How can I transfer my website to Plesk hosting?

If you would like to transfer your website yourself from a third-party provider or from another hosting package to Plesk hosting at Papaki, you can follow the steps below to avoid downtime.

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1. Check your current hosting

Make sure that:

• Your hosting account with your current provider is active
• You have access to your files
• Your website is working properly
• If the above do not apply, ensure that you have a full backup of your files and database

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2. Transfer files and database

• Download all your website files from the old server
• Upload them to your new server at Papaki via FTP

See how you can upload your files here.

At the same time, you will also need to transfer your database:

• Export the database from the old server
• Create a new database in Plesk, see the process here
• Import the data

You can find:

• FTP credentials
• Plesk access credentials

In your hosting activation email. If you no longer have it, the FTP credentials can be updated through Plesk. See here how to connect.

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3. Update the configuration file

You will need to modify your website’s configuration file:

• It is usually located in the root folder of your application
• It contains the database connection details

Update:

• the database name
• the username
• the password
• the host (database server)

with the new credentials you created in Plesk.

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4. Check functionality (hosts file)

Before making any DNS changes:

• Check your website by modifying your hosts file
• Confirm that it works correctly in the new environment

You can find the host file instructions here.

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5. Create email accounts

Log in to Plesk and:

• Recreate the email accounts you use, following this guide

If there is compatibility between your current provider and Plesk, you can use the Mail Importing tool as described here.

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6. Change nameservers

Once you have completed testing:

• Log in to your domain registrar’s panel
• Update the nameservers

Use the nameservers provided in your hosting activation email.

If your domain is registered with Papaki, follow the instructions here.

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7. Wait for propagation

After changing the nameservers:

• It may take up to 48 hours for full DNS propagation
• During this time:
  • your website may load either from the old or the new server, as long as the old server remains active

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Note

If you encounter any issues during the migration process, you can contact Papaki’s support team.