The website on Joomla has crashed and I need to transfer it to my computer. FTP is taking too long, so I'm curious about using SSH instead. Specifically, I am using Hostinger for hosting.
If you're experiencing issues transferring your Joomla website using FTP, using SSH could be a viable alternative. However, please note that SSH is typically used for secure remote shell access, rather than file transfer.
To transfer your Joomla website using SSH, you'll need to follow these general steps:
1. Connect to your hosting account: Use an SSH client (e.g., PuTTY or Terminal) to connect to your Hostinger hosting account. You will need the SSH credentials provided by Hostinger.
2. Access the server's command line: Once connected via SSH, you'll have access to the command line interface of the server.
3. Navigate to the correct directory: Use the command `cd` to navigate to the directory where your Joomla website files are stored.
4. Compress the Joomla files: Create a compressed archive of your Joomla website files using a command like `tar -czvf joomla_backup.tar.gz /path/to/joomla`.
5. Download the backup file: After compressing the Joomla files, download the backup file to your local computer using the `scp` command. For example, `scp username@your-hosting-server:~/path/to/joomla_backup.tar.gz ~/Downloads/` will copy the backup file to your local Downloads folder.
6. Extract the backup: Once the backup file is downloaded, extract its contents to access your Joomla website files.
7. Export the Joomla database: In addition to the website files, you'll need to export the Joomla database. You can typically use the `mysqldump` command to export the database as a SQL file. For example, `mysqldump -u username -p database_name > joomla_db.sql`.
8. Download the database file: Once the database is exported, you can use the `scp` command again to download the database file to your local computer. For instance, `scp username@your-hosting-server:~/path/to/joomla_db.sql ~/Downloads/` will copy the database file to your local Downloads folder.
9. Import the database: After downloading the database file, you can import it into your local MySQL server using tools like phpMyAdmin or the MySQL command-line interface.
10. Restore the Joomla website: To restore your website on your local computer, create a new Joomla installation using a web server (e.g., Apache or Nginx) and a PHP interpreter (e.g., PHP 7.x). Then, upload the extracted files to the appropriate directory of your local web server.
11. Configure the Joomla installation: Update the Joomla configuration file (`configuration.php`) with the appropriate database credentials and other settings required for your local environment.
12. Test the website: Finally, access your local website through a web browser and ensure that all functionality is working correctly.
13. Verify SSH access: Before attempting to connect via SSH, ensure that your hosting provider (Hostinger) allows SSH access for your hosting plan. Some hosting plans may not include SSH access by default, so it's important to check if it's available.
14. Troubleshoot FTP issues: If FTP is taking too long, consider troubleshooting the issue before switching to SSH. It's possible that there might be a configuration issue or network problem causing slow transfer speeds. Contact Hostinger support for assistance in resolving FTP issues.
15. Check file permissions: When transferring Joomla files, pay attention to file permissions. The permissions on the files and directories should match the recommended settings for Joomla. Improper file permissions can cause issues with the functionality of your website.
16. Use SSH for more advanced tasks: While SSH can be used for file transfers, it's worth noting that its primary use is for secure remote shell access. SSH provides a command-line interface to execute various tasks on the server. You can utilize SSH to perform more advanced tasks like database backups, system updates, and configuration changes.
17. Consider alternative file transfer methods: If SSH doesn't meet your needs, you could explore other file transfer methods such as SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol), which provides a secure way to transfer files over SSH. You can also consider using rsync, a powerful command-line tool for efficient file synchronization and transfer.
18. Backup your website: Before attempting any file transfer or modification, it's always recommended to take a backup of your Joomla website, both the files and the database. This ensures you have a copy to revert to in case anything goes wrong during the transfer process.
19. Use compression for faster transfer: If FTP is taking too long, you can speed up the transfer by compressing the files into a single archive before transferring them via SSH. This reduces the overall file size and can significantly improve transfer speeds.
20. Optimize SSH settings: Depending on the SSH client and server configurations, there might be ways to optimize SSH settings to improve file transfer performance. Adjusting settings such as compression level, encryption methods, and buffer sizes can potentially enhance transfer speeds.
21. Monitor progress during transfer: When transferring large files or archives via SSH, it's helpful to have visibility of the progress. You can use tools like "pv" (pipe viewer) or designate a verbose option (--verbose) when using the "scp" command to see a real-time progress indicator.
22. Consider professional assistance: If you're facing persistent issues with your Joomla website or file transfer, you might benefit from seeking professional assistance. Experienced web developers or system administrators with expertise in Joomla and server administration can help diagnose and resolve specific issues you might be encountering.
If you are familiar with the command line interface and looking for a graphical alternative, you can try using winscp, which is similar to putty. It provides a user-friendly way to interact with remote systems.
Putty allows you to establish secure connections to remote servers through the command line interface. Its functionality can be compared to that of a commander-s. However, if you prefer a more intuitive graphical interface, then winscp might be a better option for you. It offers similar capabilities and makes it easier to manage remote files and navigate through different directories.
access your FTP manager, simply enter your ssh data and expose port 22. The steps remain unchanged.
If you prefer to avoid the tedious process of copying files individually, then you can navigate to the site folder and use the command "zip -r -0 archive.zip . -x /bitrix/backup\*".
After waiting for the completion, you can easily download the archive by visiting site.ru/archive.zip with your browser.
The zip archiver is used with the following options:
-r for recursive compression,
-0 for compression level ranging from 0 to 9.
The output file will be named archive.zip and it will contain the contents of the current folder. Additionally, any files or folders matching the specified exclusion pattern (/bitrix/backup\*) will be excluded from the archive.
SSH via scp or rsync is your go-to for speeding up that crashed site transfer from Hostinger. Enable key-based auth on your server, tunnel through their firewall, and use compression flags like -C in scp for bandwidth throttling. Skip FTP lags; run rsync -avz user@host:/path/to/site /local/dir to sync deltas only, ensuring no full overwrites.
Monitor with htop for CPU spikes, but double-check Hostinger's outbound limits first - downloading gigs can trigger flags. For Joomla, dump the database separately via mysqldump over SSH tunnel to avoid corruption in your local stack.