DirectAdmin Migration Tool

A production-ready Bash wizard to migrate DirectAdmin accounts from a source server to a destination server using this workflow:

1. Backup (multi-user) on the source server (DirectAdmin task queue)
2. Transfer backups to destination (rsync, resumable)
3. Restore (multi-backup) on the destination server (DirectAdmin task queue)
4. Post-restore rsync of heavy data (domains/ + imap/) for speed and reliability
5. Ownership fixes on destination after syncing

Designed for real-world migrations to a newer server / infrastructure.

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Repository

• Repo: directadmin-migration-tool
• Script: da-backup-restore-migrate.sh

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Quick Run (One-liner)

Run directly on the source server:

bash <(curl -kL --progress-bar https://raw.githubusercontent.com/090ebier/directadmin-migration-tool/refs/heads/main/da-backup-restore-migrate.sh)

Notes

• This downloads and executes the script in one step.

• Run as root (recommended).

• A detailed log is saved under:

  • /var/log/da_backup_restore_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.log

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Features

• Multi-user backup/restore using one DirectAdmin task per phase
• Resumable rsync (great for large mailboxes)
• Human-readable progress (KB/MB/GB) + detailed --stats
• Clean terminal UI (sections, colors, spinner, consistent prompts)
• Quiet SSH behavior (no known_hosts spam / no “Permanently added …” messages)
• SSH warm-up and connectivity validation before heavy steps
• Automatic destination backup directory creation + permission preparation for restore

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Requirements

Source server

• bash, ssh, sshpass, rsync

• DirectAdmin installed and working:

  • /usr/local/directadmin/directadmin

Destination server

• DirectAdmin installed and working

• SSH access (typically root) to:

  • create/write backup path
  • write to DirectAdmin task.queue
  • run directadmin taskq
  • fix permissions/ownership after restore

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What the script syncs

After DirectAdmin restore is triggered, the script does a heavy-data sync for each selected user:

• /home/<user>/domains/
• /home/<user>/imap/

Then it fixes ownership:

• domains → <user>:<user>
• imap → <user>:mail if group mail exists, otherwise <user>:<user>

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Important Behavior (Read This)

rsync mirrors data (can delete extra files on destination)

The script uses rsync with a delete behavior (--delete-delay). That means destination is treated as a mirror for the synced paths:

• If a file exists on destination but not on source, it may be removed on destination.

This is usually the desired behavior for clean migrations to a fresh server.

If you want merge-only behavior (never delete destination extras), remove --delete-delay from the rsync options in the script.

Destination should be clean for best results

If users/domains already exist on destination, restore may fail due to conflicts (e.g., symlinks already exist). For smooth migrations, migrate into a clean environment or remove conflicts before restore.

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Usage (Interactive Wizard)

When you run the script, it will ask for:

• Destination server IP/hostname
• SSH port
• SSH username
• Destination backup path
• Restore IP (auto if destination input is an IP)
• SSH password
• Account selection (single number, range, reseller, or select all)

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Logging & Troubleshooting

Main log file

The script prints the log path at startup and writes everything to:

• /var/log/da_backup_restore_*.log

If restore fails

Check DirectAdmin logs on the destination server (common locations):

• /usr/local/directadmin/data/admin/backup_restore.log
• /usr/local/directadmin/data/admin/backup.log

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Security Notes

• The script uses sshpass (password-based SSH) for automation.
• SSH host key storage is disabled for clean output (no known_hosts writes).
• For long-term production usage, consider switching to SSH keys.