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AWStats
 
 
To see a larger version of any of the screenshots, please click on the image. 
 
Cobalt Support normally installs AWStats with our Webmin GUI - this allows for greater ease and control over this extremely powerful advanced web server statistics software.

 
 
AWStats

SAWStats is a short for Advanced Web Statistics. It's a powerful tool that generates advanced web (also ftp or mail) server statistics, graphically. This log analyzer works as a CGI or from command line and shows you all possible information your log contains, in few graphical web pages. It uses a partial information file to be able to process large log files, often and quickly. It can analyze log files from IIS (W3C log format), Apache log files (NCSA combined/XLF/ELF log format or common/CLF log format), WebStar and most of all web, proxy, wap, streaming servers (and ftp servers or mail logs).


Summary

Take a look at the comparison table for an idea on differences between most famous statistics tools (AWStats, Analog, Webalizer,...).  As AWStats works from the command line but also as a CGI, it can work with major web hosting provider that allows CGI and log access.


Days of the Week
 

Features

A full log analysis enables AWStats to show you the following information:


* Number of visits, and number of unique visitors,
* Visits duration and last visits,
* Authenticated users, and last authenticated visits,
* Days of week and rush hours (pages, hits, KB for each hour and day of week),
* Domains/countries of hosts visitors (pages, hits, KB, 269 domains/countries detected),
* Hosts list, last visits and unresolved IP addresses list,
* Most viewed, entry and exit pages,
* Files type,
* Web compression statistics (for mod_gzip or mod_deflate),
* OS used (pages, hits, KB for each OS, 35 OS detected),
* Browsers used (pages, hits, KB for each browser, each version, 97 browsers: Web, Wap, Media browsers...),
* Visits of robots (319 robots detected),
* Worms attacks (5 worm's families),
* Search engines, keyphrases and keywords used to find your site (The 115 most famous search engines are detected like yahoo, google, altavista, etc...),
* HTTP errors (Page Not Found with last referrer, ...),
* Other personalized reports based on url, url parameters, referer field for miscellanous/marketing purpose,
* Number of times your site is "added to favourites bookmarks".
* Screen size (need to add some HTML tags in index page).
* Ratio of Browsers with support of: Java, Flash, RealG2 reader, Quicktime reader, WMA reader, PDF reader (need to add some HTML tags in index page).
* Cluster report for load balanced servers ratio.


Monthly History

AWStats also supports the following features:
 

* Can analyze a lot of log formats: Apache NCSA combined log files (XLF/ELF) or common (CLF), IIS log files (W3C), WebStar native log files and other web, proxy, wap or streaming servers log files (but also ftp or mail log files). See AWStats F.A.Q. for examples.
* Works from command line and from a browser as a CGI (with dynamic filters capabilities for some charts),
* Update of statistics can be made from a web browser and not only from your scheduler,
* Unlimited log file size, support split log files (load balancing system),
* Support 'not correctly sorted' log files even for entry and exit pages,
* Reverse DNS lookup before or during analysis, support DNS cache files,
* Country detection from IP location (geoip) or domain name.
* WhoIS links,
* A lot of options/filters and plugins can be used,
* Multi-named web sites supported (virtual servers, great for web-hosting providers),
* Cross Site Scripting Attacks protection,
* Several languages. See AWStats F.A.Q. for full list.
* No need of rare perl libraries. All basic perl interpreters can make AWStats working,
* Dynamic reports as CGI output.
* Static reports in one or framed HTML or XML pages or experimental PDF export,
* Look and colors can match your site design, can use CSS,
* Help and tooltips on HTML reported pages,
* Easy to use (Just one configuration file to edit),
* Absolutely free (even for web hosting providers), with sources (GNU General Public License),
* Available on all platforms,
* AWStats has a XML Portable Application Description.


Days of the Month

Comparisons

Features/Softwares AWStats Analog Webalizer HitBox
Version - Date 6.0 - February 2004 5.32 - April 2003 2.01-10 - April 2002 NA
Language Perl C C Embedded HTML tag
Available on all platforms Yes Yes Yes NA
Sources available Yes Yes Yes No
Price/Licence Free Free Free Free but with adverts
Works with Apache combined (XLF/ELF) Yes Yes Yes NA
Works with Apache common (CLF) log format Just some features Just some features Just some features NA
Works with IIS (W3C) log format Yes Yes Need a patch NA
Works with personalized log format Yes Yes No NA
Analyze Web/Ftp/Mail log files Yes/Yes/Yes Yes/No/No Yes/No/No NA/No/No
Update of statistics from command line (CLI) and/or
a browser (CGI)
command line (CLI) and/or
a browser (CGI)
command line NA
Internal reverse DNS lookup Yes Yes Yes NA
DNS cache file Static and dynamic Static or dynamic Static or dynamic NA
Process logs spitted by load balancing systems Yes Yes No No
Report number of "human" visits Yes No Yes Yes
Report unique "human" visitors Yes No No Yes
Report session duration Yes No No Yes
Not ordered records tolerance and reorder for visits Yes Visits not supported No ?
Statistics for visits are based on Pages ***** Not supported Pages ***** Pages *****
Statistics for unique visitors are based on Pages ***** Not supported Not supported Pages *****
Report countries From IP location
or domain name
Domain name Domain name ?
Report hosts Yes Yes Yes Yes
WhoIs link on hosts Yes No No No
Report authenticated users Yes Yes No No
Report/Filter robots (nb detected) Yes/Yes (310**) Yes / Yes (8**) No/No No/No
Report/Filter worms (nb of families detected) Yes/Yes (5) No / No No/No No/No
Report rush hours Yes Yes Yes Yes
Report days of week Yes Yes Yes Yes
Report most often viewed pages Yes
 
Yes Yes Yes
Report entry pages Yes
 
No Yes Yes
Report exit pages Yes
 
No Yes Yes
Not ordered records tolerance and reorder for entry/exit pages Yes Entry/Exit not supported No ?
Detection of CGI pages as pages (and not just hits) Yes Only if prog ends by a defined value Only if prog ends by a defined value Yes
Report pages by directory No Yes No No
Report pages with last access time/average size Yes/Yes Yes/No No/No No/No
Dynamic filter on hosts/pages/referers report Yes/Yes/Yes No/No/No No/No/No No/No/No
Report web compression statistics (mod_gzip,mod_deflate) Yes No No No
Report file types Yes Yes No No
Report by file size No Yes No No
Report OS (nb detected) Yes (35) Yes (29) No (0) ?
Report browsers (nb detected) Yes (97*) Yes (9*) Yes (4*) Yes (<20*)
Report details of browsers versions Major and minor versions Major versions only Major an minor versions Major and minor versions
Report screen sizes Yes No No Yes
Report tech supported by browser for Java/Flash/PDF Yes/Yes/Yes No/No/No No/No/No No/No/No
Report audio format supported by browser for Real/QuickTime/Mediaplayer Yes/Yes/Yes No/No/No No/No/No No/No/No
Report search engines used (nb detected) Yes (115***) Yes (24) No (0) Yes (<20 ***)
Report keywords/keyphrases used on search engines (nb detected) Yes/Yes (109***) Yes/No (29***) No/Yes (14***) Yes/No (<20***)
Report external refering web page with/without query Yes/Yes No/No No/Yes Yes/No
Report HTTP Errors Yes
 
Yes Yes No
Report 404 Errors Nb + List last date/referer
 
Nb only Nb only No
Report 'Add to favorites' statistics Yes
 
No No No
Other personalized reports for
miscellanous/marketing purpose
Yes
 
No No No
Daily statistics Yes Yes Yes Yes
Monthly statistics Yes Yes Yes Yes
Yearly statistics Yes Yes Yes Yes
Benchmark with no DNS lookup in lines/seconds
(full features enabled, with XLF format, cygwin Perl 5.8, Athlon 1Ghz)
5200**** 39000**** 12000**** NA
No program to run
Benchmark with DNS lookup in lines/seconds
(full features enabled, with XLF format, cygwin Perl 5.8, Athlon 1Ghz)
80**** 80**** 80**** NA
No program to run
Reuse of analyzed data by other tools Easy (database=described text files) Database not saved Not easy (database=undocumented text file) Not possible
Export statistics to PDF Experimental