Changing hosting provider while migrating PrestaShop
Migrating PrestaShop to a new version and switching hosting provider at the same time is tempting: one project, one announced downtime. It’s also the best way to lose track of whether a problem comes from the version or the new server.
The temptation to do everything at once
Bundling a version migration and a hosting change into the same operation sounds logical: one maintenance window, one notice to customers, one project to budget. The problem shows up if something breaks after the switch. Is it the new PrestaShop version causing a compatibility issue, or the new server’s configuration differing from the old one? Without a checkpoint in between, both fronts have to be diagnosed at once, which takes longer than an isolated check.
My general recommendation: migrate the version first on the current host, confirm everything works, then switch hosting afterwards. The reverse order works too depending on the situation, but never both moves at once without a validation step in between.
Aligning the PHP version with the target PrestaShop version
A hosting change almost always comes with a different available PHP version, and that’s where much of the incompatibility risk sits. PrestaShop 1.7 doesn’t run on any PHP 8 version, PrestaShop 8 needs PHP 7.2.5 at minimum, and PrestaShop 9 requires PHP 8.1 at minimum. Before picking a hosting plan, check that the PHP version on offer matches the PrestaShop version you’re aiming for, not just the one currently installed. The full detail on version matching is covered on the dedicated PHP 8 page.
What can break a migration that worked fine before
- Different file permissions, blocking write access to certain folders
- Lower PHP memory limits, causing an import or a catalogue update to fail
- Missing or disabled PHP extensions that were present on the previous host
- Different URL-rewrite module configuration, breaking friendly URLs
- Scheduled tasks (cron) never transferred automatically to the new server
- SSL certificate needing renewal or reissuing for the new hostname
How I keep the two operations separate
-
Version migration on the current host
I migrate PrestaShop to the target version on the existing host first, without touching the server, to isolate any issue tied to the version itself.
-
Full validation
Once the new version is stable, I check theme, modules and checkout before considering anything else.
-
Reconfiguring scheduled tasks
On the new host, I manually recreate the necessary cron jobs: they’re never carried over automatically during a transfer.
-
Transferring or renewing the SSL certificate
Depending on the certificate authority and the new host, I either transfer the existing certificate or reissue one for the domain on the new infrastructure.
-
Switching the DNS record
I schedule the DNS switch with the propagation delay in mind, so the change stays consistent for every visitor.
Go further
Describe your need in one minute
A few targeted questions so I can reply with an estimate rather than another questionnaire.