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Why a cloned VPS can become unreachable
A snapshot is a server-state copy, not a completed migration. The clone may contain the original WordPress directory, database tables, wp-config.php, web-server configuration and cache files. Those components still describe the source machine unless you change them.
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- Apache’s virtual host or Nginx server block may still use the source hostname or document root.
wp-config.phpmay contain database names, passwords, hosts or table prefixes that are valid only on the original server.- The
siteurlandhomeoptions may redirect every request to the old domain, scheme or subdirectory. - Files can retain restrictive modes or ownership that prevent the web-server user from reading or writing them.
- Permalink rules, TLS certificates and cached redirects can continue to reference the old site.
These layers must be fixed from the outside in. DNS and server routing determine which machine receives the request; only then can WordPress-level changes be evaluated reliably.
Use this diagnosis sequence before changing data
1. Confirm DNS, virtual-host routing and the document root
Check the hostname’s A and AAAA records and confirm that they point to the clone’s public IP. If an AAAA record sends IPv6 visitors to the old server while the A record sends IPv4 visitors to the clone, different users can see different sites. Remove or update stale records as appropriate.
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On the clone, verify that Apache has a matching virtual host or Nginx has a matching server block for the requested hostname. Confirm that its document root contains the intended WordPress files, including wp-admin, wp-includes, wp-content and wp-config.php. A default server block, an empty directory or a copied configuration pointing at the source path can produce a welcome page, a 404 or the wrong site even when DNS is correct.
Use a DNS lookup tool such as dig or your provider’s DNS panel, then inspect the response headers with an HTTP client. The returned IP, server response and page content should all identify the clone. Do not troubleshoot plugins or database values while requests are still landing on the original machine.
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2. Check the database connection
The WordPress message “Error establishing a database connection” normally means that one or more values in wp-config.php is wrong, the database service is stopped, or the cloned database user cannot connect from the new host.
Inspect these constants and compare them with the database actually restored on the clone:
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DB_NAME— the database containing the WordPress tables.DB_USERandDB_PASSWORD— credentials that exist on the clone.DB_HOST— the correct database hostname, socket or address for this server.$table_prefix— the prefix used by the restored tables, which may not bewp_.
Confirm that MySQL or MariaDB is running and that the user has privileges from the clone’s host address. A user permitted only from the original server can fail after cloning even when its password is unchanged. Check the database service log and the web-server or PHP-FPM log for authentication, socket and connection-refused errors. Correct one value at a time, preserve a backup, and reload the site after each change.
3. Correct the WordPress URL settings
When the domain, HTTPS scheme or installation path changed, update the siteurl and home rows in the database’s wp_options table (substitute your actual table prefix). Both values should include the complete scheme, such as https://example.com, and should not end with a slash.
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With SQL access, first inspect the current values:
SELECT option_name, option_value
FROM wp_options
WHERE option_name IN ('siteurl','home');After taking a current database backup, update them to the clone’s canonical URL:
UPDATE wp_options
SET option_value = 'https://example.com'
WHERE option_name IN ('siteurl','home');If you need a temporary, reversible override to regain dashboard access, define these constants in wp-config.php above the line that says WordPress should stop editing:
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define('WP_HOME', 'https://example.com');
define('WP_SITEURL', 'https://example.com');The constants override database values but do not rewrite them. Remove the temporary definitions after permanently correcting the options, or future URL changes will appear not to save.
4. Replace remaining references to the old domain safely
Changing home and siteurl fixes the canonical address, but old URLs can remain in post content, widgets, theme settings, plugin options and serialized arrays. Those references can cause broken images, missing styles, redirect loops or links back to the source site.
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wp search-replace 'https://old.example' 'https://example.com'
--all-tables-with-prefix
--skip-columns=guid
--dry-runReview the reported matches, then run the same command without --dry-run if the scope is correct. A migration tool that understands PHP serialization is an alternative. Do not perform a blind whole-database text replacement: serialized lengths must be recalculated or options and metadata can become unreadable. Never rewrite post GUID values; they are identifiers, not the site’s navigational URL.
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5. Repair ownership and permissions when you see a 403 or failed write
A 403 Forbidden response, blank response, failed plugin update or missing media often means that the web-server user cannot traverse the document root or write to the required directory. Snapshot restores can leave files owned by a different system account or with modes set to 0000.
Check the ownership and effective access on the document root, wp-content and the uploads directory. The web-server or PHP-FPM account must be able to read WordPress files and write only where the application needs to write. WordPress migration guidance uses 0644 as a normal file-mode example; treat it as a reference rather than applying a blanket recursive change without checking your server’s account and security policy.
- Inspect every parent directory in the path, because a readable file is still inaccessible if a parent directory cannot be traversed.
- Look for restored files with
0000or ownership belonging only to the snapshot administrator. - Check the web-server error log for permission-denied paths; it identifies the exact file or directory that failed.
- After correcting access, test a login, a media upload and a plugin or theme update in a controlled window.
Avoid making the entire installation world-writable. Excessive permissions can hide the symptom while creating a security problem.
6. Restore rewrite rules and permalinks
If the homepage loads but internal WordPress links return 404, the application and document root are often correct but rewrite handling is not. Apache needs the appropriate rewrite module and a usable .htaccess; Nginx needs a server configuration that passes requests to WordPress’s front controller. Confirm that the active virtual host or server block, rather than an unused template, contains those rules.
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Once the URL, document root and rewrite configuration are correct, open the WordPress dashboard and go to Settings → Permalinks. Select the existing structure and click Save Changes to regenerate rewrite rules. This does not replace a missing server module or an incorrect Nginx configuration, so inspect the server error log if 404s continue.
7. Check HTTPS redirects and caches
The clone needs a certificate valid for the hostname users request. A certificate issued only for the old domain can create browser warnings, while a redirect rule that forces the old hostname or scheme can send visitors away from the clone. Check both HTTP and HTTPS and follow the redirect chain; it should end at the clone’s canonical URL without looping.
Purge page, object, CDN and browser caches only after confirming that DNS and server routing reach the clone. A cached 301 or cached HTML page can make a fixed configuration look broken. If the cache repopulates the old response, inspect the caching layer’s origin address and host-header settings.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Match the recovery method to the access you have
| Situation | Preferred approach | Main risk to control |
|---|---|---|
| Shell and SQL access; same domain and path | Verify routing, inspect wp-config.php, then test database and permissions directly. |
Editing the wrong database or virtual host. |
| Shell and SQL access; domain, scheme or path changed | Correct home/siteurl, run a dry-run serialization-aware search-replace, then repair rewrites. |
Corrupting serialized values or changing GUIDs. |
| Dashboard unavailable but shell access works | Use temporary WP_HOME/WP_SITEURL constants, WP-CLI and server logs. |
Leaving temporary constants in place or using the wrong table prefix. |
| Dashboard-only access | Ask the host to verify DNS, virtual-host routing, database service, ownership and logs; use Site Health after login. | Making database or permission changes without a rollback. |
| Managed WordPress host | Provide the host with the clone IP, hostname, error time, status code and backup details so it can correct the control-plane settings. | Assuming VPS-level configuration is available when the host controls it. |
Collect evidence instead of guessing
When the basic checks do not identify the fault, record the exact browser error and HTTP status code, the DNS answers for A and AAAA, the requested hostname, and the final URL after redirects. Save relevant Apache or Nginx and PHP-FPM log entries from the same time window. This distinguishes a DNS miss, a virtual-host mismatch, a PHP fatal error, a database refusal and an authorization failure.
After you regain dashboard access, open Tools → Site Health. Its information export can document the WordPress version, PHP and server details, database information, active plugins and themes, and permission-related data. Share only the portions needed for troubleshooting and redact passwords, salts, private IPs and other secrets.
Recognize the symptom that points to the next check
| Symptom | Most useful checks |
|---|---|
| Browser reaches the old site | A/AAAA records, DNS caching, virtual-host/server-block hostname and clone public IP. |
| Redirects to the old domain | siteurl, home, temporary URL constants, web-server redirects and cached 301 responses. |
| “Error establishing a database connection” | DB_NAME, DB_USER, DB_PASSWORD, DB_HOST, table prefix, database service status and host permissions. |
| Homepage works; every post or page is 404 | Active rewrite configuration, Apache rewrite support or Nginx rules, then resave permalinks. |
| 403, blank response or failed upload | File modes, ownership, parent-directory traversal, uploads access and server error logs. |
| Mixed content, certificate warning or redirect loop | Canonical scheme, certificate hostname, HTTP-to-HTTPS rules, old URL references and cache layers. |
Test the clone before declaring the migration complete
Use a deliberate test pass rather than stopping when the homepage appears. Verify the public site, an administrator login, representative posts and pages, media thumbnails and a new upload, plugin and theme assets, the intended permalink structure, and scheduled tasks (cron). Test from a network that is not using a local hosts-file override, and confirm both IPv4 and IPv6 behavior if both records exist.
Keep the original snapshot and an off-site database backup until every test passes. WordPress recommends making a current backup before changing server configuration or database values. If a change produces a worse result, restore the last known-good snapshot or database copy, re-establish DNS to the working instance, and then repeat the migration with one controlled change at a time.
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