Migrating with ISPConfig

Last updated August 11, 2026

ISPConfig 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
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Make sure that:

  • ISPConfig is installed on your server. At Hostman, you can install ISPConfig 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
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  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.

  7. When you're done, click Save.

Step 2. Upload the Site Files
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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
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  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.

  6. Click Save.

  7. Go to https://your_server_ip:8081/phpmyadmin and log in to phpMyAdmin with the credentials of the user you created.

  8. Import your database dump.

  9. Update your site's configuration files with the new database connection details: the database name, username, and password.

Verify the Migration
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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.