Installing Matomo (formerly Piwik) [version 3.7.0+]
NOTE: You can install Matomo on your account with a few clicks via the App Installer section of the Control Panel. You can check our App Installer article for more information.
If you prefer to install Matomo manually, you can follow the instructions listed in this article.
You need to follow these steps to install Matomo:
1. Download the installation from the site of the vendor. It can be obtained from:
https://matomo.org/
2. Once you have downloaded the archive that contains the installation, you need to upload it into your disk space.
You can either extract all the files from the downloaded archive and upload them, or you can upload the archive and use the web hosting Control Panel's File Manager to extract the package.
The best way to upload big files or multiple files is via FTP. If you are not sure how to upload the files, please check the Uploading files section from our online documentation.
If you are installing the application in your main domain, or in a subdomain, you may need to delete the default index.php file first. You can do this either via FTP, or through your web hosting Control Panel's File Manager.
3. Create a new MySQL database and user for the Matomo application. For security reasons, MySQL databases and users can be created only through the hosting Control Panel. Detailed instructions on the process are available in our Creating a MySQL database/user article.
Once you have the database and MySQL user created, you should associate the MySQL user with the database by following the instructions from our Associating a MySQL user with a database article. Unless you have a reason to do otherwise, you can select all available privileges for the new MySQL user.
4. You should add the following line to a PHP configuration file (php.ini) in your hosting account:
always_populate_raw_post_data=-1
You can learn more on how to change various PHP settings in our Changing PHP Settings article.
5. You need to access with your browser the directory in which the extracted files are located. You should see the first page of the installation. Click the "Next" button.
6. On the next page, Matomo will check whether the hosting server meets the installation requirements. Click "Next".
7. On the next step, you need to configure your database settings. You need to use the following values:
Database Server: You need to enter localhost for MySQL 5 or localhost:/tmp/mysql8.sock for MySQL 8.
Login: You need to enter the MySQL username you created at your web hosting Control Panel's MySQL section for your application.
Password: You need to enter the password you assigned to your MySQL user.
Database Name: You need to specify the MySQL database you created for your application.
table prefix: matomo_
Adapter: MySQLI
Click the "Next" button. The installation script will connect to the database and create the MySQL tables. After the tables are created, click the "Next" button.
8. On the next step, you will need to create a super user. The super user has the highest permissions. Choose your username and password and enter your e-mail address. Check the option "email me with major Matomo community updates".
Click the "Next" button.
9. On the next step, you need to enter a name for your site and your site's URL. You need to also select your site timezone.
You can add more websites once the installation is complete.
Click the "Next" button.
10. On the next step, you will see the JavaScript tracking code. To record visitors, visits and page views in Matomo, you must add the Tracking code in all your pages. It is recommended that you use the standard Javascript Tracking code. It has to be included just before the </body> tag on your pages. Copy the code and paste it in the HTML code of your pages.
You can check out the Matomo Javascript Tracking documentation for the list of available functions (for example: Tracking Goals, Custom Variables, Ecommerce orders, products and abandoned carts, etc.).
Click the "Next" button to complete the installation.
Important notice: You should monitor the site of the software vendor for any security updates of your installed application.