Practice & troubleshooting · Knowledge
Can one Matomo instance track several Joomla sites?
Yes – multi-site is Matomo's native mode: every website is registered once and receives a numeric site ID; the tracking snippet carries that ID, and the data stays cleanly separated.
For a Joomla portfolio that means one instance to maintain, one login, one All Websites overview – and per site just the right snippet in JStats.
Setup, the classic mistake – and when to split instances after all
The routine per additional site: register it in Matomo (Administration → Websites → Add a new website), note the assigned site ID, copy the snippet – identical except for the setSiteId line – and paste it into that site's JStats configuration. Five minutes, and the new site reports into its own compartment; the All Websites dashboard then lines up the portfolio – visits, evolution, sparklines per site – which is exactly the view a multi-site owner opens on Monday mornings. The classic mistake is as banal as it is common: the snippet of site A pasted into site B – both sites then write into one compartment, and the pollution is hard to unpick afterwards. The guard is the test routine from this knowledge area, extended by one glance: after every new connection, verify in the Visits Log of the right site ID (and briefly that the others stayed quiet). Access control scales along: Matomo permissions are granted per site, so a client or colleague can see their site without seeing your portfolio. When would separate instances still make sense? Strict client separation with contractual walls, hugely different load profiles, or one site whose data protection setup differs fundamentally – for the typical portfolio of an agency or a multi-project owner, one well-maintained instance beats five forgotten ones in every dimension: updates, backups, and the honesty of a single source of truth.
Key facts
- Native mode: one instance, many sites – each with its own numeric site ID and data compartment.
- Per-site routine: register → note ID → paste the ID-specific snippet into JStats – five minutes.
- Classic mistake: site A's snippet on site B – guard with a Visits-Log check per new connection.
- Comfort: All Websites dashboard for the portfolio, permissions granted per site.
- Split instances only for contractual client walls or fundamentally different setups.