Traditionally, website content migration has been done by transferring files via FTP from the old server to your own computer and then to the new server. However, if the website content has been implemented with a database-based content management system, the MySQL database has also had to be transferred separately from the old server to the new one. To facilitate these tasks, our control panel also includes a tool called 'Website Import', which in most cases can transfer website content effortlessly with a couple of clicks.
The Website Import feature automatically recognizes websites built with WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal content management systems, as well as PrestaShop and Magento-based online stores. These can be imported with a couple of clicks using the tool, but if your website has been built with some other application, you will need to manually select the files and databases to be transferred.
Start the import by selecting 'Websites & Domains' -> 'Website Import' from the control panel:
NOTE! Do not install an empty WordPress application as a base in your web hosting disk space. The disk space must be empty, as this tool takes care of all the steps needed for the migration - installing your application and importing files and databases all at once.
The next import setup view opens, where you can enter the domain of the site to be imported in the 'Source domain name' field. By default, this uses the domain configured for the server, which is assumed to be transferred to this web hosting later. However, if you wish, you can also specify any other existing old domain name where the application to be transferred is located. Additionally, enter the FTP username and password in their designated fields.
Press 'OK' and the control panel will establish a connection to your old server.
NOTE! If the old server does not support encrypted SFTP or SSH connection and establishing a secure connection fails, you will be prompted to allow the transfer attempt via unencrypted FTP connection. Accept the prompt and the transfer may then succeed via FTP connection.
NOTE2! If you still cannot establish a connection, the reason may be, for example, that the domain has already been transferred or the domain uses Cloudflare's name servers. In either case, establishing a connection to the old server will not succeed by referring only to the domain name.
The solution is then to select 'Switch to custom mode' from the tool and enter the old server's IP address in the Source domain name field instead of the domain (which you can inquire about from the old hosting provider if necessary). In addition, enter the site URL in the Source website URL field in the format https://yourdomain.com, which should allow the connection to be established.
NOTE3! If the connection is established successfully but the import tool does not find the application to import, the solution is to manually set the 'Source document root' according to the old server (e.g., /var/www/vhosts/yourdomain.com/httpdocs/).
After successfully establishing a connection, you will see the following view where the control panel should have identified the application to be imported from the old server (WordPress in this example):
If the system behind your website was not recognized, you can also select the folders and databases to be copied from the source site separately. This can also be done if your site consists of parts outside the application (e.g., files added manually via FTP to the disk space). Typically, however, it is sufficient for the import to
check the source installation path and click
'Import'. After this, the control panel imports the content (which can take a long time for large sites). When the import is complete, you will receive a notification and the application should have been successfully transferred to your disk space. (If it's a WordPress site, it will also integrate directly with the control panel's WordPress Toolkit tool, which allows you to easily manage WordPress updates in the future.)
If necessary, you can check what your web hosting disk space content looks like by clicking "Websites & Domains" -> "Preview" which opens the page content in a new browser window (even if the domain has not yet been transferred to point to our server).
