Matomo

Matomo is an open-source web app for tracking website traffic and user behavior while ensuring the user maintains full ownership of the collected data. The software is designed to prioritize privacy and data sovereignty.

The software is deployed as a web application on a private server. After a standard installation process, a JavaScript tag is added to the target websites to collect visitor data. This information is then processed and displayed in real-time analytics reports within the Matomo dashboard, allowing administrators to monitor site performance without relying on external cloud providers.

Key features

• Full data ownership via local database storage
• Real-time visit tracking and maps
• E-commerce and goal tracking
• Campaign tracking and custom variables
• Customizable dashboards with drag and drop widgets
• Plugin-based architecture for adding or removing features
• Privacy configuration options for visitor data
• Analytics API for data retrieval
• Email reports and a custom segment editor

Built using PHP and MySQL, Matomo is OS and server independent. It requires PHP 7.2.5 or greater and MySQL 5.5 or greater, or MariaDB. The system is designed for users who require a privacy-focused analytics solution and want to avoid third-party data hosting. To facilitate growth and customization, the platform allows for the installation of various plugins, including a VisitorGenerator for experimenting with fake data. Developers can extend the platform by building custom plugins or using the provided DDEV environment for local development and testing.

Matomo serves as a comprehensive digital analytics platform for organizations and website owners who prioritize data sovereignty and ethical tracking over third-party managed services.