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To move a running Drupal site off Acquia, copy and reconnect three separate payloads: the Drupal codebase, the database, and user-uploaded files. Build and test the VPS while Acquia remains live, then perform a short content freeze, import the final database changes, switch DNS, and keep Acquia available for rollback.
If you are asking “How do I move my Drupal site off Acquia?”, “How do I migrate Drupal to a VPS without downtime?”, or “How do I copy an Acquia database and files to a new server?”, this runbook covers the complete process, including version requirements, commands, validation, cutover, and recovery. A zero-downtime result cannot be guaranteed for every site, but separating preparation from the final switch keeps the interruption and risk small.
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What actually moves from Acquia to the VPS?
A Drupal installation is not a single folder. Treat the migration as three coordinated transfers:
- Application code: Drupal core, contributed and custom modules, themes, Composer files, patches, and deployment scripts.
- Database: Content, users, roles, configuration stored in the database, fields, path aliases, sessions, and queued data.
- Files: Public uploads in
web/sites/default/files(or the equivalent site directory), private files, image styles, and any multisite-specific files directories.
Acquia’s migration guidance describes the target as ready only after code, database, and files are present and verified. DNS should be the last change, not the first. Copying only the database produces a site with missing media; copying only the files produces an installation with no content or users.
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Before you start: establish a migration contract
Choose one person to own the final cutover and another to approve rollback. Write down the maintenance window, the latest time at which the migration can be abandoned, and who can change DNS. Decide when editors stop publishing and how you will communicate the freeze. This prevents two people from importing different database dumps or changing records simultaneously.
Inventory the Acquia environment
Record the following from the production environment and from the repository used to deploy it:
- Drupal core version, PHP version, Composer version, and the exact lockfile or release commit.
- Enabled modules and themes, including custom code and patches.
- Database engine and size, character set, table prefixes, and whether the site is multisite.
- Public and private file paths, total file size, and approximate file count.
- Cron jobs, queues, Drush commands, scheduled imports, and background workers.
- Search services, object storage, CDN rules, payment or identity integrations, and external APIs.
- Outbound mail provider, sender domains, SPF/DKIM/DMARC records, and bounce handling.
- Acquia hooks, environment variables, mount points, settings includes, and platform-specific services.
- DNS A and AAAA records, redirects, canonical hostnames, certificates, and any proxy or load-balancer settings.
- Current traffic, peak concurrent users, PHP worker usage, storage growth, and backup-retention needs.
Keep this inventory with the migration ticket. It becomes your acceptance checklist and gives you a baseline when a VPS behavior differs from Acquia.
Choose a VPS that can run this Drupal version
Select capacity from measured workload rather than a provider’s smallest advertised plan. The VPS must support the Drupal version, PHP extensions, database engine, web server, storage throughput, and memory required by your modules and traffic.
Drupal 11 baseline
| Component | Minimum or practical guidance | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| PHP | PHP 8.3 or newer for Drupal 11 | Older runtimes will fail installation or receive no supported updates. |
| Database | MySQL 8.0 or newer, or MariaDB 10.6 or newer | Use InnoDB for Drupal tables and verify required SQL features before import. |
| PHP memory | 64 MB is the stated minimum; 128–256 MB is common in production | Composer, image processing, administrative pages, and modules can require more than the minimum. |
| Build memory | Drupal’s requirements overview cites 1 GB minimum RAM for Composer | Dependency resolution can exhaust a tiny runtime VPS even when page traffic is light. |
| Web server | Supported Apache or Nginx configuration with PHP-FPM | The document root must point to Drupal’s web directory, not the repository root. |
| Storage | Enough for the database, public/private files, backups, logs, and growth | Leave headroom; a full disk can prevent writes, cache rebuilds, and database recovery. |
These are compatibility floors, not sizing guarantees. More PHP workers, image styles, search indexing, authenticated traffic, or large imports can require additional CPU, RAM, and fast storage.
Managed versus self-managed operations
A managed VPS may provide operating-system patching, backups, monitoring, firewall defaults, and support escalation. A self-managed VPS gives you more control but makes you responsible for kernel and package updates, PHP-FPM tuning, database maintenance, intrusion response, certificate renewal, backup testing, and incident recovery. Compare candidates on:
- Supported PHP and database versions and how quickly security updates are published.
- Backup frequency, off-server retention, point-in-time recovery, and the procedure for restoring a complete machine.
- Monitoring for disk, memory, load, PHP-FPM saturation, database errors, and certificate expiry.
- Firewall, private networking, IPv4 and IPv6 controls, and DNS management.
- Storage type and I/O performance, geographic location, scaling options, and support response.
- Total recurring cost, including backups, managed services, traffic, extra disks, and monitoring.
Do not select a plan until you have compared its limits with your measured concurrency, database size, file growth, search workload, and audience geography.
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Build and secure the VPS before copying production
- Install a supported Linux-like operating system and apply all security updates. Use a non-root administrative account with SSH keys; disable password authentication and direct root login where your operating system supports it.
- Configure the firewall to expose only required services, normally SSH from an administration network, HTTP, and HTTPS. Keep the database bound to localhost or a private network unless a documented remote connection is required.
- Install the web stack: Apache or Nginx, PHP-FPM, the PHP extensions required by the project, and MySQL or MariaDB at a supported version. Match the source character set and collation where practical.
- Create separate accounts for the database and deployment. Grant the Drupal database user only the permissions it needs; do not use a database superuser in
settings.php. - Prepare storage for the code, public files, private files, database data, temporary files, logs, and backups. Put private files outside the public document root.
- Set time synchronization and log rotation. Correct time is important for cron, cache expiration, signed links, and certificate operations.
- Set a temporary hostname such as a staging subdomain or a local hosts-file entry. Obtain a certificate for that hostname if you need to test HTTPS behavior before the public DNS change.
Do not copy the production database into a publicly reachable, unprotected virtual host. Authentication, firewall rules, and the temporary hostname should be in place before any data arrives.
Deploy the exact Drupal code and dependencies
Use the same Git commit or release archive that Acquia runs. A migration is not the time to upgrade core or replace modules; make those changes separately so a failure has one possible cause.
- Clone the repository or unpack the release into a deployment directory owned by your deployment account.
- Confirm that
composer.jsonandcomposer.lockare present. Run Composer with the lockfile, for examplecomposer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader, using the PHP version selected for production. - For a project created with
drupal/recommended-project, configure the web server document root as the project’sweb/directory. Never serve the repository root, because it can expose configuration and vendor files. - Install every PHP extension required by the locked packages and by enabled Drupal modules. Check the output of
drush statusand the Drupal status report rather than assuming the package list is complete. - Set ownership so the web process can write only to Drupal’s required writable locations, normally the files directories and temporary directory. Keep code, Composer files, and settings templates read-only to the web user.
- Deploy the same custom settings includes and environment-specific configuration structure used by the project, but do not place production secrets in Git.
Transfer public, private, and multisite files
Copy files independently from the database. Use rsync, SCP, or SFTP over an authenticated, encrypted connection. Acquia’s database guidance also lists SFTP, SCP, and rsync as file-transfer methods.
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- Perform an initial transfer while Acquia remains online. An rsync pattern might be
rsync -aHAX --info=progress2 source:/path/to/web/sites/default/files/ /var/www/site/web/sites/default/files/. Adapt paths and SSH details to your environment. - Repeat rsync during the freeze to copy files created or changed since the first pass. The second pass is usually short because unchanged files are skipped.
- Preserve timestamps and, where supported, permissions. Do not blindly preserve an Acquia-specific numeric owner; map ownership to the VPS web process instead.
- Compare file counts, total sizes, and representative media URLs, including an image style, a PDF, and a private download. Check multisite directories individually.
Do not assume every file in the source tree belongs in the public directory. Review custom mounts, generated exports, and private documents before exposing anything through Nginx or Apache.
Export and import the Drupal database
Create a consistent dump on Acquia
Use the site’s normal Drush alias if available. Acquia documents this compressed pattern:
drush @[source] sql:dump --gzip --result-file=../mysite.sql
The resulting compressed dump should be transferred securely and retained as a rollback artifact. If Drush is unavailable, use the platform’s approved database export or a compatible mysqldump command. Include routines only if the application uses them, and avoid options that produce an incompatible storage engine or character set.
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Record the dump start and end times. A dump taken before the content freeze is an initial copy; it is not the final state if editors continue publishing afterward.
Create a least-privilege database on the VPS
- Create a database with the required character set and collation.
- Create a dedicated user with a long random password and grant it access only to that database.
- Restrict database network access to the application host or private network.
- Import the compressed file, for example
gunzip -c mysite.sql.gz | mysql -u drupal_app -p drupal_site. For a plain dump, usemysql -u drupal_app -p drupal_site < mysite.sql. - Check the import output and database error log. Confirm expected table counts and inspect a few content, user, and configuration tables.
For a multisite installation, select the correct database and site URI when running Drush. An import into the wrong site context can look successful while serving the wrong settings or files.
Connect Drupal and rebuild caches
After setting the VPS connection in settings.php, run drush status to verify the database and file paths. Then rebuild caches with drush cr. Resolve schema, permission, or missing-extension errors before testing pages; a partially imported database should never be treated as a successful migration.
Replace Acquia-specific settings and deployment assumptions
Search the codebase and environment configuration for values that only exist on Acquia. Replace them deliberately rather than copying the old settings file wholesale.
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- Database credentials and host: use the VPS database name, user, password, and socket or host.
- Filesystem paths: set absolute public and private file paths that exist on the VPS.
- Trusted host patterns: include the production hostname and any temporary hostname used for testing, then remove temporary entries after cutover.
- Hash salt: preserve the existing site hash salt if users and sessions must remain valid; store it outside the repository and protect it like a secret.
- Base URL and reverse proxy settings: configure HTTPS detection and forwarded headers only when a trusted proxy actually sits in front of the VPS.
- Environment overrides: replace Acquia variables, service endpoints, mount names, and platform hooks with VPS equivalents.
- Mail and search: point to the approved SMTP and search services, and verify credentials, host allowlists, and TLS requirements.
Keep secrets in the VPS secret store or protected environment files with restrictive permissions. Never commit passwords, API keys, private certificates, or database dumps to Git.
Handle Drupal configuration safely
A database copy brings active Drupal configuration along with content. Configuration-managed projects also keep exported YAML in version control, which creates two possible sources of truth.
When a straight database copy is appropriate
If the Acquia database is the authoritative production configuration, import it and make only the environment-specific overrides required by the VPS. This preserves enabled modules, views, field definitions, permissions, and editorial settings as they existed at the freeze.
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When to use configuration import
If the project’s established deployment workflow uses exported YAML, deploy the matching code and configuration collection, then run drush config:import only after reviewing the diff. Take a database backup first. A careless import can remove production-only fields, views, roles, or settings that were never exported. Do not introduce a new configuration-management strategy during the server move.
Validate the VPS under a temporary hostname
Point a temporary hostname or a local hosts-file entry at the VPS while the public DNS still targets Acquia. Test both anonymous and authenticated behavior. Use real representative content, not just the homepage.
Application and content checks
- Drupal status report shows no missing extensions, writable-directory errors, or database warnings.
- Anonymous pages, authenticated dashboards, user registration or login, password reset, and logout work.
- Editorial workflows, revisions, moderation, permissions, and scheduled publishing behave as expected.
- Forms validate, submit, send mail, and display error messages correctly.
- Public uploads, image styles, downloads, and private files return the right status codes and do not leak protected documents.
- Sampled nodes, taxonomy, menus, path aliases, redirects, and search results match Acquia.
Operations and infrastructure checks
- Cron runs with the intended user and completes without queue or lock errors. Run important queue workers manually once.
- Outbound mail reaches a test mailbox and uses the correct sender domain. Confirm DNS authentication and bounce monitoring.
- HTTPS certificates, HTTP-to-HTTPS redirects, canonical URLs, robots rules, and XML sitemaps use the intended public hostname.
- Cache rebuilds complete, dynamic pages do not show another user’s data, and reverse-proxy or CDN cache headers are correct.
- PHP-FPM, web-server, database, and Drupal logs are collected and rotated. Trigger a controlled error to confirm alerting.
- Backups complete on the VPS and a test restore can produce a working database and files tree.
- Disk, memory, CPU, I/O, PHP workers, database connections, and response times remain within safe limits during a representative load.
Compare a sample of counts and media between Acquia and the VPS. Pay particular attention to content created since the initial file and database copies.
Plan the final cutover for minimal interruption
Lower DNS TTL in advance
Acquia’s migration guidance recommends lowering DNS TTL to 5–10 minutes a few days before the change. This helps resolvers learn the shorter value before cutover, but it does not force every cached response to expire immediately.
Run the freeze and final synchronization
- Announce the freeze and disable editorial publishing, imports, and other jobs that can write data. Keep the site available for reading if your process permits.
- Run a final database dump from Acquia after the last approved write. If your platform supports a safe delta or replication method, use it; otherwise import this final dump on the VPS.
- Run rsync again for public, private, and multisite files so uploads created after the initial transfer arrive on the VPS.
- Verify the final database import, update any environment-only settings, and run
drush cr. - Repeat the critical smoke tests using the production hostname through a controlled hosts-file override or an equivalent private test, including login, forms, media, mail, and private files.
- Change the production A and AAAA records to the VPS addresses. Keep the old records documented and do not dismantle Acquia yet.
The only unavoidable interruption should be the period in which writes are frozen and the final import completes. Readers whose resolvers still use the old address may continue to reach Acquia, which is why the source must remain consistent and available during propagation.
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Watch DNS from several networks, VPS access logs, error rates, authentication, form submissions, queues, mail, and resource utilization. Keep Acquia serving or immediately recoverable until DNS propagation has completed and the VPS has passed at least one normal production cycle.
Rollback triggers
- Users cannot log in, submit essential forms, or access critical private files.
- Database errors, missing media, broken redirects, or permission changes affect important content.
- Mail, payments, search, cron, or queues fail in a way that cannot be corrected within the agreed window.
- PHP workers, memory, storage, or database load remain saturated under normal traffic.
- Security controls, HTTPS, or private-file isolation are not correct.
If a critical check fails, restore the DNS A and AAAA records to Acquia, keep the content freeze until the source is authoritative again, and document any writes made during the failed attempt. Do not alternate between two writable databases. After rollback, diagnose from logs and the migration checklist, correct the VPS, and schedule a new final synchronization.
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Common failure modes and fixes
The site shows a blank page or a 500 error
Check PHP-FPM and web-server logs first, then run drush status from the project directory. Missing PHP extensions, an incompatible PHP version, unreadable settings, and incorrect web roots are more common than a bad DNS record.
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Images or downloads return 404
Confirm the files were copied to the path configured in settings.php, ownership permits the web process to read them, and the web server rewrite rules match Drupal’s document root. Rebuild image styles only after the originals are present.
Private files are publicly reachable
Move the private directory outside the document root and configure Drupal’s private path. Add an explicit web-server deny rule, then test a private URL while unauthenticated and authenticated.
Login loops or incorrect HTTPS detection occur
Check trusted host patterns, the public hostname, reverse-proxy headers, and secure-cookie behavior. Configure forwarded headers only for known proxies; trusting arbitrary client headers creates a security issue.
Configuration changes disappear after deployment
Determine whether the project treats the database or exported YAML as authoritative. Review the configuration diff before importing and avoid running drush config:import merely because it is available.
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Verify the VPS scheduler invokes the intended PHP binary and Drush path, uses the correct site URI for multisite, and has permission to write temporary and files directories. Run the command manually and inspect its exit code and logs.
Mail reaches Acquia-era addresses or is rejected
Replace platform-specific SMTP credentials and endpoints, verify DNS authentication for the sending domain, and check provider allowlists. Send test messages from the VPS before changing DNS.
Post-migration hardening and cleanup
- Raise DNS TTL after stability is demonstrated, not immediately after the record change.
- Remove temporary hostnames from trusted hosts, certificates, redirects, and monitoring.
- Rotate any credentials that were exposed during transfer or shared for the migration.
- Enable unattended security updates where appropriate, or schedule a patching process with ownership and testing.
- Confirm off-server backups, retention, restore drills, intrusion alerts, certificate renewal, and disk-capacity alerts.
- Document the final VPS IPs, DNS records, deployment commands, cron entries, secrets location, backup procedure, and rollback steps.
- Retain the Acquia environment until the agreed rollback period expires and all required records, exports, and logs are archived.
Only after the rollback period should you decommission Acquia. Canceling it immediately removes your easiest recovery path if a delayed queue, mail, cache, or DNS issue appears.
Quick Recap
Final migration checklist
- Drupal code, Composer lockfile, PHP extensions, and web root match the source release.
- PHP, database, memory, storage, and web-server versions satisfy the site’s requirements.
- Public, private, and multisite files are copied, readable, and correctly protected.
- Database dump is verified, imported, and connected with a least-privilege user.
- Acquia credentials, paths, hooks, environment variables, and service assumptions are removed or replaced.
- Trusted hosts, hash salt, HTTPS, proxy settings, and secrets are correct.
- Configuration workflow has been reviewed and no unapproved import will overwrite production.
- Login, forms, editorial workflows, media, private files, search, cron, queues, mail, redirects, robots rules, and caches pass tests.
- Backups and restore procedures work on the VPS.
- DNS TTL was lowered before the window, final writes were frozen, final database and file syncs completed, and rollback ownership is clear.
- Acquia remains available through propagation and a normal production cycle.
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