What it does
GoAccess is an open-source web-log analyzer with terminal output and browser reports. It parses supported access-log formats to summarize requests, visitors, bandwidth, response times and related HTTP statistics. HTML, JSON and CSV outputs support different reporting needs without sending logs to a hosted analytics service.
GoAccess reads web-server access logs and turns them into traffic and HTTP reports. It runs locally, without a hosted analytics account. Installation can use a Linux package manager, a source build or the upstream Docker image.
For an interactive terminal report, run goaccess access.log -c and select the format that matches the file. A standard Apache or Nginx combined log can instead produce a saved report with goaccess access.log -o report.html --log-format=COMBINED. Open that file in a browser to inspect the snapshot. Keep a recurring format setting in the configuration file; passing it on one command does not save it for future runs.
Live HTML mode adds --real-time-html and pushes updates over a WebSocket connection. GoAccess generates the page but does not serve it, so configure your web server and any required access restrictions when publishing a live report.
The dashboard summarises what the server recorded, including requested pages, status codes and bandwidth. Timing statistics require the corresponding timing fields in the logs. JSON and CSV outputs are available for other reporting tools. The MIT-licensed software has no product subscription, although its host and report-serving resources remain your responsibility.
Strengths
- Offers terminal, HTML, JSON and CSV views of supported web logs.
- Supports common server presets, custom formats and incremental processing.
Watch out for
- Live HTML reporting needs separate report hosting and a WebSocket connection.
Best for
- Technical website operators examining traffic and HTTP activity from available server logs
Sources
- GoAccess Visual Web Log Analyzer (Oct 27, 2026)
- Get Started with GoAccess (Oct 27, 2026)
- GoAccess Frequently Asked Questions (Oct 27, 2026)
- GoAccess MIT Licence (Oct 26, 2026)
- GitHub - allinurl/goaccess: GoAccess is a real-time web log analyzer and interactive viewer that runs in a terminal in *nix systems or through your browser. · GitHub (Oct 26, 2026)
- GoAccess - Downloads (Oct 26, 2026)