AWStats is a powerful and feature-rich web analytics tool that generates advanced web, streaming, FTP, or mail server statistics. It is a free and open-source software that can analyze log files from various web servers such as Apache, IIS, Nginx, and many others. AWStats presents the data in graphical format, making it easy to understand and interpret. It provides detailed reports on various metrics including the number of visits, unique visitors, pages, hits, and bandwidth usage.
Additionally, it can identify the most frequently accessed pages, the geographical location of visitors, and the search engines and keywords used to reach the site. AWStats is highly customizable and can be configured to meet the specific needs of different users. It is a valuable tool for web administrators who need to monitor and optimize the performance of their websites.
Before installing AWStats, ensure you have the following:
awstats.model.conf file to a new file named awstats.yourdomain.conf and edit it to match your server’s configuration.LogFormat in your AWStats configuration file matches the format of your web server’s log files.perl awstats.pl -config=yourdomain -update
To view the AWStats reports, you need to set up a web interface. Create an alias in your web server configuration to point to the AWStats directory. For example, in Apache:
Alias /awstatsclasses "/path_to_awstats/wwwroot/classes/"
Alias /awstatscss "/path_to_awstats/wwwroot/css/"
Alias /awstatsicons "/path_to_awstats/wwwroot/icon/"
ScriptAlias /awstats/ "/path_to_awstats/wwwroot/cgi-bin/"
Then, access the reports via http://yourdomain/awstats/awstats.pl?config=yourdomain.
AWStats is a versatile and powerful tool for web administrators looking to gain insights into their web traffic. Its extensive features and customization options make it suitable for a wide range of use cases, from small personal websites to large enterprise environments. By leveraging AWStats, administrators can make informed decisions to optimize their web server performance and enhance user experience.