ScalaHosting Publishes Step-by-Step Guide to Migrating Drupal Websites

A newly published guide explains how to migrate a Drupal website to a new hosting provider, outlining the key technical steps required to move files and databases while maintaining site functionality. Written by Borislav Tonev of ScalaHosting, the article notes that a typical Drupal installation consists of two primary components: the site’s files and its database, which stores content, configuration settings, revisions, and user data.

The guide walks through the process of archiving and transferring site files using command-line tools such as tar and scp, as well as graphical interfaces like hosting control panel file managers. It also explains how to export and import databases using utilities including mysqldump and pg_dump, alongside graphical tools such as phpMyAdmin and phpPgAdmin. Administrators are instructed to recreate the database on the new server, assign user permissions, and update the settings.php configuration file so Drupal can connect to the new environment.

The article further recommends testing the migrated website before updating DNS records. One suggested approach is modifying the local hosts file to preview the site on the new server while the domain still points to the original host. After confirming that functionality and performance remain intact, administrators can update the domain’s nameservers and allow DNS propagation to direct traffic to the new hosting environment.