How to Migrate WordPress site in CloudPanel

Example: Migrate from a.test.com → b.test.com

Problem Statement

WordPress migration is required when:

• Changing domain name but keeping the same website content

• Moving from staging environment to production
  Example:

staging.test.com → test.com

• Moving site between server users inside CloudPanel

• Rebuilding environment but keeping the same website

This procedure ensures:

• Files are transferred correctly

• Database remains consistent

• No broken links or permission issues

Tools Used

This migration process uses:

• CloudPanel – Site and database management

• Cloudflare – DNS and SSL management (if applicable)

• Terminal (SSH) – File transfer and backup

• Code Editor – VS Code / Cursor / any text editor

• phpMyAdmin – Database export and import

Backup First (MANDATORY)

Before migration, always perform a full backup of:

• Website files

• Database

Do not proceed without confirmed backup.

Backup Website Files (Terminal)

Example backup for a.test.com:

cd /home/test-a/htdocs/
zip -r a.test.com-backup.zip a.test.com

Confirm the .zip file is created successfully before continuing.

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Backup Database (SQL Dump via Terminal – Recommended)

mysqldump -u DB_USER -p DB_NAME > a-test-backup.sql

Enter the database password when prompted.

You should now have:

• Website backup (.zip)

• Database backup (.sql)

Only proceed after verifying both backup files exist.

1) Create New WordPress Site (Destination)

1. Login to CloudPanel.

2. Create a new WordPress site:

   • Domain: b.test.com

3. Save the following details (needed later):

   • Database name

   • Database username

   • Database password

2) Prepare Destination Directory

1. Go to File Manager.

2. Navigate to:

   htdocs → b.test.com

3. Delete all existing files inside the folder
   (including wp-config.php, default WordPress files, etc.)

3) Copy Files from Source Site

Open Terminal and run:

cd /home/test-a/htdocs/a.test.com/
cp -r * ../../../test-b/htdocs/b.test.com/.
cd ../../../test-b/htdocs/b.test.com/
chown -R test-b:test-b *

Explanation:

• First command → Go to source site folder

• Second command → Copy all files to new site folder

• Third command → Move into destination folder

• Fourth command → Assign proper ownership (MANDATORY)

4) Export Database from Source Site

1. In CloudPanel, go to:

   Databases → Database Users → (a site) → Manage

2. Open phpMyAdmin.

3. Click Export.

4. Export database as .sql file.

5) Edit Database File

1. Open the exported .sql file in a text editor.

2. Use Find & Replace:

   • Find: test-a

   • Replace with: test-b

3. Save the file.

6) Import Database to Destination Site

1. In CloudPanel, go to:

   Databases → Database Users → (b site) → Manage

2. Open phpMyAdmin.

3. Select the database.

4. Drop all existing tables first.

5. Click Import and upload the edited .sql file.

7) Update Site URL

1. In phpMyAdmin, open table:

   wp_options

2. Locate these two rows:

   • siteurl

   • home

3. Change value:

https://a.test.com

➝ to:

https://b.test.com

8) Update wp-config.php

1. Go to:

   CloudPanel → Sites → b.test.com → File Manager

2. Open:

   htdocs → b.test.com → wp-config.php

3. Update:

   • Database name

   • Database username

   • Database password
     (Use the credentials saved earlier)

9) Check DNS & Cloudflare

• Verify DNS record for b.test.com is pointing to correct server IP

• Check Cloudflare (if used)

• Clear cache if necessary

✅ Migration Completed

After all steps:

• Visit

https://b.test.com

• Test:

  • Admin login

  • Frontend pages

  • Forms

  • Plugins

  • Media files

If everything loads correctly, migration is successful.¹

⚠ Important

1. test-a and test-b in the example above are placeholders only.

Before running the command, verify:

• The correct Linux system user for the source site

• The correct Linux system user for the destination site

• The exact folder path under /home/

To confirm the correct user:

Go to CloudPanel → Sites → (Site Name) and check the system user assigned to the site.

If the system user is different, replace:

test-a
test-b

with the actual usernames shown in CloudPanel.

Incorrect username usage may result in:

• Permission denied errors

• 403 Forbidden errors

• File ownership mismatch

Always verify before executing the command.