goaccess
GoAccess is a real-time web log analyzer and interactive viewer that runs in a terminal in *nix systems or through your browser.
Runssource: GitHubhomepageCMITcommit 5e6a1e4e1976
C, MIT licensed. The project labels itself: analytics, apache, caddy, cli, command line, dashboard, data analysis and gdpr.
goaccess runs. An Argusic agent installed it in 10 minutes and hit 2 errors and fixed every one without help on a clean machine with no GPU, and the whole session was recorded.
GoAccess v1.11 builds from source and runs. It parses Apache/Nginx Combined log format files into valid JSON output with correct request counts (4 requests, 3 unique visitors, 2xx status codes, browser/user-agent breakdown) and generates a complete self-contained HTML report. The binary at /work/repo/goaccess executes under custom LD_LIBRARY_PATH for the extracted ncurses libraries.
What the agent ended up with on a clean machine, in its own words. How this is measured
Measured by Argusic on a fresh machine every time. Every number links to its evidence. Argusic Score 100 of 100 (the mean of this project's run scores).
At a glance
Subject data from GitHub, linked at the top of this page, refreshed . Test data by Argusic (CC BY 4.0); every number links to a run page with the full log, the recording, and their sha256 hashes.
What was measured
From the run that decided this verdict. Every line is a recorded value, not an estimate.
What went wrong, in the agent's own words
The agent's own words, worst first, never rewritten into advice.
- Missing ncurses development headers and shared libraries (libncurses-dev, libncurses6, libtinfo6)4 minutes
- Missing build toolchain (autoconf, automake, autopoint, gettext, m4) — the git checkout lacks the pre-generated configure script3 minutes
- Install time
- 10 minutes
- Cold machine to finish
- 14 minutes
- Errors hit and fixed
- 2 hit, 2 fixed with no human help
- How the result was proved
- LD_LIBRARY_PATH=<custom> ./goaccess -f test.log --log-format=COMBINED -o json | python3 -c validated JSON with correct metrics: total_requests=4, unique_visitors=3, valid_requests=4, bandwidth=5936. Also generated 1.9MB HTML report, and --version printed 'GoAccess - 1.11'
- Model tokens used
- 87,087
- Exact commit tested
- 5e6a1e4e1976
- Container image
- sha256:cdd920bce783
What was not measured
The other half, so you can see exactly how far this evidence goes. A gap is printed as a gap and never filled in.
- Peak GPU memory
- this ran on a CPU machine, so there was no GPU to sample
- Behaviour over a long run
- each attempt uses the smallest documented settings and a fixed time budget, so this measures whether it runs, not how it holds up under load
The end of the recording
The last lines of the terminal session that decided this verdict, exactly as they were recorded.
succeeded in 0ms: Build completed at: 1790072970 Start was around: 1790072370 install_minutes estimate: 10 Now let me copy the binary to the repo so we have a usable build in-place exec /bin/sh -lc 'cp /tmp/goaccess-src/goaccess /work/repo/goaccess' in /work/repo succeeded in 0ms: Here's my full report: tokens used 87,087 Here's my full report:
Replay the whole session, every command from a clean machine to this point.
How it was tested
One agent, one container, no human help. It installs the project the way its own documentation says to, runs it, and fixes what breaks. Everything below is recorded as it happened: the terminal session, the log and the exact commit. The full method.
Strengths and limits
Measured facts, not opinions. How this is written.
What went well
- Reached a running state on a clean machine, with the session recorded.
- Installed in 10 minutes, faster than the median of the 12 comparable projects Argusic has measured.
- Recovered from all 2 errors without a human stepping in, which says the failures are documented well enough to solve.
- Ran without a GPU, so it does not need one to start.
- Licensed MIT, as reported by its host.
- Measured 3 times, so the result is not a one-off.
Of the 13 analytics projects Argusic has installed and timed, goaccess was the 3rd fastest to reach a running state, and 10 of 13 reached one at all.
What it is a reasonable choice for
- Trying it on a laptop or a small server: it reached a running state without a GPU.
- A quick evaluation: it was running 10 minutes after the clone.
Also tested, in the same area
Every one of these was installed and run by Argusic on a clean machine. Nothing appears here that was not tested.
Run history
Topics (from GitHub)
analyticsapacheccaddyclicommand-linedashboarddata-analysisgdprgoaccessgoogle-analyticsmonitoringncursesnginxprivacyreal-timeterminaltuiweb-analyticswebserver
Embed the badge
Markdown for the project README. It links back here; terms on the terms page.
[](https://argusic.com/subject/goaccess)Questions
- Does goaccess run?
- Yes. goaccess runs. Argusic installed and launched it on a clean machine in 10 minutes, hitting 2 errors on the way, and recorded the session.
- How did Argusic test goaccess?
- On a fresh, disposable machine, with every command recorded and the repository pinned at commit 5e6a1e4e1976. 3 attempts are recorded, and the full method is on the methodology page.
- What did it cost to test goaccess?
- The run that produced this verdict cost $0.09: real compute and model cost, not a list price per million tokens. It is recorded on that run's page.
- How long does goaccess take to install?
- 10 minutes in the run that decided this verdict, from a clean machine to a running state. That is one measured attempt, not an average.
- Does goaccess need a GPU?
- Not to start. Argusic reached a running state on a machine with no GPU.
- What goes wrong when installing goaccess?
- 2 things broke in the recorded run, and 2 were fixed without human help. Each one, and the time it cost, is listed on this page.
- How does goaccess compare with the alternatives?
- Of the 13 analytics projects Argusic has installed and timed, goaccess was the 3rd fastest to reach a running state, and 10 of 13 reached one at all.
- Where is the evidence for goaccess?
- All 3 recorded runs are on this page, each linking to its full log and terminal recording, stored with a sha256 fingerprint so it cannot be quietly altered.