Classic Install

This is the default mode when you upload installer.php and the archive to an empty web root. The workflow is 4 simple UI steps.

Requirements

An empty web root (containing only installer.php and the archive)
An empty database and a user with ALL PRIVILEGES
PHP 7.4+, zip extension

Steps

Step 1: Deployment

The installer extracts the archive into the web root. You can choose the extraction engine:

DupArchive - the plugin's own engine, supports archives of any size
ZipArchive - PHP's native engine, simple
Shell Exec - calls the system unzip command (if your hosting allows it)

Step 2: Install Database

Enter:

Host (usually localhost)
Database: the database name
User / Password: credentials of a user with ALL PRIVILEGES
Port: 3306 (default)

The installer tests the connection → imports the SQL dump → recreates the tables and data.

Step 3: Update Data

Search & replace the old URL with the new one (if the domain changes). The plugin scans the whole database and updates serialized data correctly (without breaking its structure).

Step 4: Test Site

The installer redirects to /wp-admin so you can log in and verify.

When it is done

Log in to wp-admin → check that the site is up correctly
Verify that the installer has deleted its temporary files - see the list of files to remove
Test the main pages, forms and checkout (if you use WooCommerce)

How it differs from the other modes

Mode	Destination site	Existing WordPress?
Classic	Empty web root	No
Overwrite	Has WP, which will be overwritten	Yes
Import	Has WP, import runs inside wp-admin	Yes
Two-part	Large site, split into steps	Either

Classic Install - The basic 4-step restore