# Migrate from ServerPilot to fortrabbit

Source: https://www.fortrabbit.com/migrate/from-serverpilot
Published: 2026-10-31
Updated: 2026-10-31


## Migrate from ServerPilot with a coding agent

Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and other coding agents can run this migration. Paste this prompt into the agent, in the project folder:



```txt
Read https://www.fortrabbit.com/agents.md and set up fortrabbit. Then move this site from ServerPilot to fortrabbit, following https://www.fortrabbit.com/raw/migrate/from-serverpilot.md
```

Sign-in happens in the browser, see [agent setup](/agents). The agent needs SSH access as the system user of the app to read the settings, dump the database and copy the uploads. The steps below are what the agent follows, and what to do by hand without one. The agent changes nothing on the old host: a person deletes the old setup once the site runs on fortrabbit.

## ServerPilot setup and where it goes

| On ServerPilot | On fortrabbit |
| -- | -- |
| `/srv/users/<user>/apps/<app>` | Git repository, deployed by the [GitHub integration](https://docs.fortrabbit.com/platform/deployment/github-app) |
| `.env` or `wp-config.php` in the app directory | [Environment variables](https://docs.fortrabbit.com/platform/settings/env-vars) |
| GitHub Actions with rsync, or manual uploads | [Build commands](https://docs.fortrabbit.com/platform/deployment/build-commands) and [post-deploy commands](https://docs.fortrabbit.com/platform/deployment/post-deploy-commands) |
| `crontab -l` of the system user | [Cron jobs](https://docs.fortrabbit.com/platform/jobs/crons) |
| MySQL on the server | MySQL component |
| Uploads in the app directory | Storage component, files copied with rsync |

## 1. Create the app

Create an app in the dashboard with the software template matching the CMS or framework. Its default domain works with HTTPS right away, so the whole move can be tested before DNS changes. Lower the TTL of the domain's DNS records now, see [migrate to fortrabbit](https://docs.fortrabbit.com/dev/how-to/migrate-to-fortrabbit).

## 2. Copy the settings

Log in over SSH as the system user of the app. ServerPilot gives each app its own system user by default.

- Open the config file in `/srv/users/<user>/apps/<app>`, such as `.env` or `wp-config.php`. Copy every value except the database credentials and the app URL into the environment variables of the fortrabbit environment.
- Run `crontab -l`. ServerPilot has no cron screen, so each entry here becomes one cron job.
- Check for a GitHub Actions workflow that deploys the app. Its `composer install` and build steps go into the build commands.

## 3. Deploy the code

Connect the GitHub repository to the environment and push. Code that is not in Git yet goes into a new repository first, without uploads, `vendor` and credentials.

## 4. Move the database

Dump the database over SSH with the credentials from the config file:



```shell
mysqldump -u <user> -p <database> > dump.sql
```

Import the dump into the MySQL component as described under [MySQL export and import](https://docs.fortrabbit.com/platform/mysql/export-import).

## 5. Copy the uploads

Pull the upload folder, such as `public/wp-content/uploads`, to the local machine with rsync, then push it to the environment, see [rsync](https://docs.fortrabbit.com/dev/how-to/rsync).

## 6. Switch the DNS

Test the app on its default domain, add the custom domain to the environment and point the records at the domain provider to fortrabbit, see [external domain setup](https://docs.fortrabbit.com/platform/domains/external-domain-setup). ServerPilot hosts no DNS.

## What stays on the ServerPilot server

- Custom Nginx config in `/etc/nginx-sp/vhosts.d/`. fortrabbit runs Apache, so rewrites move into [.htaccess](https://docs.fortrabbit.com/dev/htaccess/redirects).
- Redis or other software installed on the server. fortrabbit has no root shell, see [limits](https://docs.fortrabbit.com/platform/concepts/limits).

Once the site runs on fortrabbit, delete the app in ServerPilot. Delete the server at the cloud provider when no other app runs on it.

---

- [Migrate to fortrabbit](/dev/how-to/migrate-to-fortrabbit)
- [ServerPilot alternative](/alternatives/serverpilot)