Manual website migration to GARMTECH Hosting (files, database, DNS, SSL)

This guide explains a manual website migration to GARMTECH Hosting using Plesk: upload files, import the database, test before DNS switch, then go live.

If your website is WordPress, you may also use a WordPress migration plugin, but the steps below work for most CMS and custom sites.

Before you start (recommended checklist)

• Back up the old hosting: download website files and export the database.
• Note current settings: PHP version, cron jobs, email sending method, custom rewrite rules.
• Lower DNS TTL 12–24 hours before the move (optional but helpful).
• Make sure you can log in to My.GARMTECH and open Plesk for your hosting plan.

Step 1 — Add the domain in Plesk

1. Open Plesk from My.GARMTECH (your hosting service page has a Plesk button/link).
2. Go to Websites & Domains → Add Domain.
3. Enter the domain name and confirm the document root (by default it is httpdocs).

Step 2 — Upload website files to GARMTECH Hosting

You can upload files either via Plesk File Manager or via FTP. On GARMTECH Hosting, website upload is supported via FTP-SSL.

Option A — Plesk File Manager

1. In Plesk open Files for your domain.
2. Open httpdocs.
3. Upload your website archive or files.
4. If you uploaded a ZIP archive, use Extract to unpack it into httpdocs.

Option B — FTP-SSL

• Protocol: FTP over TLS (explicit) / FTP-SSL
• Host: use your hosting server hostname (from My.GARMTECH service details) to get a valid SSL certificate
• Port: 21

After upload, make sure your main entry file (for example, index.php or index.html) is inside httpdocs.

Step 3 — Create a database and import data

1. In Plesk open Databases.
2. Create a new database and a database user (save the username and password).
3. Open phpMyAdmin for the database and import your SQL dump.

Update your website configuration to use the new database credentials. Common files are:

• WordPress: wp-config.php
• Joomla: configuration.php
• Laravel: .env

Database host is usually localhost on shared hosting, but always use the exact host shown in Plesk database connection information if it differs.

Step 4 — Adjust PHP settings (if needed)

If the website requires a specific PHP version or limits:

1. Open Websites & Domains → your domain → PHP Settings.
2. Select the required PHP version and set limits such as memory_limit, upload_max_filesize, post_max_size, and max_execution_time.
3. Apply changes.

Step 5 — Test the website before DNS switch

• Use Plesk Preview (if available) or the hosts file method to point your computer to the new server temporarily.
• Check pages, images, login, forms, and payment callbacks (if applicable).

Step 6 — Switch DNS to GARMTECH

There are two common ways to point a domain to GARMTECH Hosting:

• Nameservers: set ns1.garmtech.com, ns2.garmtech.com, ns3.garmtech.com
• DNS records: update the domain’s A record to the IP of your hosting server (recommended if you keep DNS elsewhere, e.g., Cloudflare)

DNS propagation time depends on TTL and resolver cache. During propagation, some visitors may still reach the old server.

Step 7 — Install SSL (HTTPS) in Plesk

1. After DNS is pointing to GARMTECH (or at least the domain resolves to the new server), open Let’s Encrypt in Plesk.
2. Issue and install the certificate for the domain and www if needed.
3. Enable HTTP→HTTPS redirect if you want to enforce HTTPS.

Final checks

• Verify that the correct website opens over HTTPS.
• Check error logs in Plesk if something does not work.
• If the old hosting had scheduled tasks (cron), re-create them in Plesk.