HitKeep Cloud
Managed privacy-first analytics with an open-source self-hosted edition
The subscription is managed hosting of the same MIT-licensed application, so an agent does not need to reproduce HitKeep. It can deploy the official binary or container in one sitting; the real gap is upgrades, backups, email delivery, monitoring, and being on call for the analytics box.
Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability
What you give up
- managed upgrades and monitoring
- encrypted regional backups
- managed email delivery
- vendor support and incident response
Why people still pay
They pay because analytics has to keep collecting while nobody is watching. The subscription turns upgrades, backups, email delivery, TLS, and routine incidents into someone else's problem without changing the product or export model.
Your build guide
The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.
Before you start
- A user-owned Linux server, domain/DNS control, sufficient disk and memory, and the selected upstream release documentation. Record actual image names and required variables rather than guessing.
- Implementation components: Docker Compose around the selected upstream application, pinned release/image digest and persistent volumes. Caddy for HTTPS, environment templates without secrets, and operator scripts for backups, upgrades and restore.
- Scope boundary: Hosted support, managed upgrades and service availability commitments remain the operator's responsibility.
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: sharp-edges — Review security-sensitive APIs and configuration for dangerous defaults and easy-to-misuse interfaces. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
Optional external skill: agent-browser — Automate browser interaction using accessibility snapshots, element references and reproducible navigation workflows. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
Project rule — operating records: official HitKeep release configuration, site registrations, tracker settings, persistent volumes and backup manifests
Project rule — preserve this invariant: Use only release-documented ports, variables and storage paths; a running container is not proof that events are being stored.
Project rule — acceptance evidence: Send a clearly labeled fixture event to a staging site, find it in the dashboard and restore that instance into separate volumes.
Implementation plan
Phase 1
Select and document the upstream release. Deploy the official self-hostable HitKeep release, configure one site and add its documented tracker. Focus on HTTPS, retention, backups and a documented upgrade path rather than reimplementing analytics. Record the release, documented host requirements and upstream deployment reference. Start in an isolated staging directory. Keep these exclusions explicit: Hosted support, managed upgrades and service availability commitments remain the operator's responsibility.
Phase 2
Configure the maintained application. Record official HitKeep release configuration, site registrations, tracker settings, persistent volumes and backup manifests Configure supported environment variables, credentials, volumes and database connections. Use upstream installation and migration procedures; do not create a replacement application schema, authentication service or dashboard. Preserve this rule: Use only release-documented ports, variables and storage paths; a running container is not proof that events are being stored.
Phase 3
Use the upstream workflow. Perform the stated workflow through the upstream interface or its documented CLI. Add an operator helper script only when the working slice explicitly calls for it; do not build a new input/review/output frontend. Back up before each upgrade, retain the previous image and configuration, and check upstream schema migration notes; a container rollback alone may not reverse a database migration.
Phase 4
Review access and failure states. Generate unique administrator secrets, restrict exposed ports and disable public signup if the deployment is private. Keep backups encrypted and credentials outside the repository. Document health checks, reconnect/restart steps and how missing configuration is surfaced by the upstream service. Keep public and administrative endpoints separate.
Phase 5
Recovery and upgrades. Capture the complete database and persistent file set consistently. Rehearse recovery into separate volumes and document the supported rollback point. Document upstream migration compatibility before an upgrade, the retained rollback point and the sequence for restoring configuration, data and files.
Phase 6
Operator handoff and acceptance. Send a clearly labeled fixture event to a staging site, find it in the dashboard and restore that instance into separate volumes. Record actual staging observations separately from these proposed checks. Deliver the pinned configuration, secret-free environment template, backup/restore runbook and any explicitly scoped helper scripts; do not claim equivalence to managed hosting.
WORKING SLICE Deploy the official self-hostable HitKeep release, configure one site and add its documented tracker. Focus on HTTPS, retention, backups and a documented upgrade path rather than reimplementing analytics. Operate this scoped HitKeep Cloud-inspired deployment through the maintained upstream application. Record its configuration and failure states; do not rebuild its schema, interface or services. Architecture - Docker Compose around the selected upstream application, pinned release/image digest and persistent volumes. - Caddy for HTTPS, environment templates without secrets, and operator scripts for backups, upgrades and restore. Prerequisites and limits A user-owned Linux server, domain/DNS control, sufficient disk and memory, and the selected upstream release documentation. Record actual image names and required variables rather than guessing. Outside this release: Hosted support, managed upgrades and service availability commitments remain the operator's responsibility. Configuration and correctness official HitKeep release configuration, site registrations, tracker settings, persistent volumes and backup manifests Invariant: Use only release-documented ports, variables and storage paths; a running container is not proof that events are being stored. Back up before each upgrade, retain the previous image and configuration, and check upstream schema migration notes; a container rollback alone may not reverse a database migration. Security and privacy Generate unique administrator secrets, restrict exposed ports and disable public signup if the deployment is private. Keep backups encrypted and credentials outside the repository. Recovery and export Capture the complete database and persistent file set consistently. Rehearse recovery into separate volumes and document the supported rollback point. Implementation order 1. Phase 1 — Select and document the upstream release. Deploy the official self-hostable HitKeep release, configure one site and add its documented tracker. Focus on HTTPS, retention, backups and a documented upgrade path rather than reimplementing analytics. Record the release, documented host requirements and upstream deployment reference. Start in an isolated staging directory. Keep these exclusions explicit: Hosted support, managed upgrades and service availability commitments remain the operator's responsibility. 2. Phase 2 — Configure the maintained application. Record official HitKeep release configuration, site registrations, tracker settings, persistent volumes and backup manifests Configure supported environment variables, credentials, volumes and database connections. Use upstream installation and migration procedures; do not create a replacement application schema, authentication service or dashboard. Preserve this rule: Use only release-documented ports, variables and storage paths; a running container is not proof that events are being stored. 3. Phase 3 — Use the upstream workflow. Perform the stated workflow through the upstream interface or its documented CLI. Add an operator helper script only when the working slice explicitly calls for it; do not build a new input/review/output frontend. Back up before each upgrade, retain the previous image and configuration, and check upstream schema migration notes; a container rollback alone may not reverse a database migration. 4. Phase 4 — Review access and failure states. Generate unique administrator secrets, restrict exposed ports and disable public signup if the deployment is private. Keep backups encrypted and credentials outside the repository. Document health checks, reconnect/restart steps and how missing configuration is surfaced by the upstream service. Keep public and administrative endpoints separate. 5. Phase 5 — Recovery and upgrades. Capture the complete database and persistent file set consistently. Rehearse recovery into separate volumes and document the supported rollback point. Document upstream migration compatibility before an upgrade, the retained rollback point and the sequence for restoring configuration, data and files. 6. Phase 6 — Operator handoff and acceptance. Send a clearly labeled fixture event to a staging site, find it in the dashboard and restore that instance into separate volumes. Record actual staging observations separately from these proposed checks. Deliver the pinned configuration, secret-free environment template, backup/restore runbook and any explicitly scoped helper scripts; do not claim equivalence to managed hosting. Acceptance Send a clearly labeled fixture event to a staging site, find it in the dashboard and restore that instance into separate volumes. 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: [sharp-edges](https://github.com/trailofbits/skills/blob/main/plugins/sharp-edges/skills/sharp-edges/SKILL.md) — Review security-sensitive APIs and configuration for dangerous defaults and easy-to-misuse interfaces. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission. Optional external skill: [agent-browser](https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-browser/blob/main/skills/agent-browser/SKILL.md) — Automate browser interaction using accessibility snapshots, element references and reproducible navigation workflows. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission. Project rule — operating records: official HitKeep release configuration, site registrations, tracker settings, persistent volumes and backup manifests Project rule — preserve this invariant: Use only release-documented ports, variables and storage paths; a running container is not proof that events are being stored. Project rule — acceptance evidence: Send a clearly labeled fixture event to a staging site, find it in the dashboard and restore that instance into separate volumes.
$ 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
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HitKeep Cloud pricing
pro$17/mo · monthly per team · $204/yr
free tierThe free plan includes 3 sites, 3 team members, and 60 days of history with no time limit.
pricing source checked 2026-08-11 · pricing source ↗
Questions about HitKeep Cloud
Can you build your own HitKeep Cloud with AI?
The verdict is yes for the scoped workflow. The subscription is managed hosting of the same MIT-licensed application, so an agent does not need to reproduce HitKeep. It can deploy the official binary or container in one sitting; the real gap is upgrades, backups, email delivery, monitoring, and being on call for the analytics box.
What does the HitKeep Cloud build prompt cover?
The prompt starts with this scope: Deploy the official self-hostable HitKeep release, configure one site and add its documented tracker. Focus on HTTPS, retention, backups and a documented upgrade path rather than reimplementing analytics. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: managed upgrades and monitoring; encrypted regional backups; managed email delivery. 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 HitKeep Cloud 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 HitKeep Cloud project take?
The catalogue estimate is one sitting 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 HitKeep Cloud?
managed upgrades and monitoring; encrypted regional backups; managed email delivery; vendor support and incident response. They pay because analytics has to keep collecting while nobody is watching. The subscription turns upgrades, backups, email delivery, TLS, and routine incidents into someone else's problem without changing the product or export model.
What price is this guide comparing against?
The recorded Pro plan is $17/mo (monthly per team), checked 2026-08-11. Check the linked pricing source before buying. Building your own also has hosting, API and maintenance costs; the recorded amount is not a guaranteed saving.
What can I use instead of building HitKeep Cloud?
HitKeep Self-Hosted: Exactly the same analytics product, except the upgrade window and backup drill belong to you. Check each option's license, hosting needs and feature limits.