Matomo: self-hosted web analytics and data control
Run Matomo and MariaDB in a deployment you control. Privacy and certificate options depend on your configuration.
Matomo deployment considerations
Matomo provides analytics reports. Data location, script performance, and compatibility depend on your deployment and tracking setup.
Control over analytics data
With a self-hosted Matomo setup, analytics data can be stored in your configured MariaDB instance. Review your integrations, access controls, and backup process.
Privacy and data protection
Matomo offers configuration options for privacy-focused analytics, including cookie settings. Compliance depends on your implementation, consent requirements, and applicable law.
Reports and analytics
Explore campaign, goal, funnel, heatmap, and visitor analytics features available in Matomo; reporting detail and freshness depend on configuration.
Tag Manager and multi-site analytics
Matomo provides Tag Manager and APIs for connecting analytics to websites and apps. The features available depend on your Matomo version and configuration.
Frequently asked questions about Matomo
Answers to common questions about Matomo setup, privacy, comparisons with other tools, and website integration:
Matomo: self-hosted web analytics and data controls
Analytics can help teams understand how people use a website. Self-hosting Matomo gives you control over the analytics environment and its data, while the tracking configuration determines what is collected and how long it is kept.
What is Matomo, and what privacy controls does it offer?
Matomo is an open-source web analytics platform, formerly known as Piwik. It includes reports for traffic, campaigns, events, conversion goals, and ecommerce, depending on the configured features and integrations.
With a self-hosted setup, you can control where analytics data is stored. For a lighter analytics option, consider umami analytics . If your site uses cloud WordPress hosting , review the available integration options for your deployment.
Matomo setup options: managed platform or self-hosting
Self-hosting Matomo can involve configuring a web server, PHP, a database, scheduled archiving, and backups. Requirements vary with traffic, data retention, and the deployment you choose.
A container-based deployment can simplify parts of Matomo setup, but you remain responsible for configuration, access controls, updates, storage, and backups. Review the available image and database options before deployment.
Matomo compared with Google Analytics and self-hosting
Compare analytics products by data location, features, privacy controls, integration needs, and operating responsibilities.
| Feature | Matomo self-hosted on Deplomo Cloud | Google Analytics (GA4) | Manual setup on a VPS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data location and security responsibilities | Data location depends on the selected deployment and configuration | Data handling depends on each analytics product and its settings | Self-hosting gives you control, along with responsibility for security and maintenance |
| Analytics accuracy and collection settings | Tracking accuracy depends on the browser, consent settings, and implementation | Accuracy depends on browser restrictions and configuration | Tracking availability depends on network access and configuration |
| Data sampling (Sampling) | Sampling behavior depends on the product, report, and configuration | Sampling behavior depends on the product, report, and configuration | Data quality depends on implementation and infrastructure |
| Script loading speed | Script load time depends on network routes and deployment location | Response times depend on network routes and deployment location | Dependent on bandwidth and web server settings |
| Setup and maintenance | Setup requirements depend on the chosen deployment and database configuration | Setup and workflow depend on the analytics product and user needs | Self-hosting requires configuring and maintaining the application environment |
| Custom domains and certificates | Availability depends on the platform and deployment configuration | Domain and script settings vary by analytics service | Certificate setup and renewal depend on the hosting environment |
Matomo offers self-hosted analytics features and data controls. Review the product configuration and your privacy obligations before choosing an analytics setup.
Steps to plan a Matomo deployment
Before deploying Matomo, review the application version, database requirements, resource limits, and current service availability.
- Choose Directus from the marketplace When international service creation is available, select a compatible Matomo image and review its deployment settings.
- Choose package resources: Estimate CPU, memory, and storage needs from your expected traffic and data-retention period.
- Complete Matomo setup: After deployment, follow the Matomo setup wizard to create an administrator account and configure your website.
- Add the tracking code: Add Matomo’s tracking code to your website or use a compatible integration. Configure consent and tracking behavior for your requirements.
Matomo analytics features
Matomo includes tools for analyzing website performance and visitor activity, depending on your configuration:
- First-party tracking domain: Using your own domain for a tracking script may affect how some blockers handle it; it does not guarantee that tracking will be available or bypass consent requirements.
- Tag Manager: Matomo offers a Tag Manager feature; check that it is available in your selected version and deployment.
- Search and campaign reports: Matomo can report on campaign and search-referral data where that information is available and configured.
- Visitor behavior analytics: Configure event and ecommerce tracking to analyze visitor journeys and conversion steps.
Matomo analytics: features and configuration
Matomo provides web analytics features that you can self-host. Data accuracy, page performance, privacy, and availability depend on your configuration and operating environment.
Explore Matomo’s self-hosted analytics features and deployment requirements.
Set up Matomo in seconds
Deploy the application and database with persistent storage within a fixed monthly zone package.