generated: '2026-08-13'
method: searched
source: >-
  https://matomo.org/demo/, https://demo.matomo.cloud,
  https://plugins.matomo.org/VisitorGenerator,
  https://developer.matomo.org/guides/tests
docs: https://matomo.org/demo/
summary: >-
  Matomo publishes no test-mode / live-mode key separation, no magic test values and no
  test clock — because the product is self-hosted software, not a hosted transaction
  API. What it provides instead is a fully public, live, read-only DEMO INSTANCE that
  anyone can query anonymously, plus a first-party fixture generator for populating a
  local install.
test_live_separation:
  supported: false
  note: >-
    There are no test-vs-live key prefixes and no sandbox mode. A Matomo auth token is
    a production credential against whichever instance issued it. The way to get a
    non-production environment is to stand up a second Matomo instance.
public_demo:
  url: https://demo.matomo.cloud
  landing: https://matomo.org/demo/
  official: true
  anonymous_read: true
  auth_required: false
  verified: '2026-08-13'
  matomo_version_observed: 5.13.0-rc1
  what_works_anonymously:
    - description: Reporting API calls with no token
      example: https://demo.matomo.cloud/index.php?module=API&method=API.getMatomoVersion&format=json
      observed_status: 200
    - description: Report metadata catalog
      example: https://demo.matomo.cloud/index.php?module=API&method=API.getReportMetadata&idSite=1&format=json
      observed_status: 200
    - description: The generated OpenAPI documents themselves
      example: https://demo.matomo.cloud/index.php?module=API&method=ApiReference.getOpenApiSpec&pluginName=VisitsSummary&format=json
      observed_status: 200
      note: This is the endpoint the 59 specs in openapi/ were harvested from.
    - description: RFC 8414 OAuth authorization server metadata
      example: https://demo.matomo.cloud/.well-known/oauth-authorization-server
      observed_status: 200
  what_is_gated:
    - description: The MCP endpoint
      example: https://demo.matomo.cloud/index.php?module=API&method=McpServer.mcp&format=mcp
      observed_status: 401
    - description: Writes and any method requiring more than view access
      note: The demo grants anonymous VIEW access only; write methods return 401/403.
  site_ids: 'idSite=1 is populated with real demo traffic.'
  note: >-
    The demo instance is the closest thing Matomo has to a sandbox and it is genuinely
    useful — it is a real Matomo running real data that an integrator can develop
    against without signing up for anything. It is NOT isolated test data the caller
    controls, and it is read-only.
free_trial:
  url: https://matomo.org/start-free-analytics-trial/
  credit_card_required: false
  note: A Cloud trial gives a private, writable instance — the practical way to test writes.
fixture_tooling:
  - name: VisitorGenerator
    type: matomo-plugin
    url: https://plugins.matomo.org/VisitorGenerator
    official: true
    description: >-
      First-party plugin that generates fake visits and actions into a Matomo instance
      so reports have data to return. The Matomo equivalent of fixture seeding.
    cli: ./console visitorgenerator:generate-visits
  - name: Test fixtures
    type: developer-tooling
    url: https://developer.matomo.org/guides/tests
    description: >-
      Matomo's own PHPUnit/UI test framework ships fixtures (including an
      "omnifixture" the McpServer plugin uses in CI) for standing up a populated
      instance. Developer tooling, not a hosted sandbox.
test_clock:
  supported: false
  note: >-
    No time simulation. Date behaviour is exercised by passing historic `date` values
    and magic keywords (today, yesterday, lastWeek, lastMonth, lastYear, lastX,
    previousX) against real archived data.
magic_values: []
magic_values_note: >-
  None published. Matomo is not a payments or messaging provider, so there are no test
  cards, test numbers or simulator identifiers to capture. Recorded as an explicit
  empty set rather than omitted.