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WordPress Website Migration - Duplicator Revisited
#1
This is not a tutorial, but could probably be used in that way.  It's a description of my experience today with loading a VERY OLD WordPress backup with the WP Duplicator plugin.

So today after @Pacific Spirits post about DirectAdmin I had to dig deep into my WordPress sites to find a blog I'd created for the Admin control experience of DirectAdmin.  That was an interesting exercise, as although I had backup, the backup was Duplicator backup, and my WordPress migration tool of choice had been WP All-in-One Migration tool for many years.  For me the faster the better, and the latter tool did that for me.  Also, why I had dropped Duplicator at one stage was because of how strict it is, and therefore easy to conflict with the server one is using it on - particularly VPS.  So I was wondering whether I'd get it to work for getting a VERY old backup (2016/2017) working again.

I thought that in preference to my VPSs that a cPanel such as at Gigarocket may have a better chance to succeed.  And it did work that way.  I then had to revisit a very old YouTube tutorial that I really like for brushing up on the Duplicator steps.  And was happy to discover it still existed at YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_conti...07RAt-IkMk

So one of the challenges we're having at Gigarocket is that our Softaculous installer has not been renewed.  Due to cost concerns of course.  So what's nice with Duplicator is that in contrast with the All-in-one Migration tool where you have to create a new WordPress Installation first, you don't need to load a WordPress installation before you load the backup with Duplicator - you only need to create a new database.  So in this case it was working better for me already.

The steps for Duplicator are very simple and easy:

1. Load the Duplicator Plugin on the WordPress Site that you want to migrate.
2. Then create a backup of your WordPress Site with the Duplicator tool:  it will create an installation page and a zipped package that one downloads to one's computer.
3. Then next you have to set up the new domain at the Destination Server.  Make sure the name servers have been changed.  Then check that the DNS has propagated before you migrate the site.
4. At the Destination Server you have to create a new database and new database user, set them up together with all privileges, and write down the password etc.
5. Then get the new domain url up, click on the installation linked file, and it will prompt you to installation of the backup.  

So after doing this today, I'm wondering whether I should move back to Duplicator, as I am worried that the All-in-one WP Migration tool is not as safe as it should be.  Like maybe a more strict tool like duplicator would be safer.  Or better yet, maybe I can use both tools to have two sets of backups.  So if I have WordPress installation issues like at Gigarocket, then I can use Duplicator to create a WordPress installation without a WordPress Installer because there would be no need for installation of WordPress first.  And if I do have Softaculous, that would make WordPress installation easy, then the All-in-one tool maybe the better one to use.  Lots of options these days!  Tongue

Any way, I was very disappointed in the end, as although I had made a good start on finding a VPS to test DirectAdmin from an Admin side of things, I never actually loaded one, so I guess now that HostUS has offered VPS Holders with UK IPs a free DirectAdmin License, I've finally got my chance to try out DirectAdmin from the top down in Admin capacity. Looks like I'm going to learn some new lessons again soon, unless it irritates me too much - I may not have the same patience I had when I was learning how to use DirectAdmin from the user side of things.
Terminal
Thank you to Post4VPS and VirMach for my awesome VPS 9!  
#2
Okay so @deanhills, why not consider installing WordPress manually. Why do you even need the Softaculous Auto Installer. To be honest, I never use it you know. Even that it's available on my hosting service.

There are plenty of guides on how to install WordPress manually, maybe I can post one on the same here in this forum. I find it a lot more convenient to install it myself. You know it's nothing but just unarchiving the zip file into the root directory and then establishing a MySQL connection with a freshly created database. In short, that's it.

If course, Softaculous is the destination for newbies who aren't used to the world of web designing. However, advanced users must learn to do that on their own and that's what I've done. When I was new to the web development world, I too relied on Softaculous for all the installations. Slowly as I progressed, I learned doing things on my own and gradually things fell in place for me.

That's why I say that both the plugins are good and have their own pros and cons. There's one last thing I would like to add to this. For WordPress migration, I suggest not to use a plug-in at all. Simply archive ask your files in a zip and unzip it on your new host. For this one thing is important- see to it that the database name, database user and password remains same (if you do remember it). Then migrate your database to my exporting it through phpMyAdmin and then restoring it on the same. That's when you're ready to go.

Since WordPress is full of security holes, and the themes and plugins add to this, I prefer not to use too many plugins, with only the least required. And that's what I suggest everyone too.

Regards,
Sayan Bhattacharyya,

Heartiest thanks to Post4VPS and Virmach for my wonderful VPS 9!
#3
Actually to install WordPress manually is easy.  It is one option of many that are there.  I've been there, I've done that.

Fastest for me however is Softaculous.  I've got Softaculous set up with my VestaCP.  Drawback of that of course is if VestaCP or Softaculous fails, then it may have a negative impact on the WordPress installation.  My blogs are however so small, and I do regular backups.  To recreate everything from scratch again is super fast.  If you check through the tutorials, at one stage I was trying to find the quickest way to set up a VPS with a WordPress site from beginning to end.  For me it's faster to set it up using VestaCP and Softaculous, than manually from the command line.  I also like the way VestaCP looks like, nicely organized.  What you see is what you get. Using the command line can be very boring and visually not as appealing. But yes, I agree it is much MUCH more secure.

However, this thread is not about installation of WordPress but migration of WordPress Websites. And it is not applicable to guys like you who prefer to do everything manually.   This has to do with guys like me who like to use plugins to back up and migrate Websites fast. I have all of my backups neatly filed and organized. And in this case was able to extract a blog I hadn't used from 2016. So this system works well. Tongue
Terminal
Thank you to Post4VPS and VirMach for my awesome VPS 9!  
#4
(09-10-2019, 12:57 AM)deanhills Wrote: Actually to install WordPress manually is easy.  It is one option of many that are there.  I've been there, I've done that.

Fastest for me however is Softaculous.  I've got Softaculous set up with my VestaCP.  Drawback of that of course is if VestaCP or Softaculous fails, then it may have a negative impact on the WordPress installation.  My blogs are however so small, and I do regular backups.  To recreate everything from scratch again is super fast.  If you check through the tutorials, at one stage I was trying to find the quickest way to set up a VPS with a WordPress site from beginning to end.  For me it's faster to set it up using VestaCP and Softaculous, than manually from the command line.  I also like the way VestaCP looks like, nicely organized.  What you see is what you get.  Using the command line can be very boring and visually not as appealing.  But yes, I agree it is much MUCH more secure.

However, this thread is not about installation of WordPress but migration of WordPress Websites. And it is not applicable to guys like you who prefer to do everything manually.   This has to do with guys like me who like to use plugins to back up and migrate Websites fast.  I have all of my backups neatly filed and organized.  And in this case was able to extract a blog I hadn't used from 2016.  So this system works well.  Tongue

WOW, I really wish I would've known that there was a plugin to help this process. Unfortunately I just installed a new installation every time and one-by-one copied every post and file. It was a hot mess and I really hated doing it.

This plugin looks very simple to use in the video and if I ever move again (most probably will) then I will definitely give this a go. I can't tell you how many times something did not link up right with 2 different installation. Like I said, it was a huge hot mess each time. It's awesome how it even has an installer to deploy the files and database. Awesome Smile

As simple as Softaculous might be, it can be tedious and annoying for sure. I do appreciate the backups and simplicity it performs but that panel is just overall messy if anything.

Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Post4VPS and BladeNode for VPS 6


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