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Ahoy

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What Ahoy is

Ahoy is a free, MIT-licensed analytics library for developers building Rails applications. It tracks visits and events in Ruby, JavaScript, and native apps, with conversion funnel and ecommerce tracking listed. Visit records can contain traffic source, location, browser, operating system, device type, and UTM parameters. Data goes into the Rails database by default, while customizable data stores are supported, with examples for Kafka, RabbitMQ, Fluentd, NATS, NSQ, and Amazon Kinesis Firehose. Its API accepts POST requests for visits and events at /ahoy/visits and /ahoy/events. Privacy options include IP masking, cookie-free anonymity sets, and disabling automatic association between visits and users. The project recommends local or load-balancer geocoding to avoid sending IP addresses to a third party. Bots are excluded by default, and custom rules can be configured. A new visit starts after four hours of inactivity by default. Documentation examples cover deleting older visit and event data, as well as data for a specific user.

Who it suits

Ahoy suits developers who want first-party analytics for a Rails application and prefer to store tracked data in their own Rails database. It may also fit teams needing configurable data stores, event tracking, or privacy options.

What it does well

  • Free and MIT licensed.
  • Tracks visits and events across Ruby, JavaScript, and native apps.
  • Rails database storage is the default.
  • Bots are excluded by default.
  • Includes privacy options such as IP masking.

What to know first

  • Designed for Rails applications and developers.
  • A new visit begins after four hours of inactivity by default.
  • Geocoding privacy depends on using a local service or load balancer.

Plans

PlanBilled and limitsPrice
AhoyMIT-licensed Rails analytics library; data stored in your database by defaultFree

As github.com lists them, read 12 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

  1. Open the Ahoy project on GitHub
  2. Choose a Rails deployment for web, API, or self-hosted use
  3. Connect the supported Ruby, JavaScript, or native app tracking
  4. Send visits and events through the Ahoy tracking endpoints
  5. Configure storage, privacy options, bot rules, and retention settings

Verdict

Ahoy offers Rails-focused first-party analytics with configurable storage, event tracking, and several privacy controls. Its developer-oriented scope and Rails target are important considerations.

Questions

What does Ahoy cost?

Ahoy is free, and the listed Ahoy plan is free. It is MIT licensed.

Where can Ahoy run?

The listing covers Android, iOS, web, API, and self-hosted environments.

Where is tracking data stored?

Data is stored in the Rails database by default, with customizable data stores supported.

Does Ahoy provide an API?

Yes. POST requests for visits and events use /ahoy/visits and /ahoy/events.

Can Ahoy support privacy controls?

Yes. Options include IP masking, cookie-free anonymity sets, and disabling automatic association of visits with users.

Facts from Ahoy's own pages

API
The API accepts POST requests for visits and events at /ahoy/visits and /ahoy/events. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
API access
Yes · github.com, 21 Sept 2026
Bot filtering
Bots are excluded from tracking by default, and custom exclusion rules can be configured. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Conversion funnels
Yes · github.com, 21 Sept 2026
Data retention
The README provides examples for deleting older visit and event data and deleting data for a specific user. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Ecommerce tracking
Yes · github.com, 21 Sept 2026
Event tracking
Events have a name and properties and can be tracked from Ruby, JavaScript, native apps, and AMP. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Geocoding privacy
The README recommends local or load-balancer geocoding to avoid sending IP addresses to a third-party service. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Integrations
The README gives examples for Kafka, RabbitMQ, Fluentd, NATS, NSQ, and Amazon Kinesis Firehose data stores. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Intended users
The project describes itself as built with developers in mind and targets Rails applications. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
License
The GitHub repository identifies the project as MIT licensed. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Privacy
Ahoy offers IP masking, cookie-free anonymity sets, and disabling automatic association of visits with users as options to help with GDPR compliance. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Purpose
Ahoy is first-party analytics for Rails that tracks visits and events in Ruby, JavaScript, and native apps. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Storage
Ahoy stores tracked data in the Rails database by default and supports customizable data stores. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Visit data
Visits can include traffic source, location, browser, operating system, device type, and UTM parameters. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Visit duration
A new visit is created after four hours of inactivity by default. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026

Where Ahoy stands on Freedom251

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