This tutorial explains how to install the Matomo analytics platform.

What is Matomo?

Matomo is a widely used open-source web analytics platform similar to Google Analytics. It lets website and online store operators evaluate a wide range of visitor data, such as: region of origin, which websites were visited previously, how much revenue the customer is responsible for, etc...

For further information and help, please visit: https://matomo.org

Example-Terminology

Username: matomo
Database name: matomo_db
Database username: matomouser
Database password: abcde*1234#XYZ
Hostname / Database host: <xyz.your-database.de>
Domain: <example.com>
Subdomain: <matomo.example.com>
FTP client: FileZilla
FTP/SSH user: exampleuser
Public SSH key: id_<type>.pub
Storage amount: 256M
Directories: public_html
Terminal Commands: SSH

Prerequisites

A Web Hosting plan M or higher at Hetzner
Activated SSL certificate for your domain
PHP version 8 or higher for the latest version of Matomo with deactivated mod_pagespeed
Activated FTP or SSH access
Set allow_url_fopen to "On" PHP-Memory-Limit to at least 256 MB.
If necessary, generate an SSH key with the following specifications
If necessary use an FTP client, like FileZilla.

Install Matomo

Step 1 - Preparing for installation

1.1 Create a database on konsoleH

Log onto konsoleH.
Navigate to Services -> Databases -> MariaDB/MySQL ».
Go to MariaDB/MySQL Databases and click on Add.
If you want, you can now customize the name of the database, the login, and the password.
Click on Save. The Connection ID should now be displayed above the database access data.
Now copy these into a text file on your computer, for example. You will need them later for the setup.

1.2 PHP settings on konsoleH

On konsoleH, navigate to Services -> Settings -> Web server extensions ».
On the far right, a red cross should be displayed under mod_pagespeed as shown in the screenshot. If there is a green check mark there, click on it once and then click Save under your domain name on the left.
Now navigate to PHP configuration below.
Go to PHP version and select the latest PHP version. From version 5.0 onwards, Matomo requires at least PHP 8.0.
Click on Save.
Navigate to PHP Settings on the same page and check that memory_limit is set to at least 256M.
If the value is lower, select 256 in the field to the right and click on Save at the bottom left of the page.

1.3 Generate an SSH key

Generate an SSH key pair with the following specifications https://docs.hetzner.com/konsoleh/account-management/access-details/login-data#additional-ftp-users and https://community.hetzner.com/tutorials/howto-ssh-key.
On konsoleH, navigate to Services -> Access Details -> Login data ».

Install your public key via an FTP client:

Upload your public key id_<type>.pub there under Public SSH Keys by clicking on Add. Then copy the content into the window that you see after that.
Then click on Add. Your public key and a comment should now appear under Public SSH Keys -> Key Type.

Install your public key via an SSH connection:

Upload your public key id_<type>.pub there under Public SSH Keys by clicking on Add. Then copy the content into the window that you see after that.
Then click on Add. Your public key and a comment should now appear under Public SSH Keys -> Key Type.

Step 2 - Upload Matomo into your web directory

2.1 Option 1 - Via an SSH connection

Navigate to Settings -> Access Details -> Login Details on konsoleH and copy the SSH connection command by clicking on the red page icon.
Connect to your account on the web hosting server by opening your local terminal and pasting the copied command:
```
ssh exampleUser@wwwxyz.your-server.de -p 222
```
You may need to refer to your previously created private SSH key here. To do this, simply add the following line to your SSH command:
```
-i <PathToYourSSH-Key/id_<type>
```

Go to your public_html directory, download Matomo using the following command, and unzip the file:

example@<wwwxyz>:~$ cd public_html/
example@<wwwxyz>:~$ wget https://builds.matomo.org/matomo.zip && unzip matomo.zip

2.2 Option 2 - Via a FTP client

Download the latest version of Matomo from the official website: https://builds.matomo.org/matomo.zip.
On Linux, you can unzip the ZIP file using unzip in your terminal or by double-clicking it in your file manager.
On Windows/macOS, you can unzip the ZIP file by double-clicking it in your file manager.
Now open your FTP client. We used FileZilla for the installation.
Click on File -> Site Manager -> New site and name the server, for example: MatomoTest.
Go to Protocol and select SFTP-SSH File Transfer Protocol; the go to Host and enter your web hosting server wwwxyz.your-server.de. Then go to Port and select 22.
Go toLogon Type and select Key file. Then go to User and enter your login name from konsoleH.
Under Key file, click on Browse.
In the now-open window, navigate to the directory where you saved your SSH key pair.
Now select your private key:
```
id_<type>
```
Add it to Filezilla by double-clicking it, and connect to the web directory on the web hosting server by clicking on connect.
In FileZilla, navigate to the directory on the left where you extracted the matomo.zip file and to your public_html directory on the right.
Now drag the matomo folder from the left window to the right window and wait until FileZilla has completed the transfer.

Step 3 - Matomo installation wizard

In your browser, navigate to the domain address and specify the Matomo directory: https://example.de/matomo/.

*You should now be on the installer's welcome page. You can select the language in the top right next to the Matomo logo.

Click on NEXT, and you will be taken to the system check. Here, you will find a list of all the requirements for Matomo.
By clicking on NEXT, you will be taken to the database setup. Here, you need to fill in the data from konsoleH:
Click on NEXT to check that the data is correct and that a connection to the database can be established:
On the next page, set your login details for the Matomo web interface. Please note the best practices of Matomo.
On the following page, enter your website name, URL, and time zone.
Under 7., you will now find the Matomo tracking code, which you need to insert into the pages of your website or web shop. For some websites, blogs, CMSes, and web shops, a plugin already exists for this purpose. You can find a list of available plugins at: https://matomo.org/guide/tracking-data/integrations/.
On the last page, you will find an overview of additional possible steps, and you can access the administration interface of your Matomo installation by clicking on CONTINUE TO MATOMO.
Congratulations, you should now be done with the installation and setup of Matomo.