OJS Migration Services

• Migration begins with an audit
• Backups and core data
• Compatibility and testing
• Go-live and rollback planning

• Plans
• Contact

An OJS migration should start with a technical audit of the current installation. The audit should identify the OJS version, PHP version, database engine, active plugins, theme, file storage path, email settings, DOI configuration, and custom changes.

This review helps determine whether the project is a simple server move, a version upgrade, a recovery, or a staged migration. Without an audit, teams can underestimate compatibility problems that appear only after the site is moved.

A safe migration requires complete backups before production changes begin. The database, OJS application files, config file, public files, private files directory, custom plugins, themes, and uploaded galleys should be included.

The files_dir deserves special attention because it contains editorial files that may not be inside the public web directory. If this path is missed or moved incorrectly, published files, submissions, and review materials can become unavailable.

PHP compatibility, plugin versions, theme behavior, and database settings should be tested before DNS changes. A migration that only checks the homepage can miss broken submissions, failed downloads, disabled plugins, or administrative errors.

Testing should include login, submission, review workflow, editorial decisions, publication, file downloads, search, email notifications, DOI settings, and scheduled tasks. If possible, this should happen in a staging environment before the live domain changes.

A migration should include a go-live plan with timing, DNS steps, SSL verification, cache checks, and post-migration review. The team should know how long the old environment will remain available and what rollback options exist.

After go-live, the journal should verify article pages, email delivery, DOI deposits, backup jobs, file permissions, and logs. No migration can remove every risk, but careful planning reduces avoidable production disruption.