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Migrating and Managing a WordPress website with Amazon Lightsail

Home > Migrating and Managing a WordPress website with Amazon Lightsail

Migrating and Managing a WordPress website with Amazon Lightsail

Hosting WordPress on Amazon Lightsail is a cost-effective way to adopt the cloud and benefit from the security and scale of AWS.

Seahorse, a trusted AWS Partner, provides a simple seamless solution for migrating a WordPress site from an existing hosting provider (or localhost) to Amazon Lightsail. In addition, Seahorse provides a Management Console within WordPress to give users the ability to manage their Lightsail instance from their WP Dashboard.

In this tutorial, we’ll guide you through the process of how to launch a clone of a WordPress
website on Amazon Lightsail using the Seahorse software on a free to use development
environment: Click here to get a Free use licence

Learning Objectives

  • Learn how to install and operate Seahorse’s software on your existing WordPress website
  • Understand the process involved in migrating your existing WordPress website to Amazon Lightsail
  • Discover the benefits of using Amazon Lightsail as a WordPress hosting service by
    trying a demo of your WordPress website for free: Click here to get a Free use licence
About this Tutorial
Time 10-20 minutes      
Cost Free
Use Case Compute
Products Amazon Lightsail
Level 100
Last Updated December 7, 2021

WordPress Certified by Bitnami and Automattic/5.8.2-23-r09 on Debian 10

WordPress: v.5.8.2 | PHP: v.7.4.26
Apache: v.2.4.51 | MariaDB: v.10.3.32

Step 1: Overview

In this tutorial you will complete the following steps:

  • Launch a clone of your WordPress Website on Amazon Lightsail. No AWS knowledge required
  • Simple and Intuitive process from within your WordPress Administration Dashboard
  • There are no charges for using WP on AWS Plugin or Amazon Lightsail for this tutorial.
  • Your existing Website will not be affected and will remain in it’s current location.
  1. Overview
  2. Sign in to the administration dashboard of your WordPress website
  3. Install the WP on AWS Plugin to your existing WordPress Site
  4. Get a Licence Key From The Service Provider
  5. Validate Licence
  6. Validate IAM Credentials
  7. Set AWS Region
  8. Prepare the Website’s Database
  9. Prepare the Website’s File System
  10. Clone the Prepared File System
  11. Launch your Website on Lightsail
 
If you already have the Plugin installed, you can skip to step ” Get Licence.“

Brought to you by Seahorse — an AWS partner 

Step 2: Sign in to the administration dashboard of your WordPress website

Complete the following steps to sign in to the administration dashboard of your WordPress website.

If you are already signed-in, skip to step: Install Plugin.

2.1 — In a browser, navigate to your site: http://example.com/wp-login.php

(replace example.com with the URL of your WordPress website). 

 

2.2 — Log into your instance.

  • In the Username or Email Address box, enter the relevant Administrator Username or Email.
  • Password box, enter the default Administrator Password.
  • Log In.

Step 3: Install the WP on AWS Plugin to your WordPress Site

Now you have logged-in to your WordPress Administration Dashboard, the required plugin can be installed.

3.1 — Download the Plugin zip file and upload it manually to your site. (Download WP on AWS Plugin here).

  • Navigate to Plugin tab on the admintrator sidebar menu
  • Select Add New
  • Select Upload Plugin
  • Select the downloaded zip file
  • Click Install Now
When the installation process is complete, click Activate to activate the plugin. 

3.2 —  Install via the WordPress Plugin Repository Search

 

  • Navigate to the Plugin tab on the admintrator sidebar menu
  • Select Add New
  • Type “wp migrate 2 aws” into the Search Plugins box
  • Scroll to the Correct Item
  • Click on Install Now

When the installation process is complete, click on Activate to activate the Plugin.

Step 4: Get a License Key From The Service Provider

A License Key is required to activate the installed Plugin.

4.1 — Request a license from the Service Provider: Seahorse 

Step 5: Validate License

In this step, you will activate the License Key you received.

5.1 — Activate the License key you received from the service provider. 

  • Navigate to the WP on AWS Plugin interface
  • Input the License Key received from the service provider and the corresponding email address when requesting the license key
  • Click on Register License 
  • Valid License key is then confirmed. 

Step 6: Validate IAM Credentials

Once the License Key is activated, you can validate your AWS IAM keys.

6.1 — Validate your AWS IAM Keys.

Did not receive keys from the Service Provider? 

Complete the following steps to validate your AWS IAM keys: 

  • Go to the WP on AWS Plugin Interface
  • Navigate to the AWS Setup section
  • The IAM Key and the IAM Secret are pre-populated for the Free Trial Clone process
  • Click on Save IAM Credentials 
 
Now, the valid IAM User should be confirmed. 

Step 7: Set AWS Region

In this step, you choose the AWS Region for your WordPress website. 

For the trial clone process, there is no option to select a region so Step 7 is skipped. Any full licensed version of the software allows for selection of any Lightsail region but it is restricted to eu-west-1 (Ireland) for the free trial clone process.

Step 8: Prepare the Website's Database

In this step, you prepare the Database. 

8.1 — Create an automated clone of your website’s database. This clone will be used to import your website’s content to AWS. 

In the WP on AWS Plugin interface, complete the following steps: 

  • Navigate tot the Prepare Database Status section 
  • Click on Prepare Database.
  • The database download will then be confirmed and the database status then updates. 

Step 9: Prepare the Website's File System

In this step, you prepare the website’s file system. 

9.1 — Create an automated clone of your website’s file system. This includes your themes, plugins, images, etc, and will be used to display your website’s content on AWS. 

In the WP on AWS Plugin interface complete the following steps: 

  • Navigate to the File-System Preparation Status section 
  • Click on Prepare File System  
The progress is indicated by the Progress bar. Progress duration varies depending on the size of your file and the server on which it is hosted. 
 
When completed, the file system preparation status will be updated. 

Step 10: Clone the Prepared File System

Now that your website has been prepared, a copy can be uploaded to AWS.

10.1 — Upload the clone of your website

This includes your database, themes, plugins and images etc and will be used to create your cloned website on AWS.  

In the WP on AWS Plugin interface, complete the following steps: 

  • Navigate to the Clone to AWS Status section 
  • Click on Clone to AWS

When complete, the Clone to AWS status will be updated. Progress duration may vary depending on the size of your file system and the server on which it is hosted. 

Step 11: Launch your website on Lightsail

After a copy of your Website has been cloned to AWS, it can now be launched.

11.1 — Run a test migration to view a clone of your WordPress site in AWS Lightsail.

In the WP on AWS Plugin interface, complete the following steps: 

  • Navigate to the Launch a Clone of This Website on AWS section 
  • Click on Launch AWS

When the initial request is complete the IP address of your cloned website will be displayed but the website is still being compiled.

11.2 — You will receive an email to the address associated with your licence which contains links to view your website.

All Done! This temporary site will remain active for review for 36 hours after launch.

Congratulations

You migrated your WordPress website to run on Amazon Lightsail using Seahorse!

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