Keitaro is one of the most widely used self-hosted trackers for affiliate marketing and performance advertising. It runs on your own server: no cloud limits on traffic volume, no third-party databases, conversion data and statistics stay on your infrastructure alone. Integration with 500+ traffic sources, A/B flow testing, local landing pages without redirects, built-in bot and click fraud protection.
Unlike most server software, Keitaro has strict requirements around the operating system and virtualization type — this is the first thing to nail down before ordering a server.
Hard Technical Requirements — Read Before Ordering
OS: CentOS 9 Stream or CentOS 10 Stream only. Ubuntu, Debian, AlmaLinux — not supported. Installing Keitaro on any other OS will fail at the installation script.
Virtualization: KVM only. OpenVZ does not work. THE.Hosting uses KVM — you're good.
Clean server. Keitaro installs only on a server with no control panel (cPanel, ISPmanager, Plesk, etc.) and no other software pre-installed. Installing on top of an existing environment produces unpredictable results.
No NAT. Keitaro doesn't work behind NAT. The server must have a direct public IP address.
These are hard requirements, not recommendations. Skipping them means wasted time.
Resource Sizing: Depends on Your Click Volume
Keitaro publishes its own table of minimum server specs based on expected daily traffic. This is the primary guide for choosing a VPS tier.
| Clicks per day | RAM | CPU | Disk |
|---|---|---|---|
| up to 100,000 | 4 GB | 2 vCPU | 20 GB SSD |
| up to 300,000 | 4 GB | 4 vCPU | 40 GB SSD |
| up to 1,000,000 | 8 GB | 6 vCPU | 80 GB SSD |
| over 1,000,000 | 16 GB+ | 8+ vCPU | 160 GB+ SSD |
Installation is possible on 2 GB RAM / 1 CPU but Keitaro explicitly warns of performance issues at that level. For real campaigns, 4 GB is the practical minimum.
For disk sizing, keep in mind: 1,000 detailed transition records ≈ 1 MB in MySQL. At 200,000 visitors per day stored for one month that's roughly 6 GB of statistics alone. Size your disk with headroom.
Choosing Server Location
Server location directly affects redirect speed — which means conversion rate. The rule is straightforward: place the server as close as possible to the geo where you're buying traffic.
- European traffic (Germany, France, Poland) → Netherlands (Meppel) or Germany (Frankfurt)
- US and Canada traffic → USA (New Jersey, Secaucus)
- Asian traffic → Japan (Tokyo) or Hong Kong
- Latin American traffic → Brazil (São Paulo)
- CIS and Russian traffic → Finland (Helsinki) or Moldova (Chișinău)
- Mixed multi-geo campaigns → choose a server equidistant from all target locations
THE.Hosting provides VPS in 50+ locations worldwide. Select the datacenter when creating the server.
Note: Keitaro's official documentation flags that tracker updates may be unstable on servers located in Russia due to network infrastructure restrictions. For Russian-geo traffic, Finland or Moldova are the recommended choices.
Keitaro License
Keitaro is a paid tracker. Installation won't complete without a license key. Purchase one before or during installation.
Individual plans (per month / annual pricing):
- Starter — €49 / €40 — 1 user, 1 domain with SSL, core features
- Advanced — €89 / €72 — 1 user, 100 domains with SSL, Facebook integration, advanced scripts
- Expert — €129 / €104 — 5 users, 500 domains with SSL, flow and link monitoring
Team plans:
- Team — €249 / €200 — up to 50 users, 5,000 domains, Keitaro Geo DB
- Enterprise — €499 / €400 — unlimited users and domains, personal manager
6-month billing saves 10%, 12-month billing saves 20%. 14-day trial available.
One license key = one server IP. When migrating to a different server, the key moves with it via your account on keitaro.io.
Installing Keitaro
Step 1: Order the VPS
Go to the.hosting, pick a VPS tier matching your click volume from the table above. When creating the server, select CentOS 9 Stream as the OS. Leave the control panel field blank — do not install any panel.
After creation you receive by email: IP address, root login, and password.
Step 2: Connect to the Server
Connect via SSH:
ssh root@your-IP-address
On Windows use PuTTY or the built-in Windows 10/11 terminal.
Step 3: Run the Installer
One command launches the entire installation:
curl keitaro.io/install.sh > run && bash run
The script prompts for answers in sequence:
- Database name (default suggestion is fine)
- Database username
- Tracker admin login
- Tracker admin password
- Server IP address (the IP you received from the hosting provider)
- Keitaro license key
After answering, installation starts automatically. It takes 30–60 minutes on average depending on server specs and connection speed.
Do not interrupt the process. A sudden reboot during installation corrupts the database and breaks the tracker — you'll need to reinstall from scratch.
Step 4: First Login
Once done, the script outputs the admin panel address — something like http://your-IP/admin. Open it in a browser and log in with the credentials you set during installation.
Step 5: Add a Domain
Operating via bare IP is possible but inconvenient and insecure. In Keitaro, go to Settings → Domains and add your domain.
Then in your domain registrar's DNS settings, create an A record pointing to your server's IP. After DNS propagation (up to 24 hours, usually faster), the tracker becomes accessible via the domain.
Step 6: SSL Certificate
SSL is configured directly in the Keitaro interface. Go to Settings → Domains, click the SSL setting next to your domain — the tracker fetches a Let's Encrypt certificate automatically.
The number of domains with SSL depends on your license plan: Starter covers 1, Advanced covers 100.
Updating Keitaro
Updates release regularly — watch for in-app notifications. Update promptly when notified rather than postponing.
In the panel: Maintenance → Update Keitaro. Select the channel: stable (recommended) or beta. Confirm.
The update runs in the background and takes about 15 minutes. It's best to pause traffic during updates as brief downtime is possible.
Via terminal (for emergency use only):
curl https://files.keitaro.io/scripts/releases/stable/install.sh | UPDATE_CHANNEL=stable bash -s -- -U
Do not update Keitaro if you're on a version below 10 and running CentOS 7 or CentOS 8/8 Stream — those distributions are no longer supported. Migrate to CentOS 9 Stream first.
Migrating the Tracker to a New Server
When moving — for example, upgrading to a larger tier or changing geolocation:
- Create a database dump via Maintenance → Backup
- Download the archive locally
- Order a new VPS with CentOS 9 Stream
- Run the installer, answer Yes when asked about restoring from backup
- Upload the dump to the new server
- Transfer the license key in your keitaro.io account
Common Issues
Installation script fails. Most likely cause: the OS is not CentOS 9 Stream, or a control panel is installed. Reinstall the OS through the THE.Hosting panel (Reinstall option) and retry.
Admin panel doesn't open after installation. Verify the IP. If you used a non-standard SSH port, be aware the install script closes all ports except 22, 80, and 443 — a non-standard SSH port will lock you out.
Click count differs from Facebook or Google. This is normal — each system counts differently (unique visitors, bots, browser tracking prevention). Compare in the same timezone and use raw clicks (hits) not unique counts.
Reports are slow with large statistics volumes. After months of data accumulation, report generation slows down. Options: switch to ClickHouse as the database (available on Expert plan and above), or periodically archive old statistics.
Ready to set up Keitaro?
THE.Hosting VPS with KVM virtualization, CentOS 9 Stream, and 50+ locations worldwide is exactly what Keitaro needs. Pick the tier that matches your click volume and traffic geo.
Starting VPS from €5.77/mo. After completing KYC, a trial VPS is available at €1/mo for up to 6 months.
FAQ:
Can Keitaro be installed on Ubuntu? No. Only CentOS 9 Stream and CentOS 10 Stream are officially supported. Installation on other operating systems is not supported and will fail.
Is a license required for installation? Yes. The license key is entered during installation and the tracker won't launch without it. Purchase at keitaro.io — a 14-day trial is also available there.
One server — one tracker instance? One license key is tied to one IP address. Multiple independent instances require multiple licenses and servers.
How many domains can I connect? Depends on your plan: Starter — 1 domain with SSL, Advanced — 100, Expert — 500, Team — 5,000, Enterprise — unlimited.
Does the tracker work without a domain, just via IP? Technically yes, but it's inconvenient and most ad networks require HTTPS links with a proper domain.
THE.Hosting Useful Links:
- VPS in 50+ locations — from €5.77/mo
- VPS in Netherlands — for European traffic
- VPS in USA — for North American traffic
- VPS in Japan — for Asian traffic
- Dedicated Servers — for volumes above 1M clicks/day
- Knowledge Base
Keitaro Resources: