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Infrastructure Tutorial 1 min read

Moodle Migration Zero-Downtime Checklist (VPS + CloudPanel)

Roomi Kh

February 18, 2026

Moodle Migration Zero-Downtime Checklist (VPS + CloudPanel)

Use this when migrating a live Moodle LMS from shared hosting to VPS.

Related deep-dive: The Real-World Moodle Migration Playbook.

Prerequisites

  • Full backup access on source server
  • Target VPS (Ubuntu + PHP 8.2 + MariaDB)
  • Maintenance/cutover window

Step-by-Step

Step 1: Export source database

BASH
mysqldump -u USER -p DBNAME > moodle.sql

Step 2: Import into target database

BASH
mysql -u USER -p DBNAME < moodle.sql

Step 3: Sync moodledata and permissions

BASH
rsync -avz /old/moodledata/ /new/moodledata/
chown -R www-data:www-data /new/moodledata
chmod -R 755 /new/moodledata

Step 4: Update config.php

PHP
$CFG->wwwroot  = 'https://yourdomain.com';
$CFG->dataroot = '/home/user/moodledata';
$CFG->dbname   = 'dbname';
$CFG->dbuser   = 'dbuser';
$CFG->dbpass   = 'dbpass';

Step 5: Install required PHP extensions

BASH
apt install -y php8.2-xml php8.2-mysql php8.2-gd php8.2-curl \
  php8.2-zip php8.2-mbstring php8.2-intl php8.2-soap
systemctl restart php8.2-fpm

Step 6: Run Moodle CLI maintenance

BASH
php admin/cli/upgrade.php
php admin/cli/purge_caches.php
php admin/cli/cron.php

Step 7: Cutover sync and DNS switch

BASH
mysqldump -u USER -p live_db > final.sql
mysql -u USER -p new_db < final.sql
rsync -avz /old/moodledata/ /new/moodledata/

Switch DNS only after login, courses, upload, and cron are verified.

Fast Troubleshooting

  • HTTP 500: re-check config.php, PHP extensions, and permissions.
  • Missing courses/media: re-sync moodledata, then purge caches.
  • Theme issues: deploy theme code, rerun upgrade + purge.

For migration implementation support, see Custom Web Development or Contact ValeoFX.