What to Check Before Moving a Joomla Site to a New Host

Switching web hosts is one of the most common reasons a Joomla site breaks - not because moving is hard, but because the new server doesn't quite match what Joomla needs, and nobody checked first.

Whether you're moving for speed, price, better support, or because you've outgrown shared hosting, run through this checklist before you commit. Confirm the new host fits, then move with a plan.

1. PHP version and extensions

This is the number-one thing that trips people up. Your new host must run the PHP version your Joomla needs:

• Joomla 5 needs PHP 8.1+ (8.2 or 8.3 recommended).
• Joomla 6 needs PHP 8.3+.

It also needs the right PHP extensions enabled - typically mysqli/pdo_mysql, gd (or Imagick), intl, curl, zip, xml, and mbstring. Most quality hosts have these on, but confirm before you move, not after.

2. Database version

Joomla 5 and 6 need MySQL 8.0.13+ or MariaDB 10.4+. Ask the host (or check the control panel) so your database imports cleanly on the other side.

3. Server type and URL rewriting

Is the new host Apache or nginx? It matters, because your search-engine-friendly URLs depend on it: Apache uses .htaccess (rename htaccess.txt), while nginx needs rewrite rules in the server config. Know which you're getting so your links don't 404 after the move.

4. Email

Site email is easy to forget and painful to lose. Contact forms, order notifications, and password resets all depend on it. Check whether the new host provides mailboxes and SMTP, and plan your DNS/MX records so email keeps flowing through the switch.

5. Resources and limits

Check the PHP limits your site (and its extensions) actually need - especially memory_limit, max_execution_time, and upload_max_filesize. These matter most during a backup/restore and for image-heavy sites. Shared plans with tight limits can choke a migration.

6. SSL / HTTPS

Make sure the new host offers SSL (free Let's Encrypt is standard) and get the certificate in place before go-live, so you're not serving insecure pages during the cutover. Joomla should be set to force HTTPS.

7. Back up, then move the right way

Don't hand-copy files and hope. Take a full Akeeba Backup of the current site and restore it on the new host with Akeeba Kickstart - it rewrites the database connection and URLs cleanly. The full step-by-step is here: how to back up and move a Joomla website. Restore and test on the new host before you touch DNS.

8. Plan a zero-downtime cutover

1. Lower your DNS TTL a day or two ahead (e.g. to 300 seconds) so the switch propagates fast.
2. Move and test the site on the new host using a local hosts-file entry or a temporary URL - confirm everything works before it's public.
3. Switch DNS to the new server, and keep the old host live until propagation finishes (up to 24-48h) so no visitor hits a dead site.
4. Once traffic has fully moved, cancel the old plan.

9. Check the host itself, not just the price

Read recent, independent reviews for uptime and support responsiveness - the two things you'll actually care about at 2am. The cheapest plan is no bargain if it's slow or the support never answers.