Philosophy & Principles
Learn about the principles and values that guide Arunya's development.
Arunya is more than just a tool — it is a response to how modern analytics have drifted away from ethical standards. Its design is rooted in principles that prioritize the dignity of users, the autonomy of developers, and the long-term sustainability of the web.
These principles shape every decision — from code architecture to UI, from documentation to deployment.
1. Privacy Is Not Optional
User privacy is a right, not a feature. Arunya does not see compliance (like GDPR or CCPA) as a checkbox but as a baseline. We do not collect, store, or infer personal data unless explicitly required — and even then, only with consent.
Tracking must be transparent. Data must be minimal. Defaults must be safe.
2. Trust Through Transparency
Users and developers should never have to guess what a tool is doing in the background. Arunya is open source not just for auditability but as a commitment to openness. From data collection behavior to replay rendering, everything is inspectable.
Transparency builds trust — and trust is foundational to analytics that respects users.
3. Own Your Infrastructure
Analytics is often treated as a service you rent. With Arunya, it's something you own. Whether deployed on your VPS, Kubernetes cluster, or internal network, Arunya gives you full control over:
- Where data is stored
- How it’s processed
- Who can access it
No black-box vendor lock-in. No silent third-party dependencies.
4. Insight Without Exploitation
Analytics should empower, not extract. Arunya enables developers and teams to understand user behavior in order to improve product experience — not to manipulate, exploit, or commodify users.
All data collected is:
- Non-personal by default
- Anonymized where applicable
- Logged only with clear intent
5. Open Source as a Principle, Not a Marketing Tag
Arunya is AGPL-licensed because privacy-respecting infrastructure should remain in the commons. Contributions are welcomed, not just in code, but in ideas, practices, and questions.
We believe privacy-conscious tooling must be community-driven to adapt to the evolving ethical, legal, and technical landscape.
6. Build for the Ethical Majority
Arunya is built for developers, founders, and businesses who care about doing the right thing — even when it's not the default. We believe this majority exists, even if it’s underserved.
By building responsibly and publicly, we hope to shift the default posture of web analytics from exploitative to ethical.
These principles are not static. They evolve with new technologies, legal interpretations, and societal needs. But the core remains:
Arunya exists to prove that powerful analytics and principled design are not mutually exclusive.
Ready to build responsibly?
Continue to the Quick Start Guide to begin.