Understanding Your First Website Transfer: Essential Tips for a Smooth Transition

Are you about to take over a website transfer for the first time? Transitioning a website, especially when moving from static to dynamic content or changing hosting environments, can be daunting. Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you navigate this process confidently and avoid common pitfalls.

1. Assess Your Hosting Environment Carefully

Since your site is hosted on cPanel without root access, your capabilities are limited to file management via the file manager or FTP. Remember:
– File Placement: Upload and organize files in the public_html directory.
– Database Access: Use cPanel tools like phpMyAdmin to manage databases.

1. Understand the Existing Infrastructure

Your website uses a custom PHP-based CMS running on PHP version 7.4 with spaghetti code. Before making any changes:
– Backup Everything: Full website files and database are crucial.
– Code Inspection: Familiarize yourself with the current PHP, HTML, and JavaScript structure.
– Refactoring Planning: Consider cleaning up your code to separate logic from presentation, making future modifications easier.

1. Updating and Designing the Site

When planning design changes:
– Template Replacement: Ensure compatibility with your current PHP setup.
– Custom Code Handling: Since the CMS has custom PHP scripts, exercise caution to avoid breaking functionality.
– Testing Environment: Set up a local development environment (WAMP, XAMPP, or similar) to test changes before deploying live.

1. Ensuring Security and Protocols

2. SSL/TLS: Confirm whether your hosting provider supports SSL certificates. If so, set them up to secure your site.

3. Ports & Firewalls: Typically, standard HTTP (80) and HTTPS (443) ports are used. No need to configure these manually unless specific restrictions exist.

4. Cloning Your Website for Development

To work locally:
– Download Files: Use FTP or cPanel’s File Manager.
– Export Database: Use phpMyAdmin to export and import your database to your local environment.
– Set Up Local Environment: WAMP or XAMPP are great options. Match PHP, MySQL/MariaDB, and Apache versions to your production environment for compatibility.
– Update Configuration Files: Adjust database connection settings and paths to reflect your local setup.

1. Best Practices and Checklist

2. Backup everything before making changes.

3. Document your current setup.
4. Plan the refactoring step-by-step.
5. Test thoroughly