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The safest Coolify migration has two separate tracks: restore Coolify’s control-plane database, then restore every application database, volume, and host file independently. Create and verify an instance backup, save the original APP_KEY and Coolify SSH keys, install the same Coolify release on a fresh Linux server, restore the control plane, restore workload data with database-aware and file-level backups, test through a temporary domain, and only then change production DNS. Coolify’s own backup brings back projects, resources, settings, saved credentials, and deployment history; it does not contain data held inside your applications, databases, services, or Docker volumes.
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Understand what is moving
Coolify is a control plane. It stores configuration and coordinates deployments, while Docker on one or more connected servers actually runs your applications, databases, and services. A migration can therefore mean three different things:
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- Workload-server migration: leave the Coolify control plane in place and move applications, databases, volumes, and host files from one Docker server to another.
- Full migration: move both the Coolify control plane and the servers that run your workloads.
Decide which case applies before taking a backup. A control-plane restore cannot recreate application data that was never in Coolify’s database.
Plan the migration before touching production
Inventory every dependency
Make a written list of projects and resources, the server on which each runs, exposed domains, database engines, persistent volumes, bind-mounted paths, scheduled jobs, webhooks, container registries, monitoring endpoints, and external providers. Record the region, CPU, memory, storage, and SSH reachability required by the replacement infrastructure. Identify which services can tolerate downtime and which require a final write freeze.
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Choose a rollback point
Keep the original server powered and unchanged until the destination has passed validation and your retention period has ended. DNS can be pointed back to the source if the cutover fails, but DNS rollback does not merge data written on the destination with the source database. Decide how you will account for those writes before switching traffic.
Schedule consistency windows
An initial backup can run while systems are online. For the final cutover, stop application writes, take a final logical database dump, copy changed files, restore that final state, and then move DNS. Announce the write freeze to anyone or anything that can submit data, including background workers and scheduled tasks.
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Use Coolify’s backup screen
- Sign in to Coolify and open Settings > Backup.
- Configure a destination, preferably remote storage, and run a backup.
- Wait for a successful execution status rather than assuming that a configured destination contains a usable file.
- Download or copy the resulting
.dmpfile to storage outside the source server. - Check that the off-server copy is accessible and non-empty. Keep at least one copy that the source machine cannot accidentally delete.
Restoring this dump replaces the destination instance database. It contains Coolify projects, resources, settings, saved credentials, and deployment history, but not workload state.
Save the original encryption key
On the source machine, securely copy the complete line beginning APP_KEY= from /data/coolify/source/.env. Preserve the value exactly, including its prefix and punctuation. Coolify uses this key to decrypt stored secrets; without the source key, restored secrets cannot be read.
Back up Coolify SSH access
Save the contents of /data/coolify/ssh/keys/ and the relevant authorized_keys files. These keys allow the restored control plane to reach managed servers. Protect them like credentials and transfer them through an encrypted channel.
Back up application databases and files separately
Use a logical backup for each database
Run the backup tool appropriate to the engine (for example, the engine’s dump or export utility) for every database resource. Record the database name, user, version, dump format, and restore command with the file. A logical backup is consistent at the database level and can be restored to a new container or host.
Archive volumes and bind mounts
List every Docker volume used by a stateful service and archive it when the service is stopped or otherwise quiesced. Copy bind-mounted directories and other host files while preserving ownership, group, permissions, symbolic links, and extended attributes where they matter. Include uploads, media, configuration files generated at runtime, and certificates that are not recreated by deployment.
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Do not copy a running database’s Docker volume as a substitute for a database-aware backup. A raw volume copy can capture an inconsistent transaction state and may not be portable between database versions or storage drivers.
Keep a manifest
For each backup file, record its source path, creation time, checksum, intended destination, and restore order. Test at least one database dump and one file archive on non-production infrastructure if your schedule allows; a file that merely exists is not proof that it can be restored.
Prepare the replacement server
Start with a clean Linux machine
Use a fresh Linux VPS or server with administrative SSH access and enough CPU, memory, disk capacity, and network throughput for both Coolify and the workloads. Place it in a region that meets latency, data-residency, and provider requirements. Coolify can provision supported providers such as Hetzner, DigitalOcean, or Vultr, or you can add an existing Linux server manually.
Expect Docker validation to interrupt existing services
During server validation, Coolify may install or verify Docker and Docker Compose and may restart Docker. Any workloads already running on that machine can be temporarily unavailable. Do not use a shared production host for this preparation unless that interruption is acceptable.
Open the required access paths
Confirm SSH connectivity from the Coolify server to the managed server, firewall rules for your application ports, and outbound access to the backup location and container registries. Verify that DNS providers, certificate issuance, and any private network routes will work from the new address.
Install a compatible Coolify release
Install Coolify on the replacement machine before restoring data. When the backup records the Coolify version, use that version for the initial restore. If the destination installer defaults to another release, rerun the official installer with the required version argument rather than attempting to restore across an untested version gap. Release compatibility can change, so check the current restore instructions for the release you are using.
Let the fresh installation create its own environment and containers. You will keep destination-specific values such as DB_PASSWORD; the source APP_KEY is the deliberate exception because it must match the encrypted data in the dump.
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Transfer and inspect the dump
If the backup resides in S3-compatible storage, download it through the storage provider or copy it over an encrypted administrative connection. Place it on the replacement server in a path readable by the restore command. Before stopping containers, verify both the path and file size:
ls -lh /path/to/coolify-backup.dmp
test -s /path/to/coolify-backup.dmp && echo "Backup is non-empty"A zero-byte or partially transferred dump must be replaced before you proceed. Keep the original remote copy untouched while testing the local copy.
Restore the Coolify control plane
Set the encryption key without overwriting destination infrastructure settings
Edit the replacement installation’s environment file and replace only its APP_KEY value with the complete source line you saved. Keep the new installation’s DB_PASSWORD and other destination-specific connection values unless the restore guide for your release explicitly requires a change. Restarting with a mismatched key can leave encrypted credentials unreadable even when the database restore appears successful.
Stop application containers but keep the database running
The restore needs coolify-db available. Stop coolify and coolify-redis; on older releases, stop coolify-realtime as well. Container names can vary by release, so confirm the names with your installation before issuing stop commands.
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From the directory containing the dump, run the documented command, substituting your actual dump path:
docker exec -i coolify-db pg_restore --clean --if-exists --exit-on-error --no-acl --no-owner --username=coolify --dbname=coolify < /path/to/coolify-backup.dmpThe options remove objects that conflict with the dump, stop on the first restore error, and avoid restoring source ownership and access-control entries that may not exist on the new machine. Read the command output and container logs; do not treat a returned prompt alone as proof that every object restored.
Restart through the installer
Rerun the Coolify installer for the selected version so containers start and any required migrations are applied. Then sign in and confirm that the dashboard opens without encryption errors. If saved credentials cannot be decrypted, stop and correct APP_KEY before deploying anything.
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Restore SSH keys and reconnect managed servers
Copy the saved /data/coolify/ssh/keys/ directory and relevant authorized_keys files into the matching paths on the replacement installation, preserving permissions and ownership. Verify that the private keys are not group- or world-readable. In Coolify, test each managed-server connection and run localhost validation where available. A restored server record can exist in the database while authentication still fails if the key files or authorized keys were omitted.
Restore workload state
Databases
Deploy or start the database resource on the destination, then restore its logical dump with the engine’s native client. Match the expected database version and extensions, recreate users or roles when the dump format requires it, and check row counts or application-level records after import. Restore the final dump taken during the write freeze, not an earlier copy, before allowing writes.
Persistent files and volumes
Stop the destination application, create the target volume or bind-mount path, and extract the archive with the original ownership and permissions. For a volume restore, attach the volume to a temporary container if necessary so you can inspect paths before starting the application. Compare file counts, sizes, and representative uploads or media against the source manifest.
Services with their own state
Restore service-specific data separately. Queues, search indexes, object-storage gateways, and other stateful services may have their own export and import procedures. If a service can rebuild derived data, restore the authoritative source first and rebuild only after the application is healthy.
Redeploy applications
Use the restored Coolify resources to redeploy or restart applications on the destination server. Check image tags, build arguments, environment variables, mounted paths, health checks, and exposed ports. A successful container start does not prove that the application can reach its restored database or read its files.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Validate on a temporary domain before DNS cutover
Point a temporary hostname or an isolated test record at the new server. Keep production DNS unchanged while you perform this checklist:
- Open the Coolify dashboard and verify that encrypted secrets load without errors.
- Confirm that projects, resources, instance settings, deployment history, and saved credentials are present.
- Run localhost validation and test every managed-server connection.
- Load the application through the temporary domain, including authentication, reads, writes, uploads, background jobs, and outbound integrations.
- Check database integrity, volume contents, file permissions, TLS issuance, redirects, and WebSocket or callback endpoints where applicable.
- Trigger a test deployment and one scheduled or background operation.
Fix validation failures before moving traffic. Do not use a DNS change as a diagnostic step; it makes rollback and cache behavior harder to reason about.
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Perform the final cutover
- Announce the maintenance window and stop application writes, workers, and scheduled jobs on the source.
- Take final logical database dumps and copy the final changes to bind-mounted directories and volumes.
- Restore those final artifacts on the destination and repeat the critical validation checks.
- Update DNS records to the destination address and wait for the relevant TTL and resolver caches to expire.
- Issue or renew TLS certificates on the destination and verify HTTPS, redirects, and mixed-content behavior.
- Update webhooks, CI secrets, registry credentials, monitoring targets, scheduled tasks, callback URLs, and any allowlists that contain the old address.
- Trigger a deployment and a scheduled/background operation after DNS resolves to confirm automation works on the new server.
Choose between a whole-instance restore and app-by-app migration
| Decision axis | Whole-instance restore | Application-by-application migration |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Restores Coolify control-plane configuration and history for the instance. | Moves only selected applications and the data they require. |
| State handling | One Coolify database restore, followed by separate workload database, volume, and file restores. | Every selected application receives its own database, volume, and file transfer. |
| Downtime and consistency | Requires a final write freeze and synchronization of all moved workloads. | Can limit the freeze to the applications being moved, but each application still needs a consistent final state. |
| Secrets and access | Requires the original APP_KEY, Coolify SSH keys, provider tokens, webhooks, and authorized keys. |
Requires the secrets and access used by each selected application and its integrations. |
| Rollback | Keep the original instance unchanged so DNS can return to it. | Rollback is isolated to the moved applications, but data written on the destination still needs reconciliation. |
| Infrastructure | Needs replacement capacity for Coolify and any workload servers being moved. | Needs capacity sized only for the selected applications and their storage. |
A whole-instance restore is usually the least error-prone way to preserve a mature Coolify setup. App-by-app migration is useful when the destination has different capacity, regions, ownership, or compliance boundaries and you do not want to carry every historical resource.
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Troubleshoot the failures that matter most
The dashboard opens, but secrets fail to decrypt
Check that the destination uses the exact source APP_KEY line, not a newly generated key and not a value with altered quoting or whitespace. Restart Coolify after correcting the environment and verify one saved credential before redeploying.
The restore reports missing or conflicting objects
Confirm that coolify-db is running, the dump is non-empty, and the command targets the intended database. The --clean and --if-exists options handle many conflicts, but an incompatible Coolify release can still require installing the version associated with the backup.
Managed servers show as unreachable
Restore the SSH key directory and authorized keys, check file permissions, verify firewall rules, and test SSH from the replacement host. Confirm that provider tokens and host addresses in the restored settings are still valid.
Applications start without their data
Coolify’s instance dump never included application databases, Docker volumes, or bind-mounted files. Restore each workload backup, attach the correct mount path, preserve ownership, and verify the application’s database connection settings.
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Docker validation causes an outage
Validation can install or verify Docker and Docker Compose and restart Docker. Run it on a clean replacement server or schedule the interruption when existing workloads can be unavailable.
DNS points to the new server but users see errors
Check TLS issuance, firewall ports, reverse-proxy routing, application health checks, and stale resolver caches. Keep the source online while diagnosing. If you must roll back, stop destination writes, record or reconcile destination changes, return DNS to the source, and verify critical flows there.
Capacity, backups, and retention costs
Budget for the replacement server’s CPU, memory, storage, snapshots, and egress as well as remote backup storage. Coolify documentation states that Hetzner backups add 20% to the monthly server price; treat that as a provider-specific figure and verify the current rate for your region and server type. Remote S3-compatible storage separates backups from the machine that could fail or be deleted.
Keep the source server, the verified control-plane dump, workload database dumps, and file archives until the destination has completed an agreed retention period. Coolify warns that deleting a resource or linked provider machine can permanently destroy application files, databases, volumes, and backups. Remove the old server only after you have moved or independently preserved everything required.
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