Matomo stays fast even with a lot of traffic, as long as a few basics are right. If it gets slow, these five places are worth a look.
1. Archiving in the browser
By default, Matomo can calculate reports when they are opened in the browser. For small websites that is no problem; for larger ones it leads to waiting times. It is better to run core:archive regularly via a cron job and to switch off archiving in the browser.
2. Segments in real time
Every segment has to be archived separately. Many segments that are only calculated when they are opened slow things down noticeably. Check which segments are really used and have the important ones archived in advance.
3. Unlimited raw data
If raw data is never deleted, the database grows year after year. For many analyses the aggregated reports are enough. A deletion period for raw data takes load off the database and helps with privacy.
4. Too many unique URLs
Session IDs, filter or tracking parameters in URLs create thousands of variants of the same page. That bloats the reports. Exclude such parameters in the website settings.
5. Server and database too tight
PHP memory limit, database buffers and CPU have to match the traffic. Often an adjustment of the configuration is enough; sometimes more resources are needed.
How to continue
If you cannot narrow down the cause yourself, a focused look from outside helps. More on this under Performance & analysis. For ongoing operations with monitoring, I recommend our sister brand feinwerk.io.
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