How to Export Data from Umami Analytics

TL;DR: The fastest way to export your Umami data is using the @openpanel/umami-exporter tool. Simply run our op-umami-exporter to get all your analytics data in CSV format.

With web analytics, you want control over your data. If you're switching platforms, creating backups, or analyzing your data in other tools, you need a way to export it from Umami Analytics.

Umami handles data export differently depending on whether you use their cloud service or self-host. This guide walks through both, and explains why you might consider alternatives like OpenPanel.

Understanding Umami's export limitations

Umami Analytics is a good privacy-focused analytics tool, but it has limits around data portability. The cloud version includes an export feature, which is great if you're paying for their service. If you self-host Umami, though, there's no official export tool.

This gap exists because Umami's team focuses on the analytics features rather than data migration tools. That's understandable, but it's a real problem for users who need to move their data.

Many self-hosted users discover this limitation only when they need to migrate or create backups. You might have months or years of valuable analytics data locked in your PostgreSQL database with no straightforward way to get it out.

The cloud export feature

If you're using Umami Cloud, you have access to their built-in export. The process is simple but has a few considerations.

To export from Umami Cloud, log into your account and go to the Account section. There you'll find a Data tab with the export option.

Once you submit an export request, Umami processes it in the background, so you don't have to wait while your data is prepared. They'll send you an email with a download link once the export is ready.

The exported data comes in CSV format, compressed with gzip to reduce file size. This helps if you have a high-traffic website with millions of pageviews. The compression can reduce file sizes by 70-90%, making downloads faster.

There are some limitations, though. Each export request handles only one website at a time. If you track multiple domains, you'll need a separate export request for each one, which gets tedious if you manage many sites.

Large datasets can also take a long time to process. Umami doesn't provide real-time progress updates, so you wait for the email notification. For very large sites, exports can take hours to complete.

The self-hosted solution: OpenPanel exporter

For self-hosted Umami users, we built the @openpanel/umami-exporter to fill this gap. It connects directly to your PostgreSQL database and extracts all your analytics data into CSV format.

You don't need to install anything permanently or modify your Umami installation. The tool runs independently and only needs read access to your database.

With npx, you can run the exporter without installing anything:

npx op-umami-exporter "postgresql://username:password@host:port/database"

This single command handles everything: connecting to your database, querying the necessary tables, joining the data, and outputting it in a format that's ready to import into other systems.

The exporter pulls data from multiple tables including sessions, events, and website configurations, then combines them into a denormalized format. This makes the exported data easier to work with in other tools.

One common hurdle is that Umami's default Docker configuration doesn't expose the PostgreSQL port. You'll need to modify your docker-compose.yml file to add port mapping. This is a one-time change that takes a minute:

services:
  postgres:
    ports:
      - "5432:5432"

After making this change and restarting your containers, the exporter can connect to your database. The default Umami credentials are usually umami/umami for both username and password, though you should verify this in your configuration.

Why consider moving from Umami?

Umami is good at privacy-focused web analytics, but you might need more advanced features. That's where platforms like OpenPanel fit.

We built OpenPanel for websites that need more than pageview tracking. It keeps the same privacy-first approach as Umami and adds features to understand user behavior in more depth.

One difference is real-time data processing. You see visitor activity as it happens, not with the delays common in batch-processing systems. That helps you respond quickly to traffic spikes, marketing campaigns, or technical issues.

Our event tracking goes beyond pageviews. You can track custom events, user interactions, and conversion funnels without writing complex code. OpenPanel automatically captures many interactions that would require manual setup in Umami.

Filtering and segmentation are also more advanced. You can build queries for specific user segments, compare time periods more flexibly, and create custom dashboards focused on the metrics you care about.

For teams, OpenPanel has better collaboration features. You can share specific views, create read-only access for stakeholders, and set up automated reports that keep everyone informed without giving full access to your analytics.

Making the migration decision

Deciding whether to migrate from Umami comes down to your analytics needs and how you expect to grow.

If you're running a simple blog or portfolio site, Umami's basic analytics might be enough. The simplicity keeps you focused on creating content.

But if you're running an e-commerce site, SaaS application, or any business where user behavior directly affects revenue, you'll likely hit Umami's limits quickly. Not being able to track custom events or build conversion funnels becomes a bottleneck.

Consider the total cost of ownership too. Self-hosting Umami seems free, but you're paying for server resources, maintenance time, and the cost of missing insights. Cloud platforms like OpenPanel often provide better value once you factor in those hidden costs.

The export process above makes migration low-risk. You can export your historical data, try OpenPanel or another platform, and decide based on real experience rather than feature lists.

Best practices for data export

When exporting your Umami data, timing matters. Choose a low-traffic period to minimize the impact on your database performance. The export process is read-only and shouldn't affect your live analytics, but it's better to be cautious.

Always verify your exports right after they finish. Open the CSV file and check that the data looks correct. Look for the right date ranges, make sure all your websites are included, and check that event data is properly formatted.

For large datasets, consider breaking up exports by date range. This makes the files more manageable and reduces the risk of timeout issues. You can easily combine multiple CSV files later if needed.

Keep your exported data secure. These files contain information about your website visitors, and while Umami doesn't collect personal data, the aggregate information could still be sensitive. Encrypt exports if you're storing them long-term or transferring them across networks.

Regular exports serve as excellent backups. Even if you're happy with Umami, having periodic exports protects you against data loss. Set up a monthly reminder to export your data, or automate the process with a simple script.