How to Install AWStats (Apache Log Analyzer) on Ubuntu, Debian & Linux Mint

AWStats is a powerful, open-source log analyzer tool that helps website owners and administrators understand the traffic on their websites. It provides detailed information about the visitors to the website, including the number of visitors, their geographical location, the pages they visited, and more. With this information, website owners can optimize their websites and improve their online presence.

In this article, we will show you how to install AWStats on Ubuntu, Debian, and Linux Mint, three popular Linux distributions. This article has been tested with Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

Prerequisites

Before we start the installation, make sure that you have the Apache web server installed on your system. If not, you can install it by running the following command:

sudo apt-get update 
sudo apt-get install apache2 

Step 1: Installing AWStats

AWStats required an Apache web server. If you don’t have Apache installed Use the below commands to install the Apache2 web server and AWStats packages. It will also install all other required dependencies.

sudo apt install awstats 

Step 2: Configure Apache

Now create an Apache configuration file for AWStats setup. Use your favorite text editor and edit a new file /etc/apache2/conf-available/awstats.conf.

sudo nano /etc/apache2/conf-available/awstats.conf 

Now add the following configuration

Make sure to update Require host and Allow from IP range as per the Apache version.

Now enable the CGI module (if not enabled) and Also enable Awstats apache configuration.

sudo a2enmod cgi 
sudo a2enconf awstats 

Restart the Apache service to reload new settings

sudo systemctl restart apache2 

Step 3: Create AWStats Configuration File

It’s required to create a configuration file for each of your websites for which statics need to generate. Copy the AWStats example configuration file with a new name and make changes as below.

sudo cp /etc/awstats/awstats.conf /etc/awstats/awstats.example.com.conf 
sudo nano /etc/awstats/awstats.example.com.conf 

Replace “example.com” in the above command with the name of your domain.

Now, update the following configuration settings in awstats.example.com.conf:

• Set the log file path:
  
  LogFile="/var/log/apache2/example.com-access_log"

  1	LogFile="/var/log/apache2/example.com-access_log"

• Set the domain name:
  
  SiteDomain="tecadmin.net"

  1	SiteDomain="tecadmin.net"

• Set the aliases for the host:
  
  HostAliases="example.com www.example.com"

  1	HostAliases="example.com www.example.com"

Now execute the following command to update log files. The AWStats automatically detects already processed logs and ignore them. It will only process the new logs.

sudo /usr/lib/cgi-bin/awstats.pl -config=example.com -update 

Replace “example.com” in the above command with the name of your domain.

Step 4: Access AWStats

Use your server IP address or domain name to access AWStats statics. Change the domain name at the end of the URL as per your settings.

https://example.com/awstats/awstats.pl?config=tecadmin.net

Conclusion

In conclusion, AWStats is a valuable tool for website owners and administrators who want to understand the traffic on their websites. With its detailed statistics, website owners can make informed decisions about how to improve their website and reach their target audience. Installing AWStats on Ubuntu, Debian, and Linux Mint is a straightforward process that can be completed in a few simple steps. With this guide, you can easily install AWStats and start analyzing your website traffic to make informed decisions about how to improve your website. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced user, this guide will help you get started with AWStats and make the most of its features.