Migrate a Website from cPanel to VPS

Many hosting providers use cPanel, but when switching to an unmanaged VPS, you may not have a control panel. This guide shows how to manually (or partially automatically) migrate your website from cPanel to a Bit.Hosting VPS.

Step 1: Export Data from cPanel

• Log in to cPanel → Backup → Full Account Backup
• Download the backup or send it to email/FTP
• For smaller sites, manually download public_html and mail folders
• Export databases via phpMyAdmin or the MySQL section

Step 2: Deploy on Bit.Hosting VPS

• Install necessary software: web server, PHP, MySQL/PostgreSQL
• Upload your website files to a directory similar to public_html
• Import the database:
  mysql -u root -p dbname < dump.sql
• Update wp-config.php, .env or your app config with new DB credentials

Step 3: Transfer Email (If Needed)

• Save email accounts from cPanel → Email Accounts
• Use an IMAP client (like Thunderbird) to copy old emails
• Set up email on VPS (Postfix + Dovecot) or use external SMTP

Step 4: Domain and DNS Setup

• Update your domain's A record to point to your VPS IP
• Lower the TTL to 300 seconds before changing records
• Install an SSL certificate and ensure the site is accessible via HTTPS

Migration Tips from cPanel

• Full backups are easier if you're switching to a similar panel (e.g., DirectAdmin, ISPmanager)
• For manual transfers, use SCP, WinSCP, or rsync
• Migrate important mailboxes first to avoid loss
• Do not cancel your old hosting until everything works on the VPS

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Need help migrating from cPanel to Bit.Hosting? We’ll migrate your site for free 💪