How Do I Clone an Application on My Server?

A comprehensive guide on how you can clone an application on a Cloudways server.

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Written by Cloudways Product
Updated over a week ago

Table of Contents

Cloning an app is effortless on the Cloudways Platform. This guide explains how you can clone applications on either the same server or another server. You can do this to create different environments (dev, test, production) to integrate into your development workflow.

If you pair app cloning with our git deployment feature, you can build powerful and simple workflows.

How to Clone the Application

Here are a few simple steps to clone the application.

Step #1 — Navigate to Your Application

Log in to your Cloudways Platform using your credentials.

  1. From the top menu bar, open Servers.

  2. Then, choose the server where your desired application is deployed.

    Classic Interface

    New Interface

  3. Next, click www.

  4. Choose your application.

    Classic Interface

    New Interface

Step #2 — Clone Your Application

  1. In Classic Interface, hover over the Grid icon located at the bottom right corner of the screen and select Clone App/Create Staging.

  2. In New Interface, open the Quick Actions menu and select Clone App/Create Staging.

    Classic Interface

    New Interface

    Here, you need to select your destination server where you want your application to be cloned. You can go with the same server, a different available server, or a new server, so choose your option from the drop-down and click Continue.

    Important

    Please note that if you are cloning your application on a different server available in your Cloudways account, it must meet the minimum application requirements.

    Tip

    If you are trying to make a staging application (staging environment), Click Here to read a comprehensive guide about staging applications.

    Classic Interface

    New Interface

The application cloning process will start shortly, and the time will depend on the amount of data your web application contains. You will see a notification once the application will be cloned.

If you see any warning highlighting the differences of packages on source and destination servers, then you may follow this guide to upgrade or install your server packages. We recommend checking and upgrading packages before to avoid any compatibility issues and then clone your application.

Classic Interface

New Interface

Important

If you use a custom session path and encounter errors while cloning your application or creating a staging application. In that case, we recommend updating the session path to /home/hostname/application_name/public_html/var/sessions, as this directory "var/sessions" is excluded by default from cloning and staging creation processes to avoid any conflicts. Click here to learn more about updating the session path.

That’s it! We hope this tutorial was helpful. If you need any help, then feel free to search your query on Cloudways Support Center or contact us via chat (Need a Hand > Send us a Message). Alternatively, you can also create a support ticket.

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