Duplicating MyBB Forum to get a Testing forum

[Jacqueline Bohdana]

Hi everyone,

I’m still learning MyBB and could use some help. I want to create a complete replica of my live forum because it’s working well, while my beta forum, which is also running PHP 8.2.21, is filled with errors.

Can anyone point me to a tutorial or YouTube video that explains how to do this? I’m hoping to follow a guide that walks me through the process step-by-step.

Is this a difficult task for a beginner, or is it something I can manage with the right instructions? Any tips or resources you could share would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks so much for your help!

Best,
Jacqui  

[Mostafa.Shiraali]

hi,
1. copy current forum files to new folder or server that you want for test
2. export current databased and import to new database that you created for test version
3. change URL and Cookie address in inc/settings.php and inc/config.php based on test domain address.
4. change settings like bburl that need change based on new domain   in {table_prefix}settings table in new database

[Jacqueline Bohdana]

Hi Mostafa,

Thank you so much for your response and the clear steps! I’m excited to dive into this and create my test forum. I’ve got a good handle on copying the files and changing the settings, but I’m a bit lost when it comes to handling the database migration.

Could you point me to some resources or tutorials that explain how to export and import databases, particularly for MyBB? Any links or tips would be incredibly helpful.

I’m keen to learn and would love to manage this myself with a bit of guidance. I really appreciate any help you can provide!

Thanks again,

Jacqui

[Mostafa.Shiraali]

if you are using shared host or managed VPS that have panel like CPanel you can search to how export and import database in phpmyadmin , otherwise if you are using ssh to manage your server you must search commands that you need to export and import in your database

[Jacqueline Bohdana]

if you are using shared host or managed VPS that have panel like CPanel you can search to how export and import database in phpmyadmin , otherwise if you are using ssh to manage your server you must search commands that you need to export and import in your database

Hi Mostafa,
Thanks again for your quick response! I appreciate the tips on using phpMyAdmin for database export and import—I've seen it mentioned before but haven't tried it myself yet. Your guidance is helping me feel more confident about tackling this project.

Just to give you a bit more context, I have a very small VPS, so I’m still learning how to manage things using SSH commands. Do you happen to know of any good tutorials or resources that show the export and import process step-by-step for someone in my situation? I’d love to follow along with something detailed to avoid any rookie mistakes.

Thanks a ton for your help! It’s really making a difference.


Best,

Jacqui 

[nixer55]

You're using basic Linux, but the context is so variable, its not generic.

Dumping the database is not so bad.  Some variation of mysqldump ought to do the trick:

mysqldump -u [username] –p[password] [database_name] > [dump_file.sql]

Creating a tarball (using tar to backup files and directories) is more subjective.  Depends on a lot of factors we don't know.  Here's a very general tutorial:

https://snapshooter.com/learn/linux/tar-backup-server

I use this command to tar my test server files:

tar -cvzf forum.tar.gz [path to website]

The prod server uses variations of the same technology based on settings in the CMS.  It's up to me to figure out how to extract the necessary files and place them where they need to go.  By manipulating the tar command.  Handy stuff to know.

If you're messing with web servers, Linux fundamentals come in handy, seeing as they represent the majority of all web servers.  By a fair bit. So get used to losing the backslash.

[seeker]

Hi everyone,....

Welcome to MyBB Jacqueline: You might not find an exact YouTube video, but all the advice previously mentioned (i.e. the database command, etc) you can find easy instructions (clarification) with a quick google search.

[HLFadmin]

Having created your sqldump file, you then import it into your other database using
mysql -u [username] –p[password] [database_name] < [dump_file.sql]