Migrate a Magento Store to a New Host

Migrating a Magento store to a new host means copying four things to the new server — the database, pub/media, the code with its composer dependencies, and app/etc/env.php — then switching the domain once the store loads and completes a test order there. The Magento version never changes. This is a server move, not the Magento 1 to Magento 2 upgrade that most guides describe.

• Database — products, customers, orders, CMS pages and all configuration in core_config_data.
• pub/media — product images, category images, downloadable files and invoices already generated.
• Code — app/code custom modules and composer.json with composer.lock, so the same package versions install.
• app/etc/env.php — preserve the crypt key and update environment-specific endpoints. The key protects encrypted stored configuration; it is not a substitute for migrating database password hashes or validating sessions.

If the store is still on Magento 1 and the goal is Magento 2, the job is a rebuild with a data migration tool. Do not drag those files onto a new server and expect them to run.

Freeze writes before you copy, or the database and media drift apart and the store shows products whose images are missing. Run these steps in the listed order over SSH.

1. Enable maintenance mode under the approved cutover plan and stop cron, message consumers and other external writers. Maintenance mode alone does not make every source of writes disappear.
2. Dump the database in one transaction: mysqldump --single-transaction --quick --routines --triggers -u USER -p DBNAME > db.sql.
3. Copy the files with rsync, which resumes if the link drops: rsync -avz --progress /home/OLD/public_html/ NEWIP:/home/NEW/public_html/.
4. On the new server, create the empty database and import: mysql -u USER -p DBNAME < db.sql.
5. Preserve the original crypt key, then check the intended filesystem owner and deployment permissions. Correct only identified paths using the release’s documented model, not a blanket recursive permission command.
6. Use the exact release’s deployment procedure for configuration, compilation, static assets, caches and indexes. An unchanged host move is not automatically a schema upgrade; review any setup:upgrade operation before it modifies the database.

If both accounts sit on cPanel servers you control, WHM, then Transfers, then Transfer Tool copies the account with its databases and email in one pass. It does not install OpenSearch or Redis, so steps 1 and 2 of the table above still apply.

Plan a lower DNS TTL far enough ahead for the previous cached TTL to expire, then test the destination before cutover. A 300-second example does not guarantee worldwide convergence or a five-minute rollback. Reconcile base URLs and keep the old service recoverable.

1. Confirm propagation with dig +short yourdomain.in returning the new IP, and clear the Magento cache again.
2. Load the homepage, a category, a product, the cart and checkout on the live domain over HTTPS.
3. Use an authorised test transaction or payment sandbox and verify order, payment, email and stock handling individually. A success page alone does not prove each integration worked; do not create live charges without approval.
4. Restart and inspect cron and message consumers under the actual scheduler configuration, then verify relevant scheduled jobs and logs rather than assuming a fixed five-minute result.
5. Watch the new server's error log for an hour, then raise the TTL back to its normal value.

Inspect Magento and PHP logs for a blank page or HTTP 500; version, extension, compilation, permissions and application errors are candidates, not a diagnosis from the symptom alone.

A cart or session failure needs inspection of cookie settings, session storage, application configuration and logs. Do not flush a shared Redis instance or assume one upstream host is the cause without evidence.

Missing product images after a successful copy are a permission or symlink problem: confirm pub/media is owned by the site user, then rerun bin/magento catalog:images:resize for the affected products.