Installation

Installing Health Checker for Joomla is straightforward using Joomla's standard extension installation process.

System Requirements

Before installing, ensure your system meets these requirements:

• Joomla Version: 5.0 or higher
• PHP Version: 8.1 or higher
• MySQL/MariaDB: MySQL 8.0+ or MariaDB 10.4+
• User Access: Super Administrator privileges

Download

Download the latest version from one of these sources:

• GitHub Releases: github.com/mySites-guru/HealthCheckerForJoomla/releases

You'll download a file named pkg_healthchecker_vX.X.X.zip

Installation Steps

1. Access Extension Manager

1. Log into your Joomla administrator panel
2. Navigate to System → Install → Extensions

2. Upload Package

1. Click the Upload Package File tab
2. Click Browse and select the pkg_healthchecker_vX.X.X.zip file
3. The package will upload and install automatically

3. Verify Installation

After installation completes, you should see a success message listing the installed components:

• ✅ Component: Health Checker (com_healthchecker)
• ✅ Plugin: Health Checker - Core Checks (plg_healthchecker_core)
• ✅ Module: Health Checker Dashboard Widget (mod_healthchecker)

4. Enable the Core Plugin

Important: The core plugin must be enabled for health checks to work.

1. Navigate to System → Manage → Plugins
2. Search for "Health Checker - Core"
3. Click to enable the plugin (green checkmark)

5. Add Dashboard Widget (Optional)

To add the Health Checker widget to your admin dashboard:

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

What Gets Installed

Component (com_healthchecker)

The main component provides:

• Health check report page
• Event system for collecting checks
• Export functionality
• UI components

Location: administrator/components/com_healthchecker/

Core Plugin (plg_healthchecker_core)

Contains 129 health checks organized in 8+ categories.

Location: plugins/healthchecker/core/

Dashboard Module (mod_healthchecker)

Displays health check summary on the admin dashboard.

Location: administrator/modules/mod_healthchecker/

Optional Integrations

If you use Akeeba extensions, you can install optional integration plugins:

Akeeba Backup Integration

Monitors backup status, frequency, and success rate.

Download: Included in main package as plg_healthchecker_akeebabackup.zip

Akeeba Admin Tools Integration

Tracks security events, WAF status, and file integrity.

Download: Included in main package as plg_healthchecker_akeebaadmintools.zip

To install these:

1. Extract them from the main package ZIP
2. Install each via System → Install → Extensions
3. Enable in System → Manage → Plugins

Verifying Installation

Run Your First Health Check

1. Navigate to Components → Health Checker
2. Click the Run Health Check button
3. Wait for all checks to complete
4. Review the results

You should see checks organized into 8+ categories with Critical/Warning/Good statuses.

Check Dashboard Widget

If you added the dashboard widget:

1. Go to Home Dashboard
2. Verify the Health Checker widget shows summary counts
3. Click the widget to navigate to the full report

Troubleshooting Installation

"Package Installation Failed"

Cause: Usually a permissions issue or PHP configuration limit.

Solutions:

• Verify the /tmp directory is writable
• Check PHP upload_max_filesize and post_max_size settings
• Ensure adequate disk space

Core Plugin Not Showing

Cause: Plugin group filter may be hiding it.

Solutions:

• In System → Manage → Plugins, clear all filters
• Search for "healthchecker" in the search box
• Select "Health Checker" from the plugin type dropdown

No Checks Appear When Running

Cause: Core plugin is not enabled.

Solution:

• Go to System → Manage → Plugins
• Find "Health Checker - Core Checks"
• Click to enable it (should show green checkmark)
• Return to Health Checker and run again

Uninstallation

To completely remove Health Checker:

1. Navigate to System → Manage → Extensions
2. Search for "Health Checker"
3. Select all Health Checker extensions
4. Click Uninstall

This removes:

• Component
• All plugins
• Dashboard module
• All files and folders

Note: Health Checker doesn't create database tables, so there's no data to clean up.

Updating

To update to a newer version:

1. Download the latest package
2. Install it using System → Install → Extensions
3. Joomla will automatically upgrade the existing installation

Your settings and enabled plugins are preserved during updates.

Professional Multi-Site Management

Managing Multiple Joomla Sites?

While this free Health Checker extension is perfect for monitoring a single site, professional site managers need centralized monitoring across all their Joomla installations.

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One Dashboard for All Your Sites:

• 🏥 Automated health checks on unlimited Joomla sites
• 🔔 Near Realtime Email Alerting for issues
• 📊 Historical health tracking and trend analysis
• 🎯 Client-ready reports with white-label branding
• ⚡ Bulk update management - update multiple sites in one click
• 🔒 Security monitoring, uptime checks, and SSL certificate tracking
• 👥 Team collaboration with role-based access

Perfect for:

• Agencies managing client sites
• Freelancers with multiple projects
• IT departments with Joomla portfolios
• Site owners with multiple properties

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Next Steps

Now that Health Checker is installed, continue to Getting Started to learn how to use it.