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How to Request a Managed Website Migration
How to Request a Managed Website Migration

Learn how to quickly and easily request a free managed migration.

Rapyd Team avatar
Written by Rapyd Team
Updated over 2 weeks ago

Introduction

Moving your site to Rapyd Cloud? Our Migrations team takes care of everything—from transferring files and databases to testing functionality and updating DNS. We handle the technical details to ensure a smooth transition with minimal downtime and no post-migration issues.

Read on to learn how to request a migration and what to expect during the process.

Prerequisites:

To request a managed migration, you must first add a site your account. Once you have deployed a site, you can follow the steps below in the Site settings area of your newly created site.

Learn how to add a site here: How to Add a Site


Steps to Request a Managed Migration

Prior to requesting a managed migration, we recommend ensuring that you have access to a recent backup of your website (both files and database). Once you've done that, follow the steps below:

Step 1: Access your Site's Setting Area

Login to the Rapyd Dashboard and click on the desired website that will serve as the destination for your migration. If you have not launched your website yet, follow this guide: How to Add a Site

Step 2: Click the Migrate Tab

Once you have selected your destination website, go to Settings > Migrate > Request migration.

Migration request Step 2

Step 3: Confirm Account Details in the Migration Form

A new tab will appear with our Migration Request form. The first screen will have your account details already populated as well as the destination website that you selected. Click Next.

Step 4: Add your Source Site Details

In the second screen, you need to provide the following information of the source website:

  • Site URL: This is the main URL of your website

  • Login URL: This is the URL to login to the WordPress admin dashboard

  • Username: Your WordPress admin username

  • Password: Your WordPress admin password

Note: Even if you are migrating from a local environment (on your computer), be sure to enter the URL you use locally, as we will replace it in the database.

Enter all the required details and click Next.

Step 5: Specify Server Connection Details

Select the connection type to connect to your server. We recommend using SSH for a faster and secure data transfer.

For SSH

  • Server: IP or Hostname

  • Port: By default, SSH works on port 22. If your host utilizes a custom port, add it here

  • User: SSH user

  • Password: SSH password

  • Key file: This is an optional field in case your SSH connection requires a key file

  • Key passphrase: This field is optional in case your SSH connection requires a key file with a passphrase

  • WordPress Directory: This is where your WordPress installation resides in your server's file system. You can get it from WordPress Dashboard > Tools > Site Health > Info > Directories and Sizes > WordPress directory location.

For other connection types

If SSH is unavailable, please provide detailed instructions for retrieving your files and database, along with any relevant links or special instructions.

Make sure that both your files and database are backed up, and specify the path to these backups. If the files and database are in separate locations, provide the paths for both. However, if you are using FTP or SFTP, it's important to combine your website's files and database into a single archive, as these protocols are too slow for transferring large numbers of individual files.

For migrations from a local environment (on your computer), please indicate the name and path of the files you have uploaded to your Rapyd server. If you have not uploaded your files yet, please follow this guide: Preparing Your Local WordPress Environment for Migration to Rapyd

Once you're ready, click Next.

Step 6: Add Site Launch Preferences

Following your site's migration, our team will be happy to take your site live for you. Complete these form fields according to your needs to ensure a smooth go-live process.

Would you like us to bring the site live after migrating?

​If you would like Rapyd to handle the DNS update once your site is ready to be taken live, select Yes under the Site Launch section.

Select your preferred time to take your site live (usually during low web traffic hours)

We recommend to carry out the migration during low web traffic hours and for this, you can select your preferred time from the drop-down menu. If this is not an issue and we can start the migration as soon as possible, leave 'Anytime' selected.

After selecting the appropriate time, another drop-down menu to select your time zone will be displayed.

Would you like to review the site using a temporary URL before going live?

Indicate whether you would like to test the site using a temporary URL.

  • Yes:

    We will proceed with an initial migration as soon as possible. Then, we will share a temporary URL for you to test and once you are ready to proceed with the migration, we will resynchronize your files and database to have the latest data transferred from the source site. We will also coordinate with you to determine a suitable time for the resync, typically during off-peak hours, in case that you prefer a different time than the one indicated in the step above.

  • No:

    We will proceed with the migration at the indicated time and we will take the site live by updating your DNS after a successful completion of the testing phase.

Note: Before a full migration or a resynchronization, we will enable maintenance mode on both BuddyBoss Theme and BuddyBoss App (If installed) to prevent data mismatch and we will disable it on the migrated site once it is live.

Access method for DNS manager

Access to your DNS manager is necessary to update the relevant DNS records. Most well-known providers offer convenient methods for sharing access without disclosing usernames and passwords. This also facilitates easy revocation of access once we have completed the update.

Check with your provider if you are unsure on how to grant shared access to our email address. Once the invitation has been sent, select 'Invitation' and click 'I have invited Rapyd to my DNS manager'.

If shared access is unavailable, you can always select 'Login' and provide the required details.

Note: If the selected option is 'Login', please ensure you have disabled 2 Factor Authentication (if enabled) so we can login without delays.

Important:
If your DNS settings are managed by your current web hosting provider, it's essential to establish independent DNS hosting to safeguard your DNS records. Typically, your existing hosting provider may terminate your subscription, including your domain hosting and the deletion of your DNS records, once your site migration is complete and you cancel your subscription with them. In such situations, we recommend creating a free Cloudflare account and adding your site to facilitate the website's go-live process after migration. If you already have an independent DNS hosting provider, you can ignore this requirement.


​Once you have filled out all of the fields, click next.

Step 7: Add Additional Notes

This is a section for you to add special instructions such as how to test custom functionalities on your site. Use this space for anything that you feel our migrations team needs to know before proceeding!

Step 8: Send Form & Receive Confirmation

After submitting your migration request, you will receive a confirmation email acknowledging receipt. If our team needs any more information from you before proceeding, they will reach out with specific requests.

Important Notes

  • Migrations are handled on a first-come, first-served basis. However, we will get back to you via email in less than 48 hours after your request is submitted.

  • The migration completion time depends on the size of your website.

Conclusion

Migrating your website to Rapyd is a seamless process with our team handling the technical details from start to finish. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can ensure a smooth transition with minimal effort on your end. If you’ve provided all the necessary details, our team will take care of the rest—getting your site up and running on Rapyd without hassle.

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