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Move a PHP site from Windows to Linux as a controlled rebuild and cutover, not as a simple file copy. Inventory the existing PHP and web-server stack, provision a Linux runtime with matching versions and extensions, transfer both application files and user data, translate Windows-specific configuration, test on a private hostname, and change DNS only after the Linux copy passes your checks.
PHP source code is usually portable. The surrounding assumptions are not: IIS or Apache modules, PHP-FPM or another SAPI, enabled extensions, drive-letter paths, filename case, rewrite rules, service accounts, scheduled tasks, mail settings, and database behavior all need deliberate treatment.
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What changes when a PHP site moves from Windows to Linux?
The PHP files may run unchanged, but the operating environment changes underneath them. A successful migration recreates the application contract rather than assuming the old server’s settings came along with the code.
| Area | Windows source to record | Linux destination decision |
|---|---|---|
| Web server and SAPI | IIS FastCGI, Apache module, CGI, or CLI usage | Apache or Nginx connected to the required PHP runtime; modern Apache deployments should use PHP-FPM with mod_proxy_fcgi |
| PHP runtime | Exact PHP version, php.ini values, and enabled extensions |
Install the same supported version and extensions before testing |
| Application files | Document root, uploads, cache, sessions, and writable folders | Preserve the tree, then assign ownership and write access deliberately |
| Paths | Drive-letter paths such as C:inetpubwwwroot |
Absolute Linux paths such as /var/www/example; check every path assembled by code or configuration |
| URL rewriting | IIS web.config rules |
Apache virtual-host or .htaccess rules, or Nginx server-block directives |
| Data and services | Database, Windows scheduled tasks, SMTP, queues, APIs, and TLS settings | Native database import, Linux scheduled jobs and workers, recreated secrets, certificates, and monitoring |
Linux is case-sensitive in normal deployments. A reference to Images/Logo.png can therefore fail when the uploaded file is images/logo.png, even if the same request worked on a case-insensitive Windows volume. Windows and Linux also use different text-file line-ending conventions, which can break shell scripts or parsers after transfer.
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Prepare a reversible migration
Freeze writes and make restorable backups
Put the Windows site into maintenance or read-only mode if the application allows it. This prevents orders, registrations, comments, uploads, or other records from changing while you copy them. Keep the original server online and untouched until the Linux site has completed its observation period.
- Export a restorable database dump with the database engine’s native tool.
- Copy the complete application tree, including user-uploaded files and any generated assets that are not recreated automatically.
- Save the current PHP configuration, web-server configuration, rewrite rules, environment variables, and secret locations.
- Export Windows scheduled tasks and document queue workers, mail settings, TLS certificates, DNS records, and external API endpoints.
- Record how to put the Windows site back into service and who can perform a DNS rollback.
A file backup without a database backup is incomplete for a database-backed PHP application. A database dump without uploads is also incomplete when users have supplied images, documents, or other files.
Inventory the Windows application before provisioning Linux
Do this inventory while the old site is still working. It becomes the acceptance checklist for the replacement.
Record the PHP execution mode
Identify whether IIS invokes PHP through FastCGI, whether Apache loads PHP as a module, whether CGI is involved, and which commands or workers use PHP CLI. The PHP installation documentation describes multiple Windows installation modes; the destination must match the mode the application actually depends on, not merely the PHP version number.
Capture versions and extensions
Record the PHP version, database engine and version, web-server version, Composer or other dependency-tool version, and every enabled PHP extension. Note settings that affect behavior, including upload limits, memory limits, time zone, error logging, session storage, and mail transport. On Linux, you will verify the resulting module set with php -m and, where useful, a temporary phpinfo() page that is removed after testing.
Map files, writable locations, and jobs
Write down the document root, include and autoload directories, upload destinations, cache and session directories, temporary paths, and any folders the application generates at runtime. Search configuration and source files for Windows drive letters, backslashes, UNC paths, and assumptions about executable locations. List every Windows scheduled task, its frequency, command, working directory, and service account. Include queue workers and long-running processes even if they are not visible in the web interface.
Document integrations
Save database host, port, database name, user, and password locations; SMTP host and credentials; payment or identity-provider endpoints; API keys; webhook URLs; DNS records; certificate names; and redirect behavior. Treat these as configuration to recreate securely, not as files to copy blindly.
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Provision the Linux runtime
Choose a destination that matches the inventory
Compare candidates on the requirements that can interrupt a migration: the required PHP version and extensions, Apache or Nginx support, PHP-FPM availability, database compatibility, backup and restore facilities, SFTP and SSH access, TLS and DNS controls, logging and monitoring, scheduled-job support, and a practical rollback path. The Linux label alone does not establish compatibility.
Install the web server and PHP process manager
Install a supported Linux distribution, the application’s required PHP version and extensions, the database server or client as appropriate, Composer or the project’s dependency tooling, and Apache or Nginx. For modern Apache deployments, the PHP manual explicitly recommends PHP-FPM (FastCGI Process Manager) with Apache httpd’s mod_proxy_fcgi module. PHP-FPM provides a separately managed process pool, process isolation, independent restarts, and compatibility with event-based Apache configurations.
Create a dedicated virtual host (Apache) or server block (Nginx). Point it at the intended document root, configure the PHP-FPM socket or upstream, enable the required rewrite behavior, and install TLS. During the migration, use a staging hostname or temporary IP so the public DNS still reaches Windows.
Recreate dependencies before copying production traffic
Install the exact PHP extensions identified during inventory. Install Composer dependencies according to the project’s lock file when one exists, but do not run an uncontrolled dependency upgrade as part of the server move. Create the destination database and a least-privilege application account. Configure log locations and retention before opening the staging site so failures are visible.
Transfer PHP files and uploads securely
Use authenticated SFTP
Transfer the application tree and uploads over authenticated SFTP or an equivalent secure channel. SFTP preserves a clear, auditable copy operation and avoids sending credentials or files through an unencrypted transfer method.
sftp deploy@example-linux.exampleWithin the SFTP session, create the destination directory if necessary, upload the code and user files, and retain the same relative directory structure. Do not copy Windows service binaries, IIS-only configuration files, or unrelated system folders as though they were application assets.
Verify the copy
Compare file counts and, where practical, checksums between the source export and the Linux tree. Pay special attention to hidden environment files, nested upload directories, files with unusual capitalization, and generated PDFs or images. A successful transfer is not proof that the Linux service can read or write the files; permissions are handled separately.
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Migrate the database independently
Export with the native database tool
Use the source database engine’s native dump utility and include the objects the application uses: tables, indexes, views, stored routines, triggers, and scheduled events where applicable. Keep the dump in a protected location and transfer it over the same secure channel as the files.
For a MySQL-compatible source, a typical export pattern is:
mysqldump --single-transaction --routines --triggers --events -u app_user -p app_database > app_database.sqlUse the options appropriate to the engine and workload; the important requirement is a restorable, complete export rather than a particular command line.
Create and import the destination database
Create the destination database with the intended character set and collation, then create an account with only the privileges the application requires. Import the dump and inspect the result before allowing public writes.
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mysql -u app_user -p app_database < app_database.sqlVerify character set and collation, database time zone, SQL mode, stored routines, scheduled events, and any file paths stored in database rows. A database can import successfully while still producing different sorting, date handling, or file lookups if these settings changed.
Point configuration at Linux
Update the environment or application configuration with the destination host, port, database name, username, password, and socket settings. Keep secrets outside the public document root and use the Linux service’s protected environment mechanism where the application supports it. Never leave the export file or a diagnostic page web-accessible.
Translate Windows-specific configuration and code assumptions
Replace paths and separators
Convert drive-letter and UNC paths to Linux paths. Review code that concatenates paths with backslashes, calls Windows executables, or assumes a particular temporary directory. Prefer the framework or PHP path helpers already used by the application rather than hard-coding a second set of platform-specific strings.
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Check filename case in PHP includes, Composer autoload references, templates, image URLs, and database records. A path that differs only by capitalization must be corrected in either the code or the file name before cutover.
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IIS rewrite rules in web.config are not automatically consumed by Apache or Nginx. Recreate the intended redirects, front-controller routing, HTTPS behavior, and static-file exceptions in the destination’s virtual-host configuration, .htaccess, or Nginx server block. Test both an existing static file and a route that must be handled by the PHP application.
Normalize line endings
Windows and Linux represent text line endings differently. Normalize shell scripts, environment files, configuration files, and migration scripts when the Linux shell reports a bad interpreter or a parser reports unexpected carriage-return characters. Do this in a controlled copy or version-control workflow so binary uploads are not modified.
Recreate jobs, workers, and mail
Replace Windows Task Scheduler entries with the Linux scheduler or the process supervisor used by the destination. Recreate queue workers with the correct working directory and environment, and verify that they can restart after failure. Reconfigure SMTP, TLS, external APIs, webhooks, and any local sendmail-compatible service. A page that renders correctly can still fail its business function if mail or background processing was omitted.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Set Linux ownership and permissions deliberately
Do not run the application as root. Assign the document root to a non-root deployment owner and the web/PHP service account, then grant write access only to directories that genuinely need it: uploads, cache, sessions, generated files, and temporary storage.
sudo chown -R deploy:www-data /var/www/example
sudo find /var/www/example -type d -exec chmod 750 {} ;
sudo find /var/www/example -type f -exec chmod 640 {} ;The service account name varies by distribution and web server, so substitute the account actually running PHP-FPM. Test writes as that account rather than broadening permissions until the error disappears. The Windows equivalent is granting the IIS service identity MODIFY permission on the required temporary or upload directory; on Linux, inspect application and PHP-FPM logs for the exact path that failed.
Keep secrets, database exports, and deployment keys outside the public document root. Confirm that the web server cannot serve configuration files, logs, or backups as downloads.
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Validate the Linux copy privately
Use the staging hostname or temporary IP while DNS still points to Windows. Test representative user journeys instead of only opening the home page.
- Open every major route and confirm redirects, 404 handling, and HTTPS enforcement.
- Register, log in, log out, expire a session, and verify password-reset or other email-driven flows.
- Create, edit, download, and delete records to test database reads and writes.
- Upload files with typical and maximum expected sizes, then retrieve them through the intended access-control path.
- Generate images, PDFs, thumbnails, reports, or other derived files.
- Run queue workers and scheduled jobs manually, then confirm their recurring schedule.
- Send a test email and exercise external API calls and webhooks in their supported test mode.
- Check PHP extensions with
php -mand compare the result with the Windows inventory. - Run the application’s own test suite, health check, migration check, or cache-clear command if available.
- Inspect web-server, PHP-FPM, application, worker, and database logs while each flow runs.
Compare important rendered pages and business results with the Windows site. Look specifically for missing extensions, case-sensitive file failures, permission denials, incorrect time zones, changed SQL behavior, rewrite loops, and absolute URLs that still reference the old host.
Perform the final data sync and DNS cutover
Lower DNS TTL ahead of the change
Where practical, lower the DNS record’s TTL before the migration window so resolvers can refresh more quickly. TTL reduction does not make every client switch instantly, so keep the Windows site available during propagation.
Freeze, dump, and apply the final delta
- Announce a short maintenance window and enable the final write freeze on Windows.
- Take a last database dump after the freeze.
- Transfer and import that final dump, or apply the documented delta method if the application uses one.
- Copy uploads created since the initial transfer and verify their checksums or counts.
- Recheck destination configuration, permissions, queues, and scheduled jobs.
- Run smoke tests against the staging hostname or temporary IP.
- Change the DNS record or load-balancer target to Linux.
Monitor and preserve rollback
Watch access logs, PHP-FPM and application errors, latency, database health, queue status, email delivery, and user reports after the switch. Keep the Windows server intact and clearly documented until the agreed observation period has passed. If a critical defect appears, stop writes where possible, redirect DNS or the load balancer to Windows, and reconcile any records created during the Linux interval before reopening the old site.
Troubleshoot the failures that expose platform assumptions
“File not found” or failed includes
Check capitalization, absolute paths, the Linux document root, Composer autoload paths, and the PHP-FPM working directory. Search for drive letters and backslashes in configuration and source files.
Uploads or sessions fail with permission errors
Identify the exact directory in the application log, confirm which account runs PHP-FPM, and test access as that account. Grant write permission only to the affected upload, cache, session, or temporary directory.
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Routes return 404 or redirect repeatedly
Compare the old IIS rewrite intent with the new Apache or Nginx rules. Test a static asset, the front page, a nested route, and an HTTPS redirect separately. Confirm that the virtual host or server block selected by the staging hostname is the one you edited.
Database queries behave differently
Compare engine and version, character set and collation, time zone, SQL mode, stored routines, and event definitions. Check for file paths stored in rows and for code that relied on Windows-specific case behavior.
Background work is missing
List every Windows scheduled task and worker again, then verify its Linux schedule, environment, working directory, executable path, log output, and restart behavior. A web request cannot prove that asynchronous processing is configured.
Quick Recap
Destination checklist before you commit
- PHP version and every required extension match the application inventory.
- Apache or Nginx is connected to the intended PHP-FPM pool and serves the correct document root.
- Database import, collation, time zone, SQL mode, routines, triggers, and events are verified.
- Uploads, caches, sessions, temporary files, workers, and scheduled jobs operate with least privilege.
- IIS rewrite behavior has been rebuilt and tested on Apache or Nginx.
- SMTP, TLS, DNS, external APIs, webhooks, and environment variables are recreated.
- Backups can be restored, logs are monitored, and the Windows rollback path remains available.
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