# Migrate from SiteGround to fortrabbit

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


## Migrate from SiteGround 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 SiteGround to fortrabbit, following https://www.fortrabbit.com/raw/migrate/from-siteground.md
```

Sign-in happens in the browser, see [agent setup](/agents). The agent needs SSH access to the SiteGround site to download the files and dump the database. 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.

## SiteGround features and where they go

| In SiteGround Site Tools | On fortrabbit |
| -- | -- |
| `/home/customer/www/<domain>/public_html` | Git repository, deployed by the [GitHub integration](https://docs.fortrabbit.com/platform/deployment/github-app) |
| `.env`, `wp-config.php` or other config files | [Environment variables](https://docs.fortrabbit.com/platform/settings/env-vars) |
| Devs → Cron Jobs | [Cron jobs](https://docs.fortrabbit.com/platform/jobs/crons) |
| Site → MySQL → phpMyAdmin | MySQL component |
| Uploads in `public_html` | Storage component, files copied with rsync |
| Email → Accounts | Stays with a mail provider |
| DNS Zone Editor | DNS at the domain provider |

## 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. Download the files

Add an SSH key under Devs → SSH Keys Manager in Site Tools. SiteGround allows key-based SSH only, on port 18765:



```shell
ssh -p 18765 <user>@<host>
```

Pull the site to the local machine with rsync over the same port:



```shell
rsync -avz -e "ssh -p 18765" <user>@<host>:www/<domain>/public_html/ ./site/
```

See [download a website](https://docs.fortrabbit.com/dev/how-to/download-a-website). The site lives in `/home/customer/www/<domain>/public_html`.

## 3. Put the code into Git

Create a repository from the downloaded files and leave out the uploads, `vendor` and the config file with the credentials. Push it to GitHub. The install guide for the CMS or framework in the [fortrabbit docs](https://docs.fortrabbit.com/guides) names the settings that move into environment variables.

## 4. Copy the settings

- Open the config file, such as `.env` or `wp-config.php`. Copy every value except the database credentials and the site URL into the environment variables of the fortrabbit environment.
- Open Devs → Cron Jobs. Each entry becomes one cron job. Paths under `/home/customer/www` change, see the [directory structure](https://docs.fortrabbit.com/platform/code-access/directories).
- Remove plugins tied to SiteGround, such as SiteGround Optimizer and SiteGround Security for WordPress, from the repository, not from the live site.

## 5. Deploy the code

Connect the repository to the environment and push. Composer runs in the [build commands](https://docs.fortrabbit.com/platform/deployment/build-commands).

## 6. Move the database

Export the database in phpMyAdmin, under Site → MySQL. For databases over 50 MiB, SiteGround recommends mysqldump over SSH:



```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).

## 7. Copy the uploads

Push the upload folder, such as `wp-content/uploads`, to the environment with [rsync](https://docs.fortrabbit.com/dev/how-to/rsync).

## 8. Keep the mail

SiteGround mailboxes sit under Email → Accounts, and fortrabbit has none. Move them to a mail provider before the DNS switch, or keep the MX records pointing to SiteGround while the plan runs. Use SMTP or a transactional mail provider for mail the app sends, since PHP `mail()` does not work on fortrabbit, see [limits](https://docs.fortrabbit.com/platform/concepts/limits).

## 9. Switch the DNS

When the domain uses the SiteGround nameservers `ns1.siteground.net` and `ns2.siteground.net`, its records are in the DNS Zone Editor. Moving DNS to the registrar or a DNS provider first keeps the domain working after the plan ends. Test the app on its default domain, add the custom domain to the environment and point the records to fortrabbit, see [external domain setup](https://docs.fortrabbit.com/platform/domains/external-domain-setup).

Cancel the SiteGround plan once the site, the mail and the DNS run without it.

---

- [Migrate to fortrabbit](/dev/how-to/migrate-to-fortrabbit)
- [SiteGround alternative](/alternatives/siteground)