Domain Migration

This guide covers everything you need to know when migrating your Botble CMS installation to a new domain, subdomain, or server.

Overview

Domain migration involves moving your website from one domain (e.g., example.com) to another (e.g., new-example.com or subdomain.example.com). This process requires careful handling of:

License management
Database configuration
Media files and assets
URL references in content
SSL certificates

Migration Methods

There are two approaches to domain migration:

Method	Best For	Complexity
Full Migration	Preserving all content, settings, and configurations	Medium
Fresh Install + Content Migration	Starting clean with selective content transfer	Simple

Pre-Migration Checklist

Before starting the migration, complete these steps:

1. License Management

Important

Your license is tied to your domain. You must handle it properly before migration.

Option A: Deactivate Before Migration (Recommended)

Go to Admin Panel → Settings → General
Click Deactivate License
Proceed with migration
Activate license on the new domain after migration

Option B: Backup License File

Download /storage/.license file from your current installation
After migration, upload this file to the new server
If activation issues occur, reset your license at https://license.botble.com

2. Create Full Backup

Create a complete backup before any migration:

bash

php artisan cms:backup:create "pre-migration-backup" --description="Full backup before domain migration"

Or through the admin panel:

Go to Admin Panel → System Administration → Backups
Click Create
Select both database and uploaded files
Download the backup to your local machine

3. Document Current Configuration

Note down your current settings:

Active theme name
Installed and activated plugins
Custom configurations in .env
Third-party integrations (payment gateways, email services, etc.)
Custom code modifications (if any)

Method 1: Full Migration (Recommended)

This method preserves all your content, settings, and configurations.

Step 1: Prepare the New Server

Set up your new server/hosting with the required environment:
- PHP 8.2+
- MySQL 8.0+ or MariaDB 10.3+
- Required PHP extensions
Point your new domain to the server

Step 2: Transfer Files

Transfer all files to the new server:

bash

# Using rsync (recommended)
rsync -avz --progress /path/to/old-site/ user@new-server:/path/to/new-site/

# Or using SCP
scp -r /path/to/old-site/* user@new-server:/path/to/new-site/

Step 3: Export and Import Database

On the old server:

bash

mysqldump -u username -p database_name > database_backup.sql

On the new server:

bash

mysql -u username -p new_database_name < database_backup.sql

Step 4: Update Configuration

Edit the .env file on the new server:

bash

APP_URL=https://your-new-domain.com

# Database credentials (update if changed)
DB_HOST=localhost
DB_DATABASE=your_new_database
DB_USERNAME=your_new_username
DB_PASSWORD=your_new_password

Step 5: Update URLs in Database

Run the following command to update old domain references in the database:

bash

php artisan cms:domain:change old-domain.com new-domain.com

If this command is not available, you can manually update URLs using SQL:

sql

-- Update site settings
UPDATE settings SET value = REPLACE(value, 'old-domain.com', 'new-domain.com')
WHERE value LIKE '%old-domain.com%';

-- Update media URLs (if using full URLs)
UPDATE media_files SET url = REPLACE(url, 'old-domain.com', 'new-domain.com')
WHERE url LIKE '%old-domain.com%';

-- Update page content
UPDATE pages SET content = REPLACE(content, 'old-domain.com', 'new-domain.com')
WHERE content LIKE '%old-domain.com%';

-- Update post content
UPDATE posts SET content = REPLACE(content, 'old-domain.com', 'new-domain.com')
WHERE content LIKE '%old-domain.com%';

Step 6: Clear Cache and Optimize

bash

php artisan cache:clear
php artisan config:clear
php artisan view:clear
php artisan route:clear
php artisan optimize

Step 7: Set Permissions

bash

chmod -R 755 storage bootstrap/cache
chown -R www-data:www-data storage bootstrap/cache

Step 8: Activate License

Go to Admin Panel → Settings → General
Enter your purchase code
Click Activate

If activation fails:

Visit https://license.botble.com
Reset your license
Try activating again

Method 2: Fresh Install + Content Migration

This method is simpler and recommended when:

You want to start with a clean installation
Your current site has issues or bloat
You're upgrading to a significantly newer version

Step 1: Fresh Installation

Install Botble CMS on your new domain following the installation guide
Activate your license on the new domain
Install the same plugins you had on the old site

Step 2: Export Content from Old Site

Database Export:

bash

# Export specific tables
mysqldump -u username -p database_name \
  posts post_translations post_categories post_tags \
  pages page_translations \
  categories category_translations \
  tags tag_translations \
  menus menu_nodes menu_locations \
  widgets widget_areas \
  > content_export.sql

Media Files:

bash

# Archive the uploads folder
tar -czvf media_backup.tar.gz storage/app/public/

Step 3: Import to New Site

Import Content:

bash

mysql -u username -p new_database < content_export.sql

Import Media:

bash

tar -xzvf media_backup.tar.gz -C /path/to/new-site/storage/app/
php artisan storage:link

Step 4: Reconfigure Settings

Manually reconfigure:

Theme settings
Widget positions
Menu structures
Site settings
Plugin configurations

Post-Migration Tasks

1. Verify Site Functionality

[ ] Homepage loads correctly
[ ] All pages accessible
[ ] Admin panel works
[ ] Media files display properly
[ ] Forms submit successfully
[ ] Email notifications work

2. Update External Services

Update your domain in:

Google Analytics
Google Search Console
Social media integrations
Payment gateways
Email service providers
CDN configurations

3. Set Up Redirects

Configure 301 redirects from old domain to new domain:

Apache (.htaccess on old server):

apache

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^(www\.)?old-domain\.com$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://new-domain.com/$1 [R=301,L]

Nginx (on old server):

nginx

server {
    server_name old-domain.com www.old-domain.com;
    return 301 https://new-domain.com$request_uri;
}

4. Update DNS Records

If keeping the same domain but changing servers:

Lower TTL values 24-48 hours before migration
Update A records to point to new server IP
Update any other relevant records (MX, CNAME, etc.)

5. SSL Configuration

Set up SSL on the new domain:

bash

# Using Let's Encrypt with Certbot
certbot --nginx -d new-domain.com -d www.new-domain.com

Update .env:

bash

APP_URL=https://new-domain.com
ENABLE_HTTPS_SUPPORT=true

Subdomain Migration

When migrating to a subdomain (e.g., site.example.com to app.example.com):

Follow the same steps as domain migration
Ensure subdomain DNS is properly configured
Update APP_URL in .env to include the full subdomain

Example:

bash

# Old
APP_URL=https://site.example.com

# New
APP_URL=https://app.example.com

Troubleshooting

License Activation Failed

Ensure old domain license is deactivated
Reset license at https://license.botble.com
Clear browser cache and try again
Contact support at [email protected] if issues persist

Images Not Displaying

Run php artisan storage:link
Check file permissions on storage/app/public
Verify symlink exists: ls -la public/storage
If using CDN, update CDN origin settings

500 Internal Server Error

Check Laravel logs: storage/logs/laravel.log
Verify .env configuration
Run php artisan config:clear
Ensure all required PHP extensions are installed

Mixed Content Warnings

If seeing HTTPS/HTTP mixed content warnings:

Ensure APP_URL uses https://
Add ENABLE_HTTPS_SUPPORT=true to .env
Run database URL replacement queries
Clear all caches

Database Connection Errors

Verify database credentials in .env
Ensure database server is running
Check if database user has proper permissions
Test connection: php artisan db:show

Rollback Plan

If migration fails, you can restore from backup:

Restore files from your backup archive

Restore database:

bash

mysql -u username -p database_name < backup.sql

Update .env with old domain settings
Activate license on old domain

Best Practices

Test First: Set up a staging environment to test the migration process
Schedule Wisely: Migrate during low-traffic periods
Communicate: Notify users of planned downtime
Keep Backups: Maintain backups of both old and new installations for at least 30 days
Monitor: Watch error logs and analytics after migration

Quick Reference: Migration from `site-a.com` to `subdomain.site-b.com`

Example scenario: Moving from jombitcoin.com to unwind.jomplan.com

bash

# 1. Deactivate license on jombitcoin.com (Admin → Settings → General)

# 2. Create backup
php artisan cms:backup:create "pre-migration"

# 3. Transfer files to new server

# 4. Update .env on new server
APP_URL=https://unwind.jomplan.com

# 5. Import database and update URLs
mysql -u user -p database < backup.sql

# Run URL replacement if needed
UPDATE settings SET value = REPLACE(value, 'jombitcoin.com', 'unwind.jomplan.com');

# 6. Clear caches
php artisan optimize:clear

# 7. Set permissions
chmod -R 755 storage bootstrap/cache

# 8. Activate license on unwind.jomplan.com

TIP

For assistance with domain migration, contact our support team at [email protected] or create a ticket at https://botble.ticksy.com

Domain Migration ​

Overview ​

Migration Methods ​

Pre-Migration Checklist ​

1. License Management ​

2. Create Full Backup ​

3. Document Current Configuration ​

Method 1: Full Migration (Recommended) ​

Step 1: Prepare the New Server ​

Step 2: Transfer Files ​

Step 3: Export and Import Database ​

Step 4: Update Configuration ​

Step 5: Update URLs in Database ​

Step 6: Clear Cache and Optimize ​

Step 7: Set Permissions ​

Step 8: Activate License ​

Method 2: Fresh Install + Content Migration ​

Step 1: Fresh Installation ​

Step 2: Export Content from Old Site ​

Step 3: Import to New Site ​

Step 4: Reconfigure Settings ​

Post-Migration Tasks ​

1. Verify Site Functionality ​

2. Update External Services ​

3. Set Up Redirects ​

4. Update DNS Records ​

5. SSL Configuration ​

Subdomain Migration ​

Troubleshooting ​

License Activation Failed ​

Images Not Displaying ​

500 Internal Server Error ​

Mixed Content Warnings ​

Database Connection Errors ​

Rollback Plan ​

Best Practices ​

Quick Reference: Migration from site-a.com to subdomain.site-b.com ​

Domain Migration

Overview

Migration Methods

Pre-Migration Checklist

1. License Management

2. Create Full Backup

3. Document Current Configuration

Method 1: Full Migration (Recommended)

Step 1: Prepare the New Server

Step 2: Transfer Files

Step 3: Export and Import Database

Step 4: Update Configuration

Step 5: Update URLs in Database

Step 6: Clear Cache and Optimize

Step 7: Set Permissions

Step 8: Activate License

Method 2: Fresh Install + Content Migration

Step 1: Fresh Installation

Step 2: Export Content from Old Site

Step 3: Import to New Site

Step 4: Reconfigure Settings

Post-Migration Tasks

1. Verify Site Functionality

2. Update External Services

3. Set Up Redirects

4. Update DNS Records

5. SSL Configuration

Subdomain Migration

Troubleshooting

License Activation Failed

Images Not Displaying

500 Internal Server Error

Mixed Content Warnings

Database Connection Errors

Rollback Plan

Best Practices

Quick Reference: Migration from `site-a.com` to `subdomain.site-b.com`