Backup and Restore / Change folder structure

  • Resolved masok

    (@masok)


    1 year, 10 months ago

    Hi all,

    Im new to this, and have been working on a site, on localhost, using XAMPP.
    Everything went well, and the site is done, so I would like to take it online, through a hosting service (DonWeb).

    So, the first thing I want to do is know how to backup everything, so that I can take it to the hosting service cPanel, and restore it there

    As a side note, there’s already a site there. A friend asked me to renew his old site, so he already has the hosting purchased, this would be a matter of updating the current website.

    I know I would need to backup folders, and also the database, was wondering if there’s any special considerations I should have, since I’ve seen people mentioning that they had trouble restoring their backups.

    Also, I installed everything to work on localhost, and now I’m noticing that everything got saved under C:/xampp/htdocs/wordpress
    And I access the site by going to localhost/wordpress
    Also the database name is called wordpress

    I’d like to have everything on C:/xampp/htdocs/sitename, and for the database to be called sitename too.

    Would that be possible? Im thinking that if I just rename things, everything might break.

    Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks in advance!

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

  • I’d like to have everything on C:/xampp/htdocs/sitename, and for the database to be called sitename too.
    Would that be possible?

    No. That’s because your host surely doesn’t use XAMPP, and, in all likelihood, doesn’t even use Windows, to have that path. Also, your host will very well have their own naming scheme for database names (on cPanel systems, the database name will often be prefixed with the cPanel account username).

    Im thinking that if I just rename things, everything might break.

    Luckily, no, that’s totally irrelevant.

    Here are your steps to migrate your site:

    LOCALHOST SIDE

    0) Save yourself time and trouble by first removing any unused themes and plugins from the localhost site before beginning the migration.

    1) Install a backup/migration plugin on your localhost site, and, from the WordPress dashboard, use the plugin to create a full site backup (database and files).

    I’ve had very good success with the WPVivid backup and restore plugin, but every hosting environment is different, and there are a ton more WordPress migration plugins out there.

    2) Download the full site backup you created with the plugin to your local computer. Note that some backup plugins may separate the backup into multiple files (especially if your site is a very large one)…. so be sure to download all the backup files.

    ONLINE HOST

    0) Prep your domain. Make sure your domain is properly connected to your hosting account, and you can open the address in your browser. And since HTTPS is pretty much a MUST nowadays, I’ll even recommend you install an SSL certificate and get HTTPS working for your domain before proceeding.

    Luckily, free & unlimited SSL certificates is a built-in feature of cPanel… though that doesn’t stop some greedy hosts from disabling it so they can sell their expensive SSL certificates ??

    1) Install a fresh WordPress site on your domain. Since your host uses cPanel, you’ll very likely find a WordPress auto-installer in your cPanel. If not, or if you prefer, you can also install WordPress manually.

    2) After you have WordPress running on your online hosting account, install and activate the same plugin you used to create a backup of your localhost site.

    3) Use the backup plugin to UPLOAD the backup file(s) you previously downloaded to your computer, and follow the plugin’s RESTORE routine to restore your site.

    The backup plugin, if it’s able to handle site migration (WPVivid does this), will convert all localhost URLs to the equivalent URLs on your domain.

    Standing by for feedback and to provide any further assistance.

    Thread Starter masok

    (@masok)

    @gappiah

    Thanks so much for your response. Used WPVivid and it worked great.

    A few images were not included in the backup, but it was not big deal, just adding those again.

    Thanks again!

    I’d say it’s a general learning trait that should improve your skills and techniques to turn into a liability, but see what I found here for more information.
    I would have to study with you here. What I don’t usually do! I enjoy reading a post that can make people think. and something useful to take

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)
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