Backends

Nginx and Apache

Nginx analytics with Stickybeak starts by adding its script to your rendered pages; this guide shows you where it belongs and how to track page views, goals and purchase revenue. It is a lighter alternative to Google Analytics for Nginx, with live visitors, goals and revenue attribution in one script.

#Add the script

This uses sub_filter from ngx_http_sub_module. It's included in the nginx.org packages and most distribution builds; nginx -V 2>&1 | grep http_sub_module tells you for sure.

server {
    server_name example.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3000;

        # sub_filter can't edit compressed responses, so ask the app for plain ones.
        proxy_set_header Accept-Encoding "";

        sub_filter '</head>' '<script defer data-site="YOUR_SITE_ID" data-domain="example.com" src="https://app.usestickybeak.com/_cfw/s.js"></script></head>';
        sub_filter_once on;
    }
}

sudo nginx -t && sudo systemctl reload nginx

Serving static files straight from disk?

#Apache

This uses mod_substitute. Enable it (and mod_headers if Apache is proxying):

sudo a2enmod substitute headers && sudo systemctl reload apache2

Then add this to the site's virtual host:

<Location "/">
    # Only if Apache proxies to an app: ask it for uncompressed HTML.
    RequestHeader unset Accept-Encoding

    AddOutputFilterByType SUBSTITUTE text/html
    Substitute 's|</head>|<script defer data-site="YOUR_SITE_ID" data-domain="example.com" src="https://app.usestickybeak.com/_cfw/s.js"></script></head>|i'
</Location>

#Caddy

Caddy can't rewrite response bodies out of the box.

#Check it's working

Reload the server, then run curl -s https://example.com/ | grep _cfw.

See Verify your install.

#Track goals

• Production only. Put the rule in the production server block or virtual host, not a shared include, so staging servers stay out of your numbers.
• Goals need markup. Click goals are a data-goal attribute on the element, which is awkward to add with a find-and-replace.

See Custom goals.

#Track purchases

Render window.stickybeak("purchase", { revenue, currency, order_id }) on the checkout confirmation page.

See Revenue.

#If it isn't working

• Response rewriting cannot edit compressed upstream or pre-compressed HTML. Caddy needs the replace-response plugin.

See Troubleshooting.