Old host.
New host.
Nothing in between.
Porthena moves your WordPress files and database straight from the server you have to the server you want. You choose what comes along, watch it arrive and keep the report.
No accountNo third serverYour old site stays online
BUILT BY SOLUTIONMAXPorthena / Transfer
Connects over
- SFTP
- FTPS
- FTP
- cPanel
- Pairing key
How a move works
Five screens.
One direct line.
You start on the site you have. Porthena walks you from the first connection test to the final check and shows the real state at every step. Pick a step to see its screen.
Real screens from Porthena 1.0, moving a sample bakery site between two test servers.
What you get
Your servers talk.
You stay in charge.
No archive to download and upload again, no service in the middle. The new server pulls the site from the old one while you watch.
Direct by design
Two servers, one connection
The new server pulls files and database from your old site. There is no backup archive to carry around and no migration service that sees your data.
- Connections
- Several at once, tuned to the host
- In between
- Nothing
- Account
- None
You decide
Bring the site, leave the clutter
Folders and tables, ticked one by one. Try it.
Moving 85.1 MBLeft behind 448.4 MB
Stop and continue
A pause is not a restart
Stop the move, or lose the connection, and pick it up where it was. Files that already arrived do not travel again.
copiedcheckedwaiting
Addresses
A new domain, rewritten properly
Moving to another address? Every reference changes with it, and serialized and JSON data stay valid because the lengths are corrected too.
820 addresses replaced in the sample move
Background
Close the tab
On most hosts the move keeps running without you. Porthena tells you up front, and mails you when it is done or needs you.
DNS
Switch when you are ready
Your old site stays live and untouched. You get the DNS values and a check of where the domain points.
Report
A record of the move
Files, tables, speed and checks in one document to keep or hand to a client.
- 4,088 files
- 23 tables
- 163.7 MB in 68 s
Speed during the move2.4 MB/s average
Cards show sample data from a test move.
Moving day
One ZIP.
Three things to do.
Keep a separate backup of your site. If you can, try your first move on a copy.
- Prepare the new hostInstall an empty WordPress there. It is replaced by a copy of your site.
- Install Porthena on the old sitePlugins, Add New Plugin, Upload Plugin. Pick the ZIP and activate it.
- Connect, choose, moveFollow the five screens, check the new site, then point your domain.
The full walkthrough
- Prepare the destination. Install an empty WordPress on your new host and check the list on the right.
- Install on the source. In your current WordPress dashboard, open Plugins, Add New Plugin, Upload Plugin. Choose the Porthena ZIP, install it and activate it.
- Connect. Open Porthena in the admin menu. Use SFTP, FTPS, FTP or cPanel. To use a pairing key, also install Porthena on the new site and create the key there.
- Choose and review. Select the folders and database tables. Review the destination before you start: the tables you move replace the matching content there.
- Move and verify. Start the move, review the checks and download the report. Test the new site, including important forms and the checkout, before you change DNS.
- Point your domain. Change DNS with your domain provider. When everything works on the new host, use Clean up in Porthena on the old site.
New orders, posts or uploads made after they were copied are not kept in sync automatically.
- WordPress 5.6 or lateron the old site and on the new one
- PHP 7.2 or latera version your host still supports
- cURL and sodiumPHP extensions on the new server
- An empty WordPress on the new hostwith enough disk space for the copy
- A way inSFTP, FTPS, FTP, cPanel or a pairing key
- Administrator accessnetwork administrator on a multisite
Porthena tests the connection, the space and both WordPress versions itself, before anything moves.
Questions
Before you
move it.
Something else? Mail [email protected] and you get an answer from the maker.
Before you move
What do I need on the new host?
An empty WordPress installation and a way to connect: SFTP, FTPS, FTP, cPanel, or a pairing key from Porthena on the new site. The new server needs PHP with cURL and sodium.
Will my current website stay online?
Yes. Porthena only reads the existing site and removes nothing. Visitors keep seeing it until you change your DNS. For busy shops or sites that change often, plan the timing: changes made during or after the copy may need another move.
Does my website pass through your servers?
No. Files and database content travel directly between your two servers. There is no migration service in between and no account. The optional DNS check asks public resolvers where your domain points.
Can I close the browser during the move?
Yes, when your old site can call itself or WordPress Cron is running. Porthena checks this before it starts. If neither works, keep the page open. You can also ask for an email when the move finishes or stops.
Does it move email, DNS and SSL certificates?
No. Porthena moves the WordPress files and database tables you select. Mailboxes, DNS records, SSL certificates and server settings stay with your hosting provider.
Is Porthena ready for my live website?
Yes. Version 1.0 is the first stable release. Keep a separate backup and check the new site before you change DNS. Porthena comes as a plugin ZIP; a WordPress.org release is not available yet.
The details
Requirements and compatibility
| WordPress | 5.6 or later. The plugin declares testing up to WordPress 7.1. |
|---|---|
| PHP | 7.2 or later. Use a PHP version your hosting provider supports. |
| Destination | An empty WordPress installation, enough disk space, and the PHP cURL and sodium extensions. |
| Connection | SFTP, FTPS, FTP, cPanel, or a Porthena pairing key. Hosting firewalls must allow the connection you choose. |
| Permissions | WordPress administrator access. For multisite, network administrator access on the main site. |
| Background transfer | The old site must be able to call itself, or WordPress Cron must run. Otherwise, keep the transfer page open. |
Multisite and address changes
A multisite network moves as one. Address changes preserve serialized and JSON data. Sites with their own mapped domain keep that domain and need their DNS updated separately.
What stays outside the move
Email accounts, server settings, server cron jobs, DNS records and SSL certificates are managed with your hosting provider. The new server keeps its own database credentials in wp-config.php.
Privacy, credentials and external services
Your migration data
The destination pulls the selected files and database content directly from your source server. Porthena does not route them through SolutionMAX, require a Porthena account, or send usage analytics to the developer.
Transfer settings, temporary authentication information, logs and reports live on your own servers. The helper on the new server removes itself after a completed move. Use Clean up or uninstall to remove the remaining working data. Downloaded reports and your own backups stay under your control.
Credentials
Hosting passwords and SFTP private keys used to place the helper are used for that connection and are not saved. HTTP authentication credentials, if a site requires them, are kept for the transfer and removed on clean up.
DNS lookups
Connection setup can query public DNS to locate a host. The Check again action checks whether your domain points to the new server, using the resolver of your server, Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) and Google Public DNS (8.8.8.8). These providers receive the queried domain and the IP address of the requesting server, not your WordPress files, database or hosting passwords.
Cloudflare DNS privacy · Google Public DNS privacy
Optional email
If you ask for an email when a move completes or stops, your WordPress email setup and its provider process that message. A completion message can include your migration report.
This website and contacting us
This page loads its fonts and images locally. It has no analytics scripts, advertising cookies, embedded widgets or contact form. Your hosting provider may process normal request logs. Clicking an external link or sending an email uses that service.
For support correspondence and your privacy rights, see the SolutionMAX privacy notice or email [email protected].
Support and bug reports
Porthena is built by SolutionMAX. Questions, bug reports and private security reports can be sent to [email protected].
For a bug report, include your Porthena, WordPress and PHP versions, the connection method, what you expected, and the error message or a relevant part of the log.
Remove passwords, private keys, transfer keys and personal information before you share logs or screenshots. Please send security issues privately.
A WordPress.org listing and its public support forum are not available yet.
Open source license
Porthena is licensed under the GNU General Public License, version 2 or later. You may use, study, modify and redistribute the plugin under that license.
Libraries and fonts from other authors keep their own compatible licenses; their notices are included with the plugin. Porthena is independent software by SolutionMAX and is not affiliated with or endorsed by WordPress.org.
Move the first site this afternoon.
Start with a copy, watch every step, and decide for yourself when the domain follows.
1.0.0 · keep a backup, check before you switch DNS