Netlify Analytics data reportedly preserved beyond 30-day limit using Val Town and Quadratic

Netlify Analytics imposes a 30-day data retention limit, which restricts users from analyzing long-term traffic patterns. The platform provides no built-in mechanism to extend this window, forcing engineers to either accept the limitation or implement their own solutions. This workaround demonstrates that the barrier to preserving data is not technical complexity but the effort required to set up and maintain an alternative system. The solution described here prioritizes simplicity over scalability, making it accessible to individual developers rather than teams or enterprises.

The implementation uses Val Town to automate monthly data extraction from Netlify Analytics and store it in a SQLite database. Val Town’s scoped primitives, code execution, secrets management, storage, and automation, eliminate the need for infrastructure management, reducing the operational overhead of running a custom pipeline. This approach trades flexibility for convenience, as the system is tightly coupled to Val Town’s platform. Engineers adopting this pattern would need to evaluate whether Val Town’s constraints align with their long-term needs or if a self-hosted alternative would be more sustainable.

Quadratic serves as the front-end for data analysis, allowing the user to query and visualize archived data without manual exports or transformations. The integration between Val Town and Quadratic enables near-real-time updates, as pressing a button in Quadratic re-fetches the latest data from the SQLite database. This setup is optimized for ad-hoc analysis rather than production-grade dashboards, as it lacks features like automated alerts or collaborative editing. The solution is most valuable for individual developers who need occasional insights rather than continuous monitoring.

The workaround highlights a broader pattern: platform limitations often drive custom tooling, even for seemingly trivial use cases. Netlify Analytics’ 30-day retention policy may be sufficient for casual users but insufficient for those tracking long-term trends. By leveraging Val Town and Quadratic, the developer avoided vendor lock-in while maintaining control over their data. However, the solution is not without trade-offs, including dependency on two additional platforms and the lack of built-in redundancy or backups for the SQLite database.