Cabin
Privacy-friendly web analytics with simple dashboards and no cookies
The visible privacy web analytics loop is buildable, but a credible replacement needs more than the first screen. Cabin earns its keep through ingestion, storage, reliability, so expect a weekend or multi-day build and a narrower personal scope.
Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability
What you give up
- bot and identity resolution
- session replay privacy tooling
- enterprise governance and integrations
- high-volume ingestion and retention
Why people still pay
Cabin: Customers pay for trusted numbers, retention, privacy controls, and a pipeline that remains accurate while traffic and schemas change.
Your build guide
The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.
Before you start
- A supported Node release, PostgreSQL, HTTPS for a shared deployment, and a backup destination. Begin with one workspace and explicit owner/member permissions.
- Implementation components: Next.js App Router and TypeScript for server-rendered pages and validated mutations. PostgreSQL with Drizzle migrations; Better Auth sessions for a small private workspace.
- Scope boundary: bot and identity resolution; session replay privacy tooling
Use these project rules and optional skill references alongside the prompt. Review each skill before adding it to your agent; the AGENTS.md export includes the same guidance.
Optional external skill: vercel-react-best-practices — Improve React and Next.js data fetching, rendering, bundle size and server performance. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
Optional external skill: supabase-postgres-best-practices — Review PostgreSQL schemas, queries, indexes, pooling, concurrency and row-level security. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
Optional external skill: web-design-guidelines — Review web interfaces for accessibility, keyboard focus, forms, navigation and interaction quality. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
Project rule — data model: sites, allowed origins, pageview events, route summaries and dated aggregation windows
Project rule — preserve this invariant: Do not claim anonymous or compliant by default; no carbon-emissions figure is shown without a transparent evidence-backed method.
Project rule — acceptance evidence: Events from an unregistered origin are rejected; deleting an expired event window updates retained aggregates according to the documented retention policy.
Implementation plan
Phase 1
Scope and fixtures. Implement this bounded workflow: Install a small first-party tracker on one site, aggregate pageviews and referrers and show a simple report with retention controls. Document exactly which fields leave the browser. Record prerequisites, select representative user-owned fixtures and document the unsupported features: bot and identity resolution; session replay privacy tooling
Phase 2
Durable model. Model sites, allowed origins, pageview events, route summaries and dated aggregation windows Add migrations or a versioned document format, explicit validation, stable IDs and a visible import-error report. Preserve this rule: Do not claim anonymous or compliant by default; no carbon-emissions figure is shown without a transparent evidence-backed method.
Phase 3
Complete the first useful path. Implement the workflow's input, review and output interface, with clear controls and explicit empty/error states. Commit related database changes in one transaction. Use version checks for competing edits and an outbox for external notifications; retry delivery independently of saving the record.
Phase 4
Permissions and integration failure. Authorize every record read and mutation on the server using its workspace membership; validate payloads, protect mutations against CSRF, and escape user-authored HTML. Request integration credentials and permissions only for the enabled feature; show a disconnected state instead of mock results.
Phase 5
Portable handoff. Export versioned JSON plus attachments and a readable CSV summary. Restore into a separate database and compare record IDs and attachment checksums before switching. Include setup, operating limits, fixture walkthrough and shutdown/restart instructions in the README.
Phase 6
Acceptance scenarios. Events from an unregistered origin are rejected; deleting an expired event window updates retained aggregates according to the documented retention policy. Repeat the workflow after restart and with a denied permission or unavailable dependency; show recoverable failure rather than a success placeholder.
WORKING SLICE Install a small first-party tracker on one site, aggregate pageviews and referrers and show a simple report with retention controls. Document exactly which fields leave the browser. Build this scoped Cabin-inspired workflow with a documented data model and visible failure states. Architecture - Next.js App Router and TypeScript for server-rendered pages and validated mutations. - PostgreSQL with Drizzle migrations; Better Auth sessions for a small private workspace. Prerequisites and limits A supported Node release, PostgreSQL, HTTPS for a shared deployment, and a backup destination. Begin with one workspace and explicit owner/member permissions. Outside this release: bot and identity resolution; session replay privacy tooling Data model and correctness sites, allowed origins, pageview events, route summaries and dated aggregation windows Invariant: Do not claim anonymous or compliant by default; no carbon-emissions figure is shown without a transparent evidence-backed method. Commit related database changes in one transaction. Use version checks for competing edits and an outbox for external notifications; retry delivery independently of saving the record. Security and privacy Authorize every record read and mutation on the server using its workspace membership; validate payloads, protect mutations against CSRF, and escape user-authored HTML. Recovery and export Export versioned JSON plus attachments and a readable CSV summary. Restore into a separate database and compare record IDs and attachment checksums before switching. Implementation order 1. Phase 1 — Scope and fixtures. Implement this bounded workflow: Install a small first-party tracker on one site, aggregate pageviews and referrers and show a simple report with retention controls. Document exactly which fields leave the browser. Record prerequisites, select representative user-owned fixtures and document the unsupported features: bot and identity resolution; session replay privacy tooling 2. Phase 2 — Durable model. Model sites, allowed origins, pageview events, route summaries and dated aggregation windows Add migrations or a versioned document format, explicit validation, stable IDs and a visible import-error report. Preserve this rule: Do not claim anonymous or compliant by default; no carbon-emissions figure is shown without a transparent evidence-backed method. 3. Phase 3 — Complete the first useful path. Implement the workflow's input, review and output interface, with clear controls and explicit empty/error states. Commit related database changes in one transaction. Use version checks for competing edits and an outbox for external notifications; retry delivery independently of saving the record. 4. Phase 4 — Permissions and integration failure. Authorize every record read and mutation on the server using its workspace membership; validate payloads, protect mutations against CSRF, and escape user-authored HTML. Request integration credentials and permissions only for the enabled feature; show a disconnected state instead of mock results. 5. Phase 5 — Portable handoff. Export versioned JSON plus attachments and a readable CSV summary. Restore into a separate database and compare record IDs and attachment checksums before switching. Include setup, operating limits, fixture walkthrough and shutdown/restart instructions in the README. 6. Phase 6 — Acceptance scenarios. Events from an unregistered origin are rejected; deleting an expired event window updates retained aggregates according to the documented retention policy. Repeat the workflow after restart and with a denied permission or unavailable dependency; show recoverable failure rather than a success placeholder. Acceptance Events from an unregistered origin are rejected; deleting an expired event window updates retained aggregates according to the documented retention policy. Use real source data or clearly labeled fixtures. Explain unsupported input and provider failures; do not fabricate analytics, delivery receipts, accuracy claims or security guarantees. Optional agent guidance Optional external skill: [vercel-react-best-practices](https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-skills/blob/main/skills/react-best-practices/SKILL.md) — Improve React and Next.js data fetching, rendering, bundle size and server performance. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission. Optional external skill: [supabase-postgres-best-practices](https://github.com/supabase/agent-skills/blob/main/skills/supabase-postgres-best-practices/SKILL.md) — Review PostgreSQL schemas, queries, indexes, pooling, concurrency and row-level security. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission. Optional external skill: [web-design-guidelines](https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-skills/blob/main/skills/web-design-guidelines/SKILL.md) — Review web interfaces for accessibility, keyboard focus, forms, navigation and interaction quality. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission. Project rule — data model: sites, allowed origins, pageview events, route summaries and dated aggregation windows Project rule — preserve this invariant: Do not claim anonymous or compliant by default; no carbon-emissions figure is shown without a transparent evidence-backed method. Project rule — acceptance evidence: Events from an unregistered origin are rejected; deleting an expired event window updates retained aggregates according to the documented retention policy.
$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy or download AGENTS.md
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Alternatives to building your own
all 3 free alternatives to Cabin →· no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
Cabin pricing
| plan | monthly | annual (per mo) | what you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| basic | $0/workspace | $0/workspace | 1 website; unlimited pageviews subject to fair use; 30-day data retentionIncludes data export, custom events, weekly reports and custom subdomains. |
| pro | $19/workspace | — | Unlimited websites, pageviews and data retention, all subject to fair useNo annual price is published. |
free tier1 website, unlimited pageviews subject to fair use, and 30-day data retention
billingmonthly only on the public pricing page; no annual plan published
hidden costsBoth plans' 'unlimited' pageviews are subject to an undefined fair-use policy.
pricing sources checked 2026-08-12 · pricing source ↗
Questions about Cabin
Can you build your own Cabin with AI?
Partly. The visible privacy web analytics loop is buildable, but a credible replacement needs more than the first screen. Cabin earns its keep through ingestion, storage, reliability, so expect a weekend or multi-day build and a narrower personal scope.
What does the Cabin build prompt cover?
The prompt starts with this scope: Install a small first-party tracker on one site, aggregate pageviews and referrers and show a simple report with retention controls. Document exactly which fields leave the browser. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: bot and identity resolution; session replay privacy tooling; enterprise governance and integrations. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.
How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?
Start with the Cabin prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.
How long will this Cabin project take?
The catalogue estimate is weekend to multi-day for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.
What would I give up by replacing Cabin?
bot and identity resolution; session replay privacy tooling; enterprise governance and integrations; high-volume ingestion and retention. Cabin: Customers pay for trusted numbers, retention, privacy controls, and a pipeline that remains accurate while traffic and schemas change.
What can I use instead of building Cabin?
Umami: A clean cookieless dashboard, minus Cabin's hosting bill. Plausible Community Edition: Privacy-friendly traffic analytics in one Compose stack; the cloud-only extras stay elsewhere. GoatCounter: Tiny traffic analytics that tells you what happened and declines to become a growth platform. Compare all listed options at https://howtovibecodeit.dev/cabin/alternatives. Check each option's license, hosting needs and feature limits.