When moving a wordpress site to another host, do you create a same name database

  • Resolved designrox

    (@designrox)


    11 years, 11 months ago

    Hello,
    I am going to be moving a wordpress site from godaddy to dreamhost. Just the hosting part. The registration will stay with godaddy for the time being. So I know I have to create a new database with dreamhost. My question is, do I need to make the database the exact same as the one on godaddy? If I do, will that make me have less issues when moving? Also, any help with the best way to move a site from one host to another would be great. I skimmed the codex instructions but wanted to post anyway, just in case anyone has some helpful tips. Oh and the domain name will remain the same.

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

  • If there already exists a database inside your DreamHost account with the same DB name that you’ve currently configured @ GoDaddy, you can create a database with any name, as long as you have no problem in making slight changes to your wp-config.php file.

    It’s always easier to create the new database with the same name that you have on your ex-host. It saves you from any configuration file editing work but if that’s not a big deal (and it shouldn’t be), you can always create a new database with whatever name you want.

    When moving from one host to another, make sure to do the following:-

    1. Copy all WordPress content from your old host to your new host (zipping the WordPress directory at your ex-host and then downloading it to your DreamHost account via SSH, using WGET, is the quickest option, IMO. Then you simply extract the zip file and you’ve every content from your old host, except the database.)
    2. Complete the DB export/import stuff
    3. Only when you have completed the above-mentioned tasks should you proceed to change your name servers (or change the A/CNAME record). This way, once the domain propagation completes, your website won’t face any downtime.
    Thread Starter designrox

    (@designrox)

    Great, Thanks so much for your help! I kind of guessed that if I made the database the same that it would be fine but I wanted to ask just in case. This is the first time I am doing this. Do you mind elaborating on what SSH and WGET are? I believe I have seen some stuff online about exporting and importing the database. Thanks again for your help. It is much appreciated!

    My pleasure!

    If you enjoy learning, both SSH and WGET are well worth learning. SSH allows you to securely connect to your server/hosting account and use the command line interface (CLI) of the server from your local machine to execute commands on the server. It’s usually a much faster approach to work with the files located on your server and since DreamHost offers SSH with their hosting plan, you should definitely learn to use it. You can learn more about it at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secure_Shell

    WGET is a utility to download files. More details here: https://www.gnu.org/software/wget/manual/wget.html

    Thread Starter designrox

    (@designrox)

    Thanks so much for your help!

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)
  • The topic ‘When moving a wordpress site to another host, do you create a same name database’ is closed to new replies.