How to host Matomo on Vultr Server - ServerAvatar

Create a Cloud Instance in Vultr

To create a server in Vultr, follow the below given steps. If you want to learn How to use Vultr to manage your infrastructure in Vultr, You can refer our Vultr cloud guide.

Step 1: Go to Instance Creation Page

Vultr provides lots of different types of cloud instances. From the server creation page, you can create lots of different types of cloud instances, like Regular VMs, Dedicated, Bare Metal, Cloud GPUs and some managed services.

To access the server creation page, log in to your Vultr account and click on the Deploy New Server option from the + button given on the dashboard.

Step 2: Choose Server

You can create 4 different types of cloud instances. They are Optimised cloud compute, Cloud compute, Cloud GPU and Bare Metal. Select the one that fits your requirements.

Step 3: Choose Server Type

Based on your selection of the server in the second step, You will have to select a specific type of server. If you have selected Optimised cloud compute instance, You will see options like the following image.

Step 4: Select Server Location

Location is very important option. Make sure to select a server location closest to your major traffic source demographically. You can select locations in 5 different continents.

Step 5: Select Server Image

In simple terms, Server image is an operating system running on the server. So here, You have to select an OS for your server.

If you are managing your servers with ServerAvatar, Select Ubuntu 20.04 or Ubuntu 22.04.

Step 6: Select Server Size

Here, Select a server size according to your requirements. If you are just getting started with the project, You can start small and then upgrade according to the future requirements.

Step 7: Add Auto Backups and Additional Features

We recommend you to enable auto backups for important websites or apps. If you are creating a temporary server, You can skip the auto backups.

In additional features, You can enable DDOS Protection if needed. Enable other options according to your requirements.

Do not enable "No Public IPv4 Address" option. It will result in a server without IPv4, which is not possible to connect with ServerAvatar.

Step 8: Select an SSH Key

If you use SSH key to authenticate with the server, Select an SSH key in this section. If you haven't uploaded your key yet, You can do it by clicking on the Add New option.

SSH key is not mandatory. If you do not use SSH keys, Ignore this option. You can still connect with server using password.

Step 9: Firewall Group

If you are using Vultr firewall, You can select the firewall group from here.

If you do not have 43210 port enabled in your firewall group, you need to configure it to connect a server with ServerAvatar.

Step 10: Server Hostname and Label

You have to choose the hostname and the label for the server in this step. You can set the same hostname and label. They are used for identification purpose only.

Step 11: Deploy Now!

Finally, click on the Deploy Now button to create a server. It might take a minute or two to fully boot up your server. Once it is ready, You will see it in the Products section in Vultr.

Initial Server Configuration

The Initial server configuration includes installation and configuration of various packages required to host your website. Usually, You have to write commands and modify configuration files. Luckily, With ServerAvatar, Your full server configuration and optimisation can be automated.

Here are the three ways to automatically configure your server with ServerAvatar.

wget https://srvr.so/install
chmod +x install
./install

Install and Setup Matomo on Cloud using ServerAvatar

Step1: Create Matomo Database

The Matomo installation process requires database Credentials. So, to create a MySQL database for Matomo, Access the Database tab on the ServerAvatar server panel to create a Database.

To create a Database, Enter the details, such as the Database Name, in the database creation form like the image below.

Database successfully created.

Steps 2: Create PHP Application

Access the Applications tab from the server panel to create a new PHP application for Matomo.

Now fill up the required details in the application form, as seen in the image below.

Note that:

If you want to host Matomo on your domain, then make sure to point your domain to the current IP address of your server, and for that:

1. Log in to your domain provider site, where you buy your domain. Click here for more info about your domain name.
2. Access DNS Manager to edit your DNS records (contact the support team if you don’t find them)
3. Change the IP address of A Record of your website to the > current server’s IP address.

To host Matomo on your subdomain, for example, matomo.yourdomain.com, create a new application with the subdomain as your primary domain and follow the same procedure. For accessing Matomo on the subdomain, you need to add your subdomain on A Record that points to the current IP address of your server. To point to an IPV6 address, you would need to use an AAAA record.

Click to Next Step.

Now, choose the method and service provider: Git and GitHub (follow as per the snapshot).

Continue the process by entering the necessary information as provided below:

Repository Type: Public
Clone HTTPS URL: https://github.com/matomo-org/matomo.git
Branch: 5.x-dev
Deployment script:

composer install;

Proceed by clicking the "Next Step".

You can either create a new System User or select an existing one.

Next, choose PHP version 7.2 or above. For the custom Webroot, keep the field empty, as shown in the provided snapshot, as we're specifically seeking "index.php" or "index.html" within the custom setup.

Custom Webroot: (keep this field empty)

Proceed to the next steps and ensure your details and requirements are accurately entered.

After confirming, click on Create Application to initiate the application creation process.

STEP 3: Install and Setup Matomo

Now access the site URL from the Application panel to install and set up Matomo.

MATOMO INSTALLER

The welcome message screen is displayed upon accessing the URL, as depicted in the snapshot.

Click next to process further with the system check tab, which will open where you have two options: copy the system check or download the system check. According to your convenience, save or save system check. It is essential to keep it with you in case Matomo support team asks you for this information.

DATABASE SETUP

We have already created a database for Matomo in step 1. To establish a connection between the database and the application, enter the database credential we have already made. You can access all your database credentials, like database name, username, and password, by accessing the database tab from the server panel.

Enter the following database credential we have already created in ServerAvatar:

Login: Username of database
Password: Database password
Database Name: Database name

Process further by click on Next.

CREATE SUPERUSER

We have successfully configured the database with Matomo. Now, we create a superuser to log into Matomo after successfully installing and setting up Matomo.

To create superuser, enter the following details:

Superuser login: dharmilshiroya
Password: yourpassword
Password (Repeat): yourpassword
Email: dharmilshiroya2456@gmail.com

Please remember the credentials you entered above for logging into MATOMO.

SET UP THE WEBSITE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO ANALYZE

Now, Enter the details of the websites you would like to track or analyze with Matomo. For example, I have tried to track and analyze the website URL on which we deploy the Matomo. Please enter your website URL and the name you want to analyze. Here, Matomo provides the advanced option for you who want to use it to analyze e-commerce websites (E-commerce enabled) or Others. If your website is on E-commerce, select E-commerce enable in the E-commerce menu, as seen in the snapshot.

We had set up a website that you like to track and analyze. We have almost completed the setup process.

The next step is JavaScript tracking code. Do not change anything in the code. Just click on next.

We have successfully installed and set up Matomo on the Server through ServerAvatar. You can see a congratulatory message on your screen.

Now, log in to Matomo using the superuser credentials we created for the superuser. Please enter the credentials that you provided.

We have successfully deployed Matomo on Server on ServerAvatar.

Tip:- It will run on HTTP, but to run it on HTTPs ServerAvatar provides a one-click solution to switch to HTTPs for that, go to the SSL Certificate in the application panel and click on force HTTP to HTTPs.