Shynet review
A focused, open-source option for teams that want privacy-friendly site metrics they can self-host.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Shynet is an open-source web analytics application for personal projects and small to medium-sized websites. It tracks page views, sessions, duration, bounce rate, and page-load time, with reports covering referrers, geographic information, browsers, operating systems, and device types. Its cookie-free approach and self-hosted deployment make it a fit for teams seeking basic site reporting under their own deployment arrangements, rather than a hosted analytics service.
Tracking can run through JavaScript or a transparent 1x1 pixel fallback, and Shynet supports page-load tracking for single-page applications. Multiple users and tracked sites are supported, with a primary-key option for associating users with sessions. The dashboard API accepts service and date-range query parameters for retrieving analytics data. This combination suits teams that need page- and session-level visibility and want programmatic access to reports; it is less appropriate when analysis depends on tracking individual events.
Deployment options include Docker, Docker Compose, Heroku, Render, and Kubernetes, giving teams several ways to run Shynet in their own environment. That flexibility also means the team must take responsibility for deployment rather than simply signing up for a hosted product. Shynet's reporting stays centered on website activity and performance: event tracking is not supported. Choose it when cookie-free page and session analytics, multiple sites, and self-hosting align with your needs. Look elsewhere if your reporting depends on event-level behavior or you want a hosted analytics service.
Shynet pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Tracks page views, sessions, duration, bounce rate, and page-load time
- Offers referrer, geographic, browser, operating-system, and device reports
- Supports multiple users and sites, with a dashboard API
- Where it doesn't
- Does not support event tracking
- Requires a self-hosted deployment
- Focuses on website metrics rather than event-based analysis
Shynet fact sheet, pricing and score →
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