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Migrate Cloud to Self-Hosted

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CLIENTXCMS is becoming an open source, self-hosted, and free software starting September 1, 2025. For current customers, we offer a transition period to migrate to the self-hosted version. This page guides you through the migration process from CLIENTXCMS Cloud to a self-hosted instance. More information about the transition here.

  1. Retrieve a backup of the CLIENTXCMS Cloud instance

    • Log in to the CLIENTXCMS Cloud interface and go to the Database section (for example, via https://mydomain.com/admin/database).

    • Note the following information (example):

      • Host (DB_HOST): ctx-01-pma.clientxcms.com
      • Database name (DB_DATABASE): 123456789_DB
      • Username (DB_USERNAME): 123456789_User
      • Password (DB_PASSWORD): P@ssw0rdExample

    • To export the database, you can use phpMyAdmin:

      • Open phpMyAdmin at the provided address (e.g., https://ctx-01-pma.clientxcms.com/).
      • Select the database 123456789_DB.
      • Click Export, choose the "SQL" format and click OK to download 123456789_DB.sql.

  2. Retrieve the Laravel application key (APP_KEY) from the Cloud instance

    • Open a request with our technical support to obtain the Laravel application key (APP_KEY) from your Cloud instance.
    • This key is essential to ensure session compatibility, encrypted cookies, and sensitive data between your Cloud instance and the self-hosted instance.
    • The key looks like this: base64:8fGtY7Qk3hlV6uJd5zR2wT1xYpB9aZfS3eHlCk7mNo=.
    • Keep this key safe, as it will be used when configuring your self-hosted instance.

  3. Install CLIENTXCMS v2 on your local server

    • Follow the CLIENTXCMS v2 installation instructions on your local server, as described in the Self-hosted Installation documentation.
    • Make sure your server meets the prerequisites (PHP, MySQL, etc.).

  4. Import your database:

    Via phpMyAdmin:

    1. Log in to phpMyAdmin on your local server (for example https://your-server/phpmyadmin).
    2. Select the database clientxcms_local.
    3. Click Import → Choose a file → select clientxcms_backup_12345.sql → click Execute.
    4. Wait for the import to complete (this may take a few minutes depending on the database size).
    5. Verify that all tables are present (e.g., customers, etc.).

    Via command line: 3. Connect to your server via SSH. 4. Execute the following commands to create the database and import the backup:

    mysql -u root -p clientxcms_local < /path/to/clientxcms_backup_12345.sql
    # Enter LocalPassword when prompted
    1. Verify that the import was successful by listing the tables:
    mysql -u root -p -e "USE clientxcms_local; SHOW TABLES;"
    # You should see all CLIENTXCMS Cloud tables (e.g., customers, settings.)

  5. Replace the Laravel key in .env with the Cloud key

    • Edit your .env file (located for example in /var/www/clientxcms/.env) and replace the APP_KEY value (temporary key) with the one provided by support. Example:

      - APP_KEY=base64:ABC123ExampleTmpKeyGeneratedByArtisan=
      + APP_KEY=base64:8fGtY7Qk3hlV6uJd5zR2wT1xYpB9aZfS3eHlCk7mNo=

    • Save the file. Laravel will now use the same key as your Cloud instance, ensuring session compatibility, encrypted cookies, and sensitive data (for example, password hashing).

  6. Verify additional configuration (cache, storage, etc.)

    • Folder permissions:

      # Ensure the web user (www-data or apache) has the rights
      sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/clientxcms/storage
      sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/clientxcms/bootstrap/cache
      sudo chmod -R 775 /var/www/clientxcms/storage
      sudo chmod -R 775 /var/www/clientxcms/bootstrap/cache

    • Reinstall / refresh Laravel cache:

      cd /var/www/clientxcms
      # Recreate configuration, route, and view caches
      php artisan config:cache
      php artisan route:cache
      php artisan view:cache

  7. Test access to the self-hosted instance

    • Open your browser to the address https://clientxcms.yourdomain.com (or http:// if SSL is not configured).

    • The CLIENTXCMS login page should appear.

    • Login: use your exact credentials from the Cloud instance (example):

    • If you successfully log in, the migration worked.