View source for Generate Web Safe Keys

= Tracking User Prompts and Enabling Analytics in Open WebUI =

If you are an administrator for an Open WebUI instance, you may want to know who is prompting the most or using the most tokens. This guide explains how to find the built-in Analytics dashboard, how to update your instance if the dashboard is missing, and how to properly secure your users' login sessions so they don't get kicked out when the server restarts.

== 1. Finding the Analytics Dashboard ==
Open WebUI has a built-in Analytics dashboard that shows user message counts, token usage, and active users.

To access it:

Click your '''Profile Icon''' (bottom-left).

Go to the '''Admin Panel'''.

Look at the top-left menu bar. You should see '''Users''', '''Evaluations''', '''Functions''', '''Settings''', and '''Analytics'''.

'''Why is Analytics missing?'''
If you do not see the Analytics tab, you are likely running an older version of Open WebUI (older than v0.8.0). You will need to update your Docker container to access this feature.

== 2. Updating Open WebUI via Docker ==
To reveal the Analytics tab, update your instance to the latest version. Run these commands in the terminal, inside the folder containing your <code>docker-compose.yml</code> file:

<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d
</syntaxhighlight>

== 3. Securing User Sessions (Generating a Secret Key) ==
When reviewing your <code>docker-compose.yml</code> file, you might notice an empty environment variable: <code>WEBUI_SECRET_KEY=</code>.

If this is left blank, Open WebUI will auto-generate a new key every time the container restarts, which will '''log out all your users'''. To keep sessions stable, you must provide a permanent, cryptographically secure key.

=== Generating the Key with Python ===
You do not need a virtual environment (venv) or any external libraries to generate this key. Python has a built-in module called <code>secrets</code>.

'''⚠️ CRITICAL WARNING:''' Do NOT name your Python file <code>secrets.py</code>. If you do, Python will try to import your file instead of the built-in security module, and the script will crash. Name it something like <code>generate_key.py</code>.

'''Method A: The Terminal One-Liner (Fastest)'''
You can paste this directly into your terminal to instantly generate a key:

''Mac/Linux:''
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
python3 -c "import secrets; print('WEBUI_SECRET_KEY=' + secrets.token_urlsafe(48))"
</syntaxhighlight>

''Windows:''
<syntaxhighlight lang="cmd">
python -c "import secrets; print('WEBUI_SECRET_KEY=' + secrets.token_urlsafe(48))"
</syntaxhighlight>

'''Method B: Using a Python Script'''
If you prefer to run a script, save the following code as <code>generate_key.py</code> and run it (using <code>python3 generate_key.py</code> or <code>python generate_key.py</code>):

<syntaxhighlight lang="python">
import secrets

Generate a cryptographically secure URL-safe text string

48 bytes of randomness produces a 64-character string

secure_key = secrets.token_urlsafe(48)

print("Copy and paste the line below into your docker-compose.yml:")
print("-" * 50)
print(f"WEBUI_SECRET_KEY={secure_key}")
print("-" * 50)
</syntaxhighlight>

=== Updating your docker-compose.yml ===
Once you have your generated key (it will look something like <code>a1B2c3D4e5F6g7H8i9J0...</code>), paste it into your configuration file:

<syntaxhighlight lang="yaml">
services:
open-webui:
environment:
- OLLAMA_BASE_URL=http://192.168.196.226:11434
- WEBUI_SECRET_KEY=a1B2c3D4e5F6g7H8i9J0YourSecureKeyHere  # <-- Paste your new key here
</syntaxhighlight>

After saving the file, run the update commands (<code>docker compose up -d</code>) to apply the changes. Your users will now stay logged in permanently, and your new Analytics dashboard will be available!