Server Migration

This guide explains how to migrate the passwords database to a new server.

Warning: The passwords app backup will overwrite your server secret. We recommend importing the backup before setting up other apps & encryption.

With CLI/SSH Access

1. Log onto your old server and open the Nextcloud directory.
2. Create a new backup

   ./occ passwords:backup:create migration
   

3. Export the backup file

   ./occ passwords:backup:export migration
   

4. Copy the file from the old server to the new server

   scp ./migration.json.gz user@newserver.org:/path/to/new/nextcloud/
   

   If the file migration.json.gz does not exist, your server probably does not support compression and you can try the following:

   scp ./migration.json user@newserver.org:/path/to/new/nextcloud/
   

5. Now log onto your new server and open the Nextcloud directory
6. Import the backup file (use the file name from step 5)

   ./occ passwords:backup:import migration.json.gz
   

7. Restore the backup file with

   ./occ passwords:backup:restore migration
   

With HTTPS/FTP Access

1. Install OCC Web on both your Nextclouds
2. Open OCC Web in your old Nextcloud
3. Create a new backup

   passwords:backup:create migration
   

4. Export the backup file

   passwords:backup:export migration
   

5. Open your old server with FTP and open the Nextcloud folder.
6. Download the migration.json.gz file (or migration.json if your server does not support compression)
7. Open your new server with FTP and open the Nextcloud folder.
8. Upload the migration.json.gz file
9. Open OCC Web on the new Server
10. Import the backup file

    passwords:backup:import migration.json.gz
    

11. Restore the backup file in OCC Web with

    passwords:backup:restore migration
    

Troubleshooting

My old server supports compression but the new server does not

Just use gunzip migration.json.gz or 7Zip to unzip the file.

I don't have an export/import command

Upgrade to 2019.8.0.

I have no SSH/SFTP/FTP access

If you have access to your database, then you can dump all passwords tables (passwords_*). Also dump all entries from appconfig where the appid is "passwords". Then dump all entries from preferences where the appid is "passwords". Export the server secret with OCC Web (config:system:get secret) or read it from the config.php. Restore all the tables and the server secret on your new Server.

I have no HTTPS/SFTP/FTP access

If you still have SSH, you can try to move the backups to a new Nextcloud instance with the following command:

curl -T 'data/<appdata_dir>/passwords/autoBackups/<some_file>' 'https://<new_cloud_domain>/remote.php/dav/files/<new_user>/' --user '<new_user>:<password>'

I used the export in the app but the server won't import it

That's because this is not how this works. If you get the error The file does not contain a valid server backup or This seems to be a client backup. It can only be restored using the web interface then you are likely trying to import a backup which was not designed for the server backup. If you have a backup from the app, then use the app to import it again. These backups (client backups) are also only for a single user. Use the guides above to create and export backups properly.

I get the error Unsupported backup version

Upgrade the app to the latest version. Downgrading is not supported by backups because it does not work.

I have a database dump but not the server secret

You can still try to restore passwords that were encrypted with SSEv1r1. All other passwords will be lost. Try this forum post.