Overview

Hackatime is a minimalist, self-hosted time tracking solution for programmers that serves as a privacy-focused alternative to WakaTime. It's compatible with all WakaTime plugins, making it easy to switch while maintaining full ownership of your coding activity data.

Features

Core Capabilities

WakaTime Compatible: Works with all existing WakaTime editor plugins
Self-Hosted: Complete control over your data and infrastructure
Open Source: Fully transparent codebase (MIT license)
Lightweight: Minimal resource requirements
Privacy-First: Your coding data never leaves your server
Multi-User: Support for multiple developers on one instance

Tracking Features

Automatic time tracking through IDE plugins
Language and project detection
File and editor tracking
Operating system tracking
Branch tracking (for Git repositories)
Time zone support

Reporting & Analytics

Daily coding activity summaries
Language usage statistics
Project time breakdowns
Weekly and monthly reports
Export capabilities
API access for custom integrations

Privacy & Security

All data stored on your own server
No third-party data sharing
User authentication and access control
Optional HTTPS/TLS encryption
Configurable data retention policies

Supported Editors & IDEs

Through WakaTime plugin compatibility:

Visual Studio Code
JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm, etc.)
Vim/Neovim
Emacs
Sublime Text
Atom
Android Studio
Eclipse
Xcode
And 50+ others

Installation Methods

Docker (Recommended)

docker run -d -p 3000:3000 \
  -v hackatime-data:/data \
  ghcr.io/muety/hackatime:latest

Binary

Download pre-compiled binaries for Linux, macOS, or Windows
Run standalone executable
Configure via environment variables or config file

From Source

Clone the repository
Build with Go
Deploy to your infrastructure

Configuration

Database Options

SQLite (default, simple setup)
PostgreSQL (recommended for multi-user)
MySQL/MariaDB

Authentication

Built-in user management
API key generation
Optional LDAP/OAuth integration

Use Cases

Individual Developers: Personal coding time tracking with full privacy
Development Teams: Team-wide time tracking on self-hosted infrastructure
Companies: Enterprise time tracking meeting data sovereignty requirements
Students: Learning time tracking without external services
Open Source Projects: Track contributions across distributed teams

Advantages Over WakaTime

No Cost: Completely free, no premium tiers
Data Ownership: Your data stays on your servers
Privacy: No external company access to your code activity
Customization: Modify the code to fit your needs
No Limits: Unlimited users, projects, and history
Air-Gapped: Can run completely offline if needed

Limitations

Requires self-hosting infrastructure
Less polished UI than commercial alternatives
Smaller feature set than WakaTime Premium
Self-managed updates and maintenance
Community support only (no commercial support)

Integration

REST API for custom integrations
Prometheus metrics export
Webhook support
CSV/JSON export
Compatible with WakaTime API format

System Requirements

Minimal:
- 512 MB RAM
- 1 CPU core
- 1 GB storage
- Linux, macOS, or Windows
Recommended for teams:
- 2 GB RAM
- 2 CPU cores
- 10 GB storage
- PostgreSQL database

Pricing

Hackatime is completely free and open source. Costs are limited to:

Server hosting (can be as low as $5/month)
Optional domain and SSL certificate
Your time for setup and maintenance

Community & Support

GitHub repository for issues and feature requests
Community discussions
Documentation and setup guides
Regular updates and bug fixes

Hackatime