How to move a WordPress site to a new server
Any host to any cloud — no manual database surgery, no scary cutover.
Migrate a live WordPress site to a server you own — export, import, point DNS, get free SSL — and test the whole move before you flip the switch.
To move a WordPress site to a new server: stand up the new server and install Pete Panel with one command, export the current site in Pete format using the free Pete Converter (database, files, and uploads in one archive), import it into Pete on the new server, then point your domain’s DNS at the new IP and generate free SSL. Verify everything before you cut over, and keep the old host running until the move is confirmed — no manual SQL, no search-and-replace, no guesswork.
Why migrations go wrong — and how to de-risk them
Most WordPress migrations break in the same places: a database export that doesn’t quite match, serialized data mangled by a careless find-and-replace, a forgotten wp-config value, or a DNS cutover that sends live traffic to a half-configured server. The fix isn’t heroics — it’s a clean, repeatable process that carries the whole site as one archive and lets you test the move before it’s live. That’s exactly what a Pete-format export plus a one-command install gives you. Here’s the sequence.
The steps, start to finish
Lower your DNS TTL — a day ahead
Before anything, drop your domain’s A-record TTL (to 300s). When you cut over later, the change propagates in minutes instead of hours, shrinking any window where visitors could hit the old server.
Provision the new server and install Pete
Spin up an Ubuntu 24.04 server on any cloud — Linode, Hetzner, Google Cloud, AWS — and run the one-line installer. Pete comes up with a tuned stack, free SSL, and a WAF, auto-tuned to the server’s resources.
Export the current site in Pete format
On the existing site, install the free Pete Converter and export — database, wp-content files, uploads, and configuration in a single archive. It only reads the source; nothing changes on the live site.
(Optional) Rehearse the move locally first
Import the archive into a local playground and confirm it comes up clean before touching the new server. A dry run catches surprises with zero risk.
Import into Pete on the new server
Upload the archive to Pete on the new server. It restores the domain, database, and files in one step — no manual SQL, no serialized-data find-and-replace.
Preview before DNS — verify it renders
Check the restored site on the new server (via a temporary URL or a local hosts entry) before pointing the domain. Confirm pages, images, logins, and checkout work against the original.
Point DNS, then issue SSL
Update your domain’s A record to the new server’s IP. Once it resolves, generate a free Let’s Encrypt certificate in Pete so the site serves HTTPS from the first request on its new home.
Confirm, then retire the old host
Watch the new server serve real traffic correctly for a day, keeping the old host online as a fallback. Once you’re sure propagation is complete and everything works, decommission the old hosting.
The Pete way: one archive, one installer
What makes this low-risk is that the whole site travels as a single Pete-format archive, and the new server comes up from one command — the same tuned stack every time, so “it worked on the old host” stays true on the new one. Stand up the destination with:
$ curl -o pete_installer.sh -L https://staging.deploypete.com/pete_installer.sh && chmod 755 pete_installer.sh && sudo ./pete_installer.sh
Then import your export, point DNS, and issue SSL. And because you can rehearse the move locally first, you never test in production. See the full deployment guide for the per-cloud steps.
Frequently asked questions
Will there be downtime?
Little to none if you plan it. Lower your DNS TTL a day ahead, import and verify on the new server before pointing the domain, and keep the old host online until propagation completes. Visitors move over as DNS updates — the site stays up on one server or the other throughout.
Do I have to touch the database or wp-config?
No. The Pete-format export carries the database, files, uploads, and configuration together, and the import restores them in one step — no manual SQL dumps, no serialized-data find-and-replace, no hand-editing wp-config.
Can I move from any host?
Yes — any WordPress site you can install the Pete Converter on works as the source, on any host. The destination is a server you own on any cloud (Linode, Hetzner, Google Cloud, AWS, or any Ubuntu 24.04 machine).
What about SSL on the new server?
Pete issues a free Let’s Encrypt certificate once your domain resolves to the new server, and auto-renews it. Every site gets HTTPS from its first request — no manual certificate setup.
Can I test the migration before going live?
Yes — that’s the safest part. Import the export into a local playground or preview it on the new server before you touch DNS. You only cut over once you’ve confirmed the move works.
Move to a server you own.
Rehearse the move in a free playground, stand up the new server with one command, and cut over when you’re sure.