathom Lite and Fathom Analytics:
- Cookies: Fathom Lite uses cookies, whereas Fathom Analytics is cookie-free, enhancing privacy.
- Privacy Tools: Fathom Analytics offers features such as EU isolation and the ability to bypass ad-blockers.
- Reports and Tracking: Advanced options in Fathom Analytics include email reports, event completions tracking, and UTM campaigns.
- Support: Fathom Lite doesn't offer professional support, while Fathom Analytics provides responsive support from its founders.
- Infrastructure: Fathom Analytics boasts a robust, cloud-based architecture with automatic scaling and real-time backups, ensuring consistent and reliable performance.
- Security and Maintenance: Fathom Analytics comes with continuous data protection, automatic updates, and secure server operations.
Installation and Setup
For Production Use
Fathom Lite can be installed on your server by following straightforward instructions provided by the development team.
For Development Purposes
Setting up a development version involves a few steps:
- Install Go and NPM.
- Clone the Fathom GitHub repository.
- Compile the project into an executable.
- Register a user account and start the webserver to access your analytics dashboard.
Using Docker
Fathom Lite supports Docker for both building your own version and using pre-built images available on Docker Hub. You can easily set up and run Fathom using Docker, allowing for greater flexibility and efficiency in deployment.
Tracking and CSP Requirements
To activate tracking, users need to create a site within their Fathom dashboard and then integrate a tracking snippet into their website. If a Content Security Policy (CSP) is in use, specific directives must be added to ensure proper functionality of the Fathom analytics service.
Licensing and Credits
Fathom Lite is licensed under the MIT License, ensuring its openness and accessibility to users. It is important to note that Fathom, along with its logo, is a trademark of Fathom Analytics.
This introduction to Fathom Lite highlights its simplicity and usability while comparing it to the more feature-rich Fathom Analytics, offering users a clear picture of what each service provides.