--- title: "SL Migrations" url: https://phatdev.net/en/projects/sl-migrations lang: en alternate: vi: https://phatdev.net/vi/projects/sl-migrations markdown: https://phatdev.net/en/projects/sl-migrations.md --- # SL Migrations > A WordPress backup, restore and migration plugin. It packages an entire site with a standalone installer, runs on a schedule, ships archives to Local, FTP, SFTP or NAS storage, and restores on a new host without WP-CLI. - Role: WordPress Plugin · PHP · Security - Status: Running on 40+ sites - Technology: PHP, WordPress, MySQL, AES Encryption, Cron, CLI - Live site: https://phatdev.net/sl-migrations - Docs and changelog: https://phatdev.net/docs/sl-migrations - All projects: https://phatdev.net/en/projects.md ## Project facts - Role: Design, development, operations - Platform: WordPress, PHP, MySQL - Version: 1.8.10 (18 Oct 2026) - Storage: Local, FTP, SFTP, NAS ## Metrics - 6: restore modes, from Recovery Point to Two-Part for large sites - 40+: sites running the same build - AES-256: archive encryption, download links expire in 1 hour ## Highlights - **Restore with a standalone installer**: Upload the archive and installer.php: the installer creates the database, rewrites URLs safely inside serialized data and rebuilds the site, with nothing to install on the target host. - **Recovery Point**: Mark a backup as an emergency recovery point and roll back to a known-good state in one action. - **Archives never exposed**: Since 1.8.9 archives download only through the admin with an HMAC-signed token that expires after one hour; direct paths to the backup folder are blocked at the web server. - **Schedules and encryption**: Schedules via WP-Cron or system cron, rotation by retention count and optional AES encryption of archives. - **Self-owned, license-free**: One identical build for every site, updated from the phatdev.net server, with a changelog and docs for each release. ## In-depth analysis ### The problem Manual WordPress backups and moves (mysqldump, archiving files, rewriting URLs in the database) are slow and error-prone, especially when serialized data is corrupted by naive string replacement. Commercial plugins license per site. ### The solution **SL Migrations** wraps the whole workflow in one plugin: package, store, restore and migrate, with a single build shared by every managed site. #### Packaging Code and database are compressed into one archive with several engines (ZipArchive, DupArchive, Shell Zip), junk filtering, optional AES encryption and hash-based integrity checks. #### Restore Six modes: Recovery Point, Import Install, Overwrite, Classic, Database-only and Two-Part for very large sites. The installer runs standalone, no WP-CLI needed. #### Storage and scheduling WP-Cron or system cron, archives shipped to Local, FTP, SFTP or NAS, with configurable retention. #### Security Archives download only from the admin through an expiring HMAC-signed token; the backup folder is blocked from direct access at the web server. ### Compared to popular solutions | Feature | SL Migrations | Duplicator Pro | UpdraftPlus | |---|---|---|---| | Full-site backup (files + DB) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | | Restore with standalone installer.php | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | | Recovery Point | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | | Restore modes | 6 | ~3 | ~2 | | AES encryption | ✓ | ✓ | Paid tier | | FTP / SFTP / NAS targets | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | | License | In-house, unlimited sites | Paid per site | Freemium | ## License GPL version 2 or later (GPL-2.0-or-later). Free software: anyone may use, change and share it, as long as shared copies keep this license and include the source code. - SL Migrations 1.8.10: GPL-2.0-or-later (Declared in the code: plugins/sl-migrations/sl-migrations.php: License: GPLv2 or later; plugins/sl-migrations/README.md: License: GPLv2 or later) ## Third-party libraries and resources (18) | Name | Type | Version | License | Source | |---|---|---|---|---| | cron-expression. Namespace renamed; the version is not stated in the files. | Library | - | MIT | https://github.com/mtdowling/cron-expression | | Formstone | Library | 1.4.16-1 | GPL-3.0 | https://github.com/formstone/formstone | | Handlebars | Library | 4.7.8 | MIT | https://handlebarsjs.com | | jQuery UI (giao diện, CSS) | Library | 1.11.2 | MIT | https://jqueryui.com | | js-cookie | Library | 3.0.0-rc.0 | MIT | https://github.com/js-cookie/js-cookie | | JsonSerialize (andreamk) | Library | - | MIT | https://github.com/andreamk/JsonSerialize | | jsTree | Library | 3.3.7 | MIT | https://www.jstree.com | | Parsley.js | Library | 2.9.2 | MIT | https://parsleyjs.org | | Password Strength Meter for jQuery. Used in the installer. Newer upstream releases moved to MIT; the copy bundled here still declares GPL-3.0. | Library | - | GPL-3.0 | https://github.com/elboletaire/password-strength-meter | | pcrypt. Blowfish encryption code; the files ship only the GPL v2 text and do not say "or later". | Library | - | GPL-2.0 | - | | phpseclib. 1.x line with a renamed namespace, used for SFTP. The version is not stated in the files. | Library | - | MIT | https://github.com/phpseclib/phpseclib | | Popper (@popperjs/core) | Library | 2.6.0 | MIT | https://popper.js.org | | Requests (WordPress/Requests) | Library | 2.0.9 | ISC | https://github.com/WordPress/Requests | | Select2 | Library | 4.0.13 | MIT | https://select2.org | | Tippy.js | Library | 6.3.7 | MIT | https://atomiks.github.io/tippyjs/ | | wp-config-transformer (WP-CLI). A modified fork kept inside the plugin. | Library | - | MIT | https://github.com/wp-cli/wp-config-transformer | | Font Awesome Free | Icon | 6.4.2 | CC-BY-4.0 AND OFL-1.1 AND MIT | https://fontawesome.com/license/free | | Logo dịch vụ lưu trữ (AWS, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Backblaze, Cloudflare, DigitalOcean, DreamHost, Vultr, Wasabi, Google Cloud). Shown only to identify the storage services the plugin connects to. | Image | - | Trademarks of their respective owners | - | Credit: Font Awesome Free by @fontawesome, https://fontawesome.com. Icons: CC BY 4.0, fonts: SIL OFL 1.1, code: MIT. Copyright Fonticons, Inc. See the License and credits page: https://phatdev.net/en/licenses.md