If you are new to Countly and looking to install a self-hosted Countly Server, this is a great place to start. You will be introduced to deployment paths, sizing decisions, installation procedures, migration steps, and more.

What's new in v26.01

Before diving into installing the Countly Server, it's essential to understand what's new in Countly v26.01, which includes architecture changes, new components, and more. 

Check out the following article for more detailed information:

Hosting Options

Before installing the Countly server, you must decide where to install it. Would you like to install the server on-premises, or would you like Countly to handle deployment, maintenance, and backups? 

This is an important topic, and that's why we offer two hosting options: 

1. Countly on-premise (self-hosted), 
2. Countly-hosted through private cloud deployment. 

We highly recommend checking out the following article for more detailed information on the differences between these two options:

Choosing Your Deployment Path

If you choose to install the Countly server on-premises, you must decide how you want to run it. We support the following deployment paths, each suited to a different operational profile:

1. Single-host Docker Compose: the fastest path to a running Countly Server. Brings up the entire stack with minimal operational overhead. Suitable for low-volume applications, development environments, or customers who prefer a minimal stack
2. Kubernetes with Helmfile: the recommended path for production at scale. Helmfile orchestrates the full Countly stack across MongoDB, ClickHouse, Kafka, and the observability stack.
3. Offline deployment: You can deploy Countly in an air-gapped environment where servers cannot connect to external networks. (For example: for Financial institutions with no outbound internet access)

For more detailed information on each option, check out the following articles:

Choosing Your Capacity Tier

Once you have picked a deployment path, the next step is sizing. Countly offers a tier preset model that maps host vCPU and RAM to per-service resource limits and replica counts, so you do not have to tune each component by hand.

• Docker Compose tiers (T4-16 to T80-320): ten preset tiers covering a single-host range from 4 vCPU / 16 GB to 80 vCPU / 320 GB.
• Helm sizing profiles: reusable profiles for Helm-managed Kubernetes deployments, sized to expected traffic and retention.

For more detailed information, check out the following articles:

Installing the Countly Server

With your deployment path and tier chosen, you are ready to install. Each path has its own end-to-end installation guide covering MongoDB, ClickHouse, Kafka, and the Countly Server itself.

Migration

If you are moving from an existing Countly deployment (v25.03 or earlier) to v26.01, you must copy your historical events from MongoDB to ClickHouse so your dashboard can display them. 

Check out the migration guides to see what the migration involves, how it works, and how to successfully choose the cutover plan: 

Performance Testing

Once your deployment is live and validated, you can stress-test it with k6 load scenarios. This is optional, but recommended before any traffic ramp or capacity decision.