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Web Analyticsdocker-ready1-click-deployOpen-Core🟡 Standard · ~1GB

Matomo: Open-Core alternative to Google Analytics in 2026

Matomo is an open source web analytics tool with heatmaps, session recordings, funnels and the level of detail of GA4, but with your data 100% under your control.

Core is open source, but advanced features or enterprise support may be behind a paid tier — check the license.

Alternative to Google Analytics
License GPL-3.022k starsWebsite GitHub Repository

Audit Snapshot

View notes →

  • License — Matches GitHub

  • GitHub — Active

  • Latest release — 5.14.1 · 8 days ago

  • Docker Compose — Partial

  • Production — Not production-tested by AltFreeStack

Matomo vs. Google Analytics

Pros

  • Heatmaps, session recordings and advanced funnels in a single tool

Things to consider

  • Heavier interface, needs more resources than Plausible or Umami

Quick Docker installation guide

Copy this docker-compose.yml, adjust the example passwords and run docker compose up -d on your server. See the full step-by-step guide →

💡 Official SaaS or self-hosted with AltFreeStack?

  • On the official cloud: a recurring monthly fee and usage limits on Google Analytics.
  • On your own VPS: the core is free to self-host on your own server — no more monthly SaaS fee, though some advanced features stay behind a paid plan.
docker-compose.yml
version: "3.9"
services:
  matomo:
    image: matomo:5.14.0
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    environment:
      - MATOMO_DATABASE_HOST=matomo-db
      - MATOMO_DATABASE_USERNAME=matomo
      - MATOMO_DATABASE_PASSWORD=change-me-mysql-password # must match MYSQL_PASSWORD below
      - MATOMO_DATABASE_DBNAME=matomo
    volumes:
      - matomo_data:/var/www/html
    depends_on:
      - matomo-db
  matomo-db:
    image: mariadb:11
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      - MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=change-me-mysql-root-password # REQUIRED: generate a random secret before first run
      - MYSQL_USER=matomo
      - MYSQL_PASSWORD=change-me-mysql-password # REQUIRED: generate a random secret before first run
      - MYSQL_DATABASE=matomo
    volumes:
      - matomo_db_data:/var/lib/mysql
volumes:
  matomo_data:
  matomo_db_data:

🚀 Deploy in 1 command

Recommended for beginners

Copy this single command and paste it into your freshly created VPS's console (Vultr, DigitalOcean...). It downloads the script, prints it to your screen so you can see exactly what it's about to do (never a blind direct pipe), and only then installs Docker if needed, writes the files with secrets already generated, and starts everything — no nano, no pasting code blocks.

curl -sSL ".../api/deploy?stack=matomo" -o deploy.sh && cat deploy.sh && bash deploy.sh
See what this script does →

This docker-compose corresponds to an actively maintained project — last commit today.

This docker-compose not working for you? Report it on GitHub →

Technical profile

License
GPL-3.0
Category
Web Analytics
Replaces
Google Analytics
Tech stack
PHPMySQL/MariaDB

Under the hood

Database

MySQL / MariaDB

Language

PHP

Platforms

Web

Key features

  • Heatmaps and session recording (official plugin)
  • Advanced funnels and segments
  • 100% of the data, no sampling

Preview

Matomo interface preview

Public image provided by Matomo on its own website.

💾 Backups in 3 steps (Day 2)

As long as the ./data folder (the "volume" mapped into the container) exists on your server, your data survives any restart or container update — that's the only thing you need to back up.

1. Create a compressed backup on the server

tar -czvf backup-$(date +%F).tar.gz ./data

2. Download it to your computer

From your computer's terminal (not your server's):

scp root@YOUR_IP:~/app/backup-*.tar.gz ./

3. Restore in case of emergency

tar -xzvf backup-file.tar.gz
🌐 Connect your domain with free SSL

Step 1 — Set up the DNS

In your domain registrar's dashboard (Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy...), create a record:

Type
A
Name/Host
@ (root domain) or a subdomain, e.g. app
Content/Value
Your server's public IP

Wait 5 to 15 minutes for the record to propagate across the internet.

Step 2 — Automatic reverse proxy with Caddy

One single file, no Nginx config or manual certificates — Caddy issues and renews Let's Encrypt HTTPS on its own.

Create a file called Caddyfile:

yourdomain.com {
    reverse_proxy localhost:8080
}

Start Caddy with this command (pulls the image and runs it in the background):

docker run -d -p 80:80 -p 443:443 --name caddy --restart always -v $PWD/Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile -v caddy_data:/data caddy