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Blake Ridgway
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content/migrate/from-wpengine.md
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content/migrate/from-wpengine.md
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---
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title: "Migrate from WP Engine or Kinsta"
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description: "How to move a WordPress site from managed hosting (WP Engine, Kinsta) to Arcline's VPS or shared hosting without downtime."
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section: migrate
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order: 6
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---
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# Migrate from WP Engine or Kinsta
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WP Engine and Kinsta are managed WordPress hosts. They don't provide cPanel or direct server access — instead you get a custom dashboard with WordPress-specific tools. Migrating to Arcline involves exporting your site through WordPress itself and setting it up fresh.
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The process is similar for both WP Engine and Kinsta. Differences are called out where they matter.
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---
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## Before you start
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- WP Engine User Portal or Kinsta MyKinsta dashboard access
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- WordPress admin access (for plugin-based backups)
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- Arcline cPanel account (for shared hosting) or VPS access
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- 45–90 minutes depending on your site size
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- **Important:** Managed hosts sometimes disallow certain plugins. Check the [WP Engine disallowed plugins list](https://wpengine.com/support/disallowed-plugins/) or [Kinsta banned plugins list](https://kinsta.com/knowledgebase/banned-plugins/) — if your backup plugin is on the list, use the manual export method instead.
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---
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## Step 1 — Export your WordPress site
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You have three options for exporting. Choose one.
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### Option A: UpdraftPlus (easiest)
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1. Install the **UpdraftPlus** plugin from your WordPress admin → Plugins → Add New
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2. Go to **Settings → UpdraftPlus Backups**
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3. Click **Backup Now** and select both **Database** and **Files**
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4. When the backup completes, download all five files from the **Existing Backups** tab:
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- Database
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- Plugins
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- Themes
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- Uploads
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- Others
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### Option B: All-in-One WP Migration
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1. Install **All-in-One WP Migration** from Plugins → Add New
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2. Go to **All-in-One WP Migration → Export**
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3. Choose **Export To → File**
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4. Download the `.wpm` file when it's ready
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> The free version has a 512 MB upload limit for importing. If your site is larger, use UpdraftPlus or manual export instead.
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### Option C: Manual export
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**Export files from WP Engine:**
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WP Engine provides SFTP access — you can connect with FileZilla or Cyberduck:
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1. WP Engine User Portal → **Sites → your site → SFTP**
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2. Note the host, port (2222), username, and password shown
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3. Connect with FileZilla and download the entire `wp-content` folder
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**Export files from Kinsta:**
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Kinsta provides SFTP and SSH access:
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1. MyKinsta → **Sites → your site → Info**
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2. Under **SFTP/SSH**, note the host, port, username, and password
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3. Connect with FileZilla and download the `wp-content` folder
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**Export the database:**
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Both hosts include phpMyAdmin access:
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1. **WP Engine:** User Portal → Sites → your site → **phpMyAdmin** (under Utilities)
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2. **Kinsta:** MyKinsta → Sites → your site → **Info** → Open phpMyAdmin
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Select your database in the left sidebar → **Export → Quick → SQL → Go**.
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---
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## Step 2 — Set up WordPress on Arcline
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### On shared hosting (cPanel)
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1. Arcline cPanel → **Software → WordPress Manager by Softaculous**, or install manually
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2. Create a fresh WordPress installation in the root `public_html` directory (or a subdirectory if you prefer to test there first)
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### Manual WordPress install
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1. Download WordPress from [wordpress.org](https://wordpress.org/download/)
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2. Upload the files to `/home/username/public_html/` via SFTP
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3. Create a database in cPanel → **Databases → MySQL Databases**
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4. Create a database user and add it to the database with **All Privileges**
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5. Visit `https://yourdomain.com` and complete the WordPress installation wizard
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6. Use the database name, username, and password from step 3
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### On a VPS
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Follow the VPS setup guides for installing WordPress on a LAMP or LEMP stack.
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---
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## Step 3 — Import your site
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### If you used UpdraftPlus
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1. Install and activate UpdraftPlus on your fresh Arcline WordPress installation
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2. Go to **Settings → UpdraftPlus Backups → Existing Backups → Upload backup files**
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3. Upload all five files you downloaded in Step 1
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4. After upload, click **Restore** and select all components
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5. UpdraftPlus will restore your database and files
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6. Log out and log back in — you'll use your **original** WordPress username and password now
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### If you used All-in-One WP Migration
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1. Install **All-in-One WP Migration** on the fresh Arcline WordPress installation
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2. Go to **All-in-One WP Migration → Import**
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3. Upload the `.wpm` file
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4. Confirm the overwrite warning
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5. Log out and log back in with your original credentials
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### If you exported manually
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1. Delete the `wp-content` folder on your new Arcline installation (via SFTP or file manager)
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2. Upload the `wp-content` folder from your managed host backup
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3. In phpMyAdmin on Arcline, select the new WordPress database → **Import** → upload the `.sql` file
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4. Update `wp-config.php` to match the database credentials you created in Arcline cPanel:
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```php
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define( 'DB_NAME', 'arclineuser_wpdb' );
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define( 'DB_USER', 'arclineuser_wpuser' );
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define( 'DB_PASSWORD', 'your-password' );
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define( 'DB_HOST', 'localhost' );
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```
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On WP Engine and Kinsta, `DB_HOST` is **not** `localhost` — it's a remote database server address. You must change this to `localhost` for Arcline.
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---
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## Step 4 — Update URLs in the database
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Managed hosts often use a temporary or staging domain before your real domain points to them. If your WordPress database still references an old URL, update it.
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After importing, log in to your WordPress admin and install **Better Search Replace**. Search for the old URL (e.g., `yourdomain.wpengine.com` or `staging-yourdomain.kinsta.cloud`) and replace it with `yourdomain.com` across all tables.
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Alternatively, use WP-CLI over SSH:
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```bash
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wp search-replace 'yourdomain.wpengine.com' 'yourdomain.com' --all-tables
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wp search-replace 'staging-yourdomain.kinsta.cloud' 'yourdomain.com' --all-tables
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```
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---
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## Step 5 — Disable managed-host-specific plugins
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WP Engine and Kinsta install plugins that connect to their infrastructure. These won't work on Arcline and should be removed:
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**WP Engine:**
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- **WP Engine Smart Plugin Manager** — manages updates through WP Engine's infrastructure
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- **WP Engine Automated Migration** — only connects to WP Engine
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**Kinsta:**
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- **Kinsta MU Plugin** (must-use plugin) — handles Kinsta's caching and CDN integration. Delete it from `/wp-content/mu-plugins/`
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- **Kinsta Cache Plugin** — only works on Kinsta's infrastructure
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Remove these from WordPress admin → Plugins. For must-use plugins, delete them via SFTP from `wp-content/mu-plugins/`.
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---
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## Step 6 — Set up caching
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Managed hosts include server-level caching. On Arcline, you'll need to set this up yourself:
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1. Install **W3 Total Cache** or **WP Super Cache** (both free)
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2. Configure page caching and browser caching — default settings are fine for most sites
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3. For VPS users: also consider PHP-FPM opcache and Nginx fastcgi_cache
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---
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## Step 7 — Test before switching DNS
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Before pointing your domain to Arcline, test using your `hosts` file.
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Find your server IP in Arcline cPanel → **Server Information** (or use your VPS IP).
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Add this line to your hosts file:
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```
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YOUR_ARCLINE_IP yourdomain.com www.yourdomain.com
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```
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Now visit `https://yourdomain.com` in your browser. Verify:
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- The site loads correctly
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- All pages, posts, and media display
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- WordPress admin works (use your original credentials)
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- Plugins and themes function
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- Any e-commerce checkout, forms, and membership features work
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Remove the `hosts` entry after testing.
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---
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## Step 8 — Switch DNS/nameservers
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**If your domain is managed at the managed host:**
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- **WP Engine:** WP Engine doesn't do domain registration. Your domain is likely at a separate registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.). Update nameservers there.
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- **Kinsta:** Kinsta doesn't register domains. Manage DNS at your registrar.
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**At your registrar**, change nameservers to:
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```
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ns1.arcline.it
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ns2.arcline.it
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```
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See [Point Your Domain to Arcline](/getting-started/nameservers/) for registrar-specific instructions.
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**If you use Cloudflare:**
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Keep Cloudflare nameservers and update the A record to point to your Arcline IP. Remove any WP Engine or Kinsta-specific DNS records.
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DNS propagation takes 15 minutes to a few hours. Keep your managed host active during the transition.
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---
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## Step 9 — Email
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Managed WordPress hosts typically **don't** include email hosting. If you had email set up elsewhere (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, your registrar), it won't be affected by this migration.
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If you want to set up email on Arcline after migration, see [Set Up Email on Your Domain](/getting-started/email-setup/). You'll create accounts in Arcline cPanel and, if your DNS is managed externally, add the required MX records.
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---
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## WP Engine-specific notes
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**Git push deployment** — WP Engine supports deploying via Git. This doesn't transfer; you'll use SFTP or standard WordPress workflows on Arcline.
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**WP Engine CDN** — WP Engine includes a CDN. On Arcline, you can optionally set up Cloudflare (free tier) if you want CDN coverage.
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**WP Engine's redirect rules** — if you set up redirects through WP Engine's rules engine, recreate them in your `.htaccess` file on Arcline.
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**Staging → Production** — WP Engine's three-environment setup (dev/staging/production) is managed by their platform. On Arcline, set up a staging subdomain manually if you need a test environment.
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---
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## Kinsta-specific notes
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**Kinsta CDN** — Kinsta includes Cloudflare-powered CDN. Similar to WP Engine, you can optionally set up Cloudflare independently on Arcline.
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**Kinsta's Redis caching** — Kinsta uses Redis for object caching. On Arcline, install a Redis object cache plugin (like **Redis Object Cache**) if your plan or VPS includes Redis. For shared hosting without Redis, the standard page caching plugins are sufficient.
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**Kinsta's New Relic monitoring** — Kinsta includes performance monitoring. On Arcline, use Query Monitor (free WordPress plugin) for basic performance debugging.
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**PHP 8.x** — Kinsta pushes PHP 8.x aggressively. Arcline supports PHP 8.1 and 8.2 on all shared plans and VPS instances. Your site should run without PHP version issues.
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**IonCube and other loaders** — Kinsta doesn't support IonCube or SourceGuardian. Neither does standard Arcline shared hosting. If your site requires these encoders, you'll need a VPS where you can install them.
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---
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## After migration checklist
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- [ ] Site loads at `https://yourdomain.com`
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- [ ] WordPress admin works with original credentials
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- [ ] All plugins and themes function
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- [ ] Managed-host plugins removed (WP Engine MU plugin, Kinsta cache plugin)
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- [ ] Caching plugin installed and configured
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- [ ] SSL certificate active (AutoSSL or Let's Encrypt)
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- [ ] Email accounts set up (if using Arcline email)
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- [ ] DNS propagated (check at dnschecker.org)
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- [ ] Managed host account kept active for 48 hours as fallback
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- [ ] Managed host billing cancelled only after confirming everything works
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