Getting Started

Welcome to Health Checker for Joomla! This guide will help you run your first health check and understand the results.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure:

• ✅ Health Checker is installed (see Installation)
• ✅ Core plugin is enabled
• ✅ You're logged in as Super Administrator

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Your First Health Check

1. Access Health Checker

From your Joomla administrator panel:

1. Navigate to Components → Health Checker
2. You'll see the Health Checker report page

2. Run the Check

Click the Run Health Check button in the toolbar.

What happens:

• All health checks execute in parallel via AJAX
• Results appear as they complete
• Progress indicator shows completion status
• Takes 5-15 seconds depending on your site

3. Review Results

Results are organized by category and status:

Status Indicators

• 🔴 Critical - Immediate action required, site may be broken or compromised
• 🟡 Warning - Should be addressed, but site still functions
• 🟢 Good - Everything is optimal

Categories

Results are grouped into 8+ categories:

Category	What It Checks
System & Hosting	PHP version, extensions, disk space, server config
Database	Connection, charset, table health, backups
Security	Debug mode, HTTPS, file permissions, authentication
Users	Admin accounts, passwords, inactive users
Extensions	Updates available, disabled plugins, compatibility
Performance	Caching, compression, OPcache
SEO	Meta tags, sitemaps, robots.txt
Content Quality	Orphaned articles, broken links, empty categories

4. Filter Results

Use the filter options to focus on specific issues:

By Status:

• Show only Critical issues
• Show only Warnings
• Show only Good results
• Show All (default)

By Category:

• Filter to specific category (e.g., Security only)
• Combine with status filter (e.g., "Critical issues in Security category")

5. Manage Which Checks Run

You can enable or disable individual health checks to customize which checks run on your site:

1. Navigate to Extensions → Plugins
2. Search for "Health Checker - Core Checks"
3. Click to edit the plugin
4. Expand category fieldsets (Content, Database, Security, etc.)
5. Uncheck boxes for checks you want to disable
6. Click Save & Close

Why disable checks?

• They're not relevant to your site (e.g., JSON extension if you don't use it)
• They generate false positives for your specific configuration
• Performance optimization - disabled checks don't execute

Learn More

See the complete guide: Managing Checks

Understanding Results

Reading a Check Result

Each check shows:

[Status Icon] Check Title
Description of the result and what it means

Example - Good Status:

✓ PHP Version
Your server is running PHP 8.3.0, which meets the recommended version (8.2+).

Example - Warning Status:

⚠ System Cache Disabled
Joomla system cache is disabled. Enabling it can significantly improve performance.

Example - Critical Status:

✗ Debug Mode Enabled
Debug mode is enabled in production. This exposes sensitive information and should be disabled immediately.

Provider Attribution

Some checks show a provider badge:

• Core - Built-in checks (no badge shown)
• MySites.guru - Integration checks
• Akeeba Backup - Backup monitoring (if installed)
• Third-party plugins - Custom checks from extensions

Taking Action

Addressing Critical Issues

Critical issues require immediate attention:

1. Read the description - Understand what's wrong
2. Follow recommendations - Each check suggests fixes
3. Verify the fix - Run health check again
4. Confirm resolved - Check should now show Good or Warning status

Addressing Warnings

Warnings should be addressed but aren't urgent:

1. Prioritize - Some warnings matter more for your site
2. Plan fixes - Schedule time to address them
3. Monitor - Re-run checks periodically

Good Results

Green/Good results mean everything is optimal for that check. No action needed!

Exporting Reports

Share results with your team or hosting provider:

JSON Export

Use for:

• API integration
• Automated monitoring
• Scripting
• Data analysis

How to export:

1. Click Export dropdown in toolbar
2. Select JSON
3. File downloads as health-check-results-YYYY-MM-DD.json

HTML Export

Use for:

• Sharing with non-technical users
• Printing
• Email attachments
• Support tickets

How to export:

1. Click Export dropdown in toolbar
2. Select HTML
3. File downloads as health-check-report-YYYY-MM-DD.html
4. Open in browser - formatted, printable report

Dashboard Widget

Add a quick health overview to your admin dashboard:

Enable Widget

1. Go to Home Dashboard
2. Click Customize This Page (top right)
3. Find Health Checker in available modules
4. Drag to your preferred position
5. Click Save & Close

Widget Features

The dashboard widget shows:

• Summary counts - Critical, Warning, Good totals
• Quick link - Click to view full report
• Auto-refresh - Updates periodically via AJAX

Best Practices

Regular Checks

Run health checks:

• Weekly - For active production sites
• After updates - After Joomla or extension updates
• After changes - After configuration changes
• Before launches - Before going live with new features

Prioritize Issues

Focus on:

1. Critical issues first - These can break your site
2. Security warnings - Protect your site from attacks
3. Performance warnings - Improve user experience
4. Other warnings - Address when convenient

Keep Records

Export reports regularly:

• Before major changes - Baseline for comparison
• After fixing issues - Proof of resolution
• Monthly - Track site health over time

Common First-Time Issues

All Checks Show Critical

Cause: Usually a new installation with default settings

Fix: This is normal! Go through each critical issue and configure your site properly. Many will resolve as you configure Joomla.

No Checks Appear

Cause: Core plugin not enabled

Fix:

1. Go to System → Manage → Plugins
2. Search for "Health Checker - Core"
3. Click to enable it (green checkmark)
4. Return to Health Checker and run again

Checks Don't Load

Cause: JavaScript error or server timeout

Fix:

1. Check browser console for errors (F12 → Console tab)
2. Clear Joomla cache (System → Clear Cache)
3. Increase PHP max_execution_time if needed
4. Check server error logs

Next Steps

Now that you've run your first health check:

• Learn more - Read Understanding Health Checks for detailed explanations
• Fix issues - Work through Critical and Warning results
• Explore features - Try filtering, exporting, and the dashboard widget
• Schedule regular checks - Make health monitoring a routine

Getting Help

• Documentation - Browse this user guide for detailed help
• GitHub Issues - Report bugs or request features

Quick Reference

Task	How To
Run checks	Components → Health Checker → Run Health Check button
Filter results	Use status/category dropdowns
Export JSON	Export dropdown → JSON
Export HTML	Export dropdown → HTML
Add dashboard widget	Home Dashboard → Customize This Page
Re-run single check	Refresh page, click Run Health Check
Clear results	Results are session-based, refresh to clear

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Congratulations! You've completed your first health check. Regular monitoring helps keep your Joomla site secure, fast, and healthy.