---
title: "How to Migrate a Site with ISPConfig | Hostman Docs"
description: "Move an existing project to your server with ISPConfig: add the domain, create an FTP user, upload site files, set up a database, and import your dump."
---

> For the complete documentation index for AI agents, see [llms.txt](https://hostman.com/llms.txt).

[ISPConfig](https://www.ispconfig.org/) is a control panel that lets you manage websites, FTP accounts, and databases on your server from a browser. This guide walks you through moving an existing project to your server: pointing the domain at the server, creating the website, uploading the site files over FTP, and importing the database.

## Before You Begin

Make sure that:

-   ISPConfig is installed on your server. At Hostman, you can [install ISPConfig](https://hostman.com/my/servers/create?createServerEntrySource=servers-cta-button&zone=fra-1&configurator=97&cpu=10&gpu=0&ram=6&drive=80&os=99&software=49) with one click.
-   You have access to the DNS settings of your domain.
-   You have a local copy of your site files and a dump of your database.
-   You have an FTP client installed on your computer, such as FileZilla.

## Step 1. Add the Domain

1.  In the DNS settings for your domain, create an A record pointing to your server's IP address. Do this wherever your domain's nameservers are managed—usually your registrar or DNS provider.
    
2.  In the ISPConfig panel, open the **Sites** section and click **Add new website**.
    
3.  Enter your domain name in the **Domain** field.
    
4.  Select the **Let's Encrypt SSL** checkbox if you want to issue a free certificate.
    
5.  Choose the PHP mode in the **PHP** field and **PHP Version** your project requires.
    
6.  You can leave the remaining settings at their defaults and return to them later. Otherwise, configure them now on the other tabs. For example:
    

-   On the **Redirect** tab, set up redirects.
    
-   On the **SSL** tab, add your own certificate instead of issuing a Let's Encrypt one.
    
-   On the **Statistics** tab, enable AWStats or another statistics tool.
    
-   On the **Backup** tab, set the backup interval for the site and the number of copies to keep.
    

8.  When you're done, click **Save**.
    

## Step 2. Upload the Site Files

To upload the site files to the server, you first need to create an FTP user.

1.  Open the **FTP-Accounts** section and click **Add new FTP-User**.
2.  Select the website you're creating the user for.
3.  Set a username and password.
4.  Click **Save**.
5.  Connect to the server over FTP using the credentials you just set, and upload your files to the web directory.

## Step 3. Create a Database and Import the Dump

1.  Open the **Database Users** section and click **Add new User**.
    
2.  Enter a database username and password.
    
3.  Click **Save**.
    
4.  Go to **Databases** and click **Add new Database**.
    
5.  Fill in the database details:
    

-   Select the website you're creating the database for.
    
-   Enter the database name.
    
-   Select the database user you created earlier.
    
-   Enable remote access if you need it. If you do, you can also specify the remote IP address allowed to connect.
    

7.  Click **Save**.
    
8.  Go to `https://your_server_ip:8081/phpmyadmin` and log in to phpMyAdmin with the credentials of the user you created.
    
9.  Import your database dump.
    
10.  Update your site's configuration files with the new database connection details: the database name, username, and password.
     

## Verify the Migration

Open your domain in a browser and check that the site loads and connects to the database correctly.

Keep in mind that for the site to work, your domain's A record must point to your server's IP address. DNS changes can take up to 24 hours to propagate, although in most cases they take effect much sooner.