WP Migrate from Pluginhub - fast website migration

PluginHub WP Migrate
Full description and instructions for use

1. Purpose of the plugin

PluginHub WP Migrate is a WordPress plugin designed for backup, restore and migration of websites. It combines website export and import, a list of created backups, automatic scheduled backups, sending archives to cloud storage, and basic licensing preparation in one interface.

The plugin is suitable for migrating a website to another domain, restoring a website after a crash, regularly creating backups and storing copies locally or in external storage.

2. Main features

- Create a backup copy of the website in the format .phm or .zip.
- Selection of the backup composition: database, plugins, themes, uploads.
- Search and replace strings during export, for example, to replace an old domain with a new one.
- Import a backup copy with recovery of the database and files.
- Step-by-step import and export via AJAX with progress indicator.
- Pre-check the archive before importing.
- A list of backups with the ability to download, restore or delete the archive.
- Automatic scheduled backups.
- Email notifications about scheduled backup results.
- Sending backups to Google Drive, Dropbox, Yandex.Disk, OneDrive or FTP.
- OAuth-connecting cloud providers via a single redirect URI.
- License section with a hook for connecting an external licensing system.

3. Requirements

- WordPress with administrator access.
- PHP with ZipArchive support.
- Write rights to the wp-content directory.
- FTP downloads require an available PHP FTP extension.
- Cloud services require server Internet access and correctly configured OAuth applications from providers.
- For large sites, it is advisable to increase the PHP limits: memory_limit, max_execution_time, upload_max_filesize and post_max_size.

4. Installation

1. Copy the pluginhub-wp-migrate folder to the wp-content/plugins/ directory.
2. Log in to the WordPress admin panel.
3. Open the "Plugins" section.
4. Find "PluginHub WP Migrate".
5. Click "Activate".
6. After activation, the "PluginHub Migration" section will appear in the left menu of WordPress.

5. Where are the backups stored?

Backups are saved in the directory:

wp-content/pluginhub-migrate-backups/

The plugin automatically creates this directory the first time it is accessed. If a recording error occurs, check the access rights to wp-content and the availability of free disk space.

6. Interface Overview

In the WordPress admin panel, open:

PluginHub Migration

Tabs are available inside:

- Overview - a brief description of the plug-in's features.
- Export / Import - create backups and restore the site from the archive.
- Backups - a list of local archives.
- Schedule - automatic backup settings.
- Cloud storage - connect clouds and send archives.
- License - entering and activating the license key.

7. Create a backup copy

1. Open "PluginHub Migration" -> "Export/Import".
2. In the "Create backup" block, select what to include in the archive:
- database;
   - plugins;
   - themes;
   - uploads uploads.
3. If necessary, fill in the "What to find" and "What to replace" fields. This is useful when migrating a website to a new domain.
4. Select the backup format:
- PHM (.phm) - the main format of the plugin;
   - ZIP (.zip) is a regular zip archive.
5. Click "Create a backup".
6. Wait for the process to complete. Do not close the browser tab until the export is finished.

The export is performed in steps: environment verification, configuration preparation, database export, SQL processing, file indexing, archive packaging, integrity control, and finalization.

8. Uploading a backup copy to the website

1. Open "PluginHub Migration" -> "Export/Import".
2. In the "Import backup" block, select the .phm file or .zip.
3. You can drag the file to the download area or select it through the file selection window.
4. Click "Download backup".
5. After successful download, the file will appear in the list of available archives for import.

9. Restoring a website from a backup

Important: the import may overwrite the current site data. Before restoring, make sure that the correct archive is selected.

1. Open "PluginHub Migration" -> "Export/Import".
2. In the "Backup file" field, select the archive.
3. Mark what needs to be restored:
- database;
   - files.
4. Click "Check archive".
5. Wait for the verification to complete. The plugin checks file availability, ZIP format, manifest, data availability, compatibility, CRC, and lack of encryption.
6. If the verification was successful, confirm that you understand the risk of overwriting the current data.
7. Click "Start Import".
8. Wait for the process to complete. Do not close the browser tab.

The import is performed in steps: database preparation, SQL import, file indexing, file recovery, and finalizing.

10. Working with the backup list

Open "PluginHub Migration" -> "Backups".

Actions are available for each archive:

- "Restore" - proceed to import the selected archive.
- "Download" - download the archive to your computer.
- "Delete" - delete the archive from the server.

The table also displays the file name, size, and creation date.

11. Setting up automatic backups

1. Open "PluginHub Migration" -> "Schedule".
2. Turn on the "Enable automatic backups" option.
3. Select the frequency:
- every hour;
   - twice a day;
   - daily;
   - weekly;
   - monthly.
4. If necessary, specify the delay before the first start in seconds.
5. Specify an email address for notifications.
6. If you want to send the archive to the cloud automatically, select the target cloud.
7. Click "Save Schedule Settings".

The automatic backup includes the database, plugins, themes, and uploads. After execution, the plugin sends an email with the result. If the cloud is selected, the archive will additionally be sent to the configured storage.

12. Connecting cloud storage

Open "PluginHub Migration" -> "Cloud Storage".

Supported Providers:

- Google Drive;
- Dropbox;
- Yandex.Disk;
- OneDrive;
- FTP.

The general procedure for connecting an OAuth provider:

1. Create an application in the console of the required provider.
2. Copy the redirect URI that is shown in the Cloud Storage tab.
3. Specify this redirect URI in the provider's application settings.
4. Enter the client ID, client secret, app key, or other application data in the plug-in form.
5. Save the cloud settings.
6. Click the "Connect" button for the desired provider.
7. Allow access in the provider's window.
8. After returning to WordPress, the tokens will be saved in the plugin settings.

For FTP, you need to specify:

- host;
- port;
- login;
- password;
- basic download path;
- passive mode, if required by the server.

13. Sending a backup to the cloud

1. First create a backup copy or download the finished archive.
2. Open "PluginHub Migration" -> "Cloud Storage".
3. In the "Upload backup to the cloud" block, select the provider.
4. Select the archive.
5. Click "Upload".
6. Wait for the message about the successful shipment.

14. License

The License tab is used to enter the license key and display the license status.

The current implementation provides a hook:

phm_license_activate

You can use it to connect an external licensing API. The hook can return the license status, the end date, and a message to the user.

15. Recommendations for website migration

1. Create a full backup on the old site: database, plugins, themes, and uploads.
2. Download the archive to your computer or send it to the cloud.
3. Install WordPress on the new website and activate PluginHub WP Migrate.
4. Download the archive via the "Export/Import" tab.
5. Run the archive check.
6. If the domain is changing, when creating the archive, use the search and replace the old URL with the new URL.
7. Start the import and wait for it to finish.
8. After recovery, check the main page, admin panel, permalinks, media files, and key pages of the site.

16. Security

- Access to the plug-in functions is allowed only to administrators with the manage_options right.
- Actions are protected by WordPress nonce checks.
- Before importing, it is necessary to check the archive and confirm the risk of data overwriting.
- File names are cleaned through WordPress mechanisms.
- Do not publicly store backup archives or share them with third parties.
- After migration, delete unnecessary backups from the server if they are no longer needed.

17. Common problems and solutions

Error: "The backup directory is not writable."
Solution: check the rights to wp-content and the wp-content directory/pluginhub-migrate-backups/. Make sure that there is free space on the disk.

Error: "You can only download .phm or .zip."
Solution: Select an archive with a supported extension.phm or .zip.

Error: "The file is not a valid ZIP archive."
Solution: The archive is corrupted, not fully uploaded, or has an unsupported format. Re-upload the file or create a new backup.

Error: "The archive is unreadable or encrypted."
Solution: use an unencrypted archive. Importing archives with a password is not supported.

Error when uploading a large archive.
Solution: increase upload_max_filesize, post_max_size and memory_limit in the PHP settings or upload the archive via the file manager/FTP directly to wp-content/pluginhub-migrate-backups/.

Cloud connection error.
Solution: Check the client ID, client secret, redirect URI, application rights, and server access to external APIs.

FTP upload error.
Solution: check the host, port, login, password, base path, passive mode, and the availability of the PHP FTP extension.

18. What is included in the archive

Depending on the selected settings, the archive may contain:

- database.sql database dump;
- manifest.json backup manifest;
- export-config.json - service information about the export;
- content/plugins/ - plugins;
- content/themes/ - themes;
- content/uploads/ - media library files and downloads.