Migrating to Witchly

Switching hosting providers does not mean starting from scratch. You can bring your existing world, plugins, mods, configurations, and player data to Witchly.host with minimal downtime. This guide walks you through the entire migration process, regardless of which host you are coming from.

Before You Begin

Gather the following before starting your migration:

Access to your current host’s file manager or SFTP — You need to download your server files
A Witchly.host server — Create one at Dashboard with the same game. The free tier deploys instantly, or subscribe to an Elite plan for dedicated resources.
FileZilla or another SFTP client — For transferring large files efficiently (see our SFTP guide)

Plan for downtime. Let your players know about the migration in advance. The actual transfer typically takes 30 minutes to a few hours depending on how large your server files are.

Step 1: Download Files from Your Current Host

On your current hosting provider, download all the files you want to keep. The exact method depends on your current host, but most providers offer one or more of these options:

Option A: SFTP (Recommended for Large Servers)

Connect to your current host via SFTP using FileZilla
Select all server files and download them to a folder on your computer
Wait for the transfer to complete — this may take a while for servers with large worlds

Option B: Panel File Manager

Some hosts let you compress and download files through their web panel:

Use the panel’s file manager to create a zip/tar archive of your server files
Download the archive
Extract it on your computer

Option C: Backup Download

If your current host has a backup system:

Create a fresh backup
Download the backup archive
Extract it on your computer

What to download:

Game	Key Files and Folders
Minecraft	`world/`, `plugins/` or `mods/`, `server.properties`, `bukkit.yml`, `spigot.yml`, `paper.yml`, `config/`
Palworld	`Pal/Saved/` (contains world data and settings)
Rust	`server/`, `oxide/` (if using Oxide/uMod), `cfg/`
Hytale	Server configuration and world files (structure varies by version)

You do not need to download the game server JAR/executable files — Witchly.host provides these automatically.

Step 2: Create Your Witchly.host Server

If you have not already:

Log in to Dashboard
Create a new server for your game
Choose a plan with sufficient RAM and disk space for your existing server
Let the server complete its initial setup — start it once and then stop it

Starting and stopping the server once is important because it generates the default directory structure and configuration files that your uploaded files will replace.

Step 3: Upload Files to Witchly.host

Now transfer your downloaded files to your new Witchly.host server.

Connect via SFTP

In the Witchly.host panel, go to Settings to find your SFTP connection details
Open FileZilla and connect using:
- Host: The SFTP address from the panel
- Username: Your SFTP username from the panel
- Password: Your panel account password
- Port: 2022

Upload Your Files

Navigate to the correct location on the remote server and upload your files:

Minecraft:

Upload your world/ folder to the root of the server (replacing the default one)
Upload your plugins/ or mods/ folder
Upload configuration files (server.properties, etc.)

Palworld:

Upload your Pal/Saved/ directory, replacing the existing one
Make sure the SaveGames/ folder structure is intact

Rust:

Upload your server/ directory
Upload your oxide/ directory if using Oxide
Upload custom configurations from cfg/

Hytale:

Upload your world data and configuration files to the appropriate directories

Tip: For large uploads (several GB), SFTP is much more reliable than the web-based file manager. FileZilla handles large transfers, can resume interrupted uploads, and shows progress.

Step 4: Adjust Configurations

Some configuration settings are host-specific and need to be updated for your new environment.

Server Properties and Ports

Your new server has a different IP address and port. Update any configuration files that reference the old host’s address:

server.properties (Minecraft): The server-port is managed by the panel — do not override it. Remove or comment out any server-ip binding.
Palworld settings: Port configuration is handled by the startup parameters in the panel, not the config file.
Rust configs: Port and RCON settings are managed through the panel’s startup parameters.

Database Connections

If your plugins used a MySQL database on your old host, you have two options:

Create new databases on Witchly.host and reconfigure your plugins to use them. See our Databases guide. You will need to export data from your old database and import it into the new one.
Keep using your old database temporarily if it is accessible externally. This works as a short-term solution while you migrate the data.

Plugin-Specific Settings

Review your plugin and mod configurations for any references to:

Old server IP addresses or ports
Old database connection strings
Webhook URLs or API endpoints that may have changed
File paths that differ between hosts

Step 5: Test Your Server

Start your server from the Witchly.host panel
Check the Console for any errors during startup
Join the server and verify:
- The world loaded correctly with all builds and terrain intact
- Player data is preserved (inventories, positions, statistics)
- Plugins and mods are functioning properly
- Permissions and ranks are working
Have a few players connect to test from different locations

Step 6: Update Your Server Address

Once you have confirmed everything is working, share your new server address with players:

If You Use a Custom Domain

Update your DNS records to point to the new Witchly.host server IP:

Log in to your domain registrar’s DNS management
Update the A record to point to your new server’s IP address
If using an SRV record (Minecraft), update the port and target
DNS propagation typically takes 5-60 minutes

During propagation, some players may still connect to the old server while others reach the new one. Stop the old server to avoid confusion.

If You Use a Direct IP Address

Share the new IP:Port from the Witchly.host panel with your players through:

Your Discord server
Social media channels
Server listing websites (update your listings)
Any websites or documentation that reference the old address

Step 7: Clean Up

After confirming the migration is successful and all players have transitioned:

Keep your downloaded backup files stored safely for at least a few weeks
Cancel your old hosting service (check their cancellation policy and timing)
Set up automatic backups on Witchly.host through the Schedules system
Set up automatic restarts if your game benefits from them

Troubleshooting Migration Issues

Server starts but world is missing:

Verify the world folder was uploaded to the correct location
Check that the folder structure is not nested (e.g., world/world/ instead of world/)
For Minecraft, ensure level-name in server.properties matches the world folder name

Plugins or mods fail to load:

Check version compatibility — your new server may have a different game or platform version than your old one
Review the console for specific error messages
Ensure all plugin dependencies are present

Player data is missing:

Player data is tied to unique IDs, not usernames. If player UUID files are in the correct location, data should carry over
Check that the playerdata or Players directory was uploaded correctly

Permission errors:

If using a permissions plugin with a database, make sure the new database connection is configured correctly
If using file-based permissions, verify the permissions file was uploaded

If you run into issues during your migration, open a ticket on Discord with details about what you have done so far and any error messages. Our support team has helped many server owners migrate and can assist with tricky situations.