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First decide what you are moving
Coolify has two distinct parts. The Coolify control plane stores configuration and coordinates deployments. Docker on connected servers runs your applications, databases, services, and persistent files. A migration can therefore mean one of three different jobs:
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- Control-plane move: install Coolify on a replacement machine and restore its instance database while workloads continue to run elsewhere.
- Workload-server move: keep the Coolify control plane but move application containers, databases, volumes, and host files to another server.
- Full move: replace both the Coolify control plane and the server that runs workloads.
The runbook below covers the full move. If your workloads remain on existing managed servers, perform the control-plane portions and then verify that those servers reconnect before you change DNS.
What a Coolify backup includes—and what it cannot restore
Coolify’s backup is a control-plane database backup. Coolify documentation describes restoring it as replacing the instance database with the backup. It is not a complete image of every Docker workload.
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| Data | Included in the Coolify instance backup? | How to migrate it |
|---|---|---|
| Projects and resources | Yes | Restore the control-plane PostgreSQL dump. |
| Coolify settings | Yes | Restore the control-plane database and preserve the original encryption key. |
| Saved credentials | Yes, encrypted in the control plane | Use the original APP_KEY; without it, restored secrets cannot be read. |
| Deployment history | Yes | Restore the control-plane database. |
| Application databases | No | Use a logical, database-engine-specific backup and restore. |
| Docker volumes | No | Archive and restore each required volume, with ownership and permissions intact. |
| Bind-mounted directories and host files | No | Copy the directories and files separately, preserving metadata. |
| Service data and other workload state | No | Back up and restore it using the service’s own procedure. |
Never treat a copy of a running database’s Docker volume as a database-aware backup. A volume copy can capture an inconsistent on-disk state and may not be recoverable after a crash or version change.
Choose a migration strategy
A whole-instance restore is usually the fastest way to reproduce a mature Coolify installation. An application-by-application move can be safer when the destination architecture is changing or only a subset of projects should move.
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| Decision point | Whole-instance restore | Application-by-application migration |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | All control-plane projects, resources, settings, credentials, and history. | Only selected applications and their required configuration. |
| State handling | One Coolify database restore plus separate workload backups. | Each application’s configuration, database, files, and secrets are transferred independently. |
| Downtime | Requires a final write freeze and synchronized database/file copy for workloads being moved. | Can move applications in waves, but each wave needs its own consistency window. |
| Secrets and access | Preserve APP_KEY, Coolify SSH keys, provider tokens, webhooks, and authorized keys. |
Recreate or transfer access for every application and integration. |
| Rollback | Keep the old instance unchanged and return DNS if validation fails. | Rollback is per application and can leave split traffic if records are changed at different times. |
| Infrastructure | Needs a destination with enough CPU, RAM, storage, SSH reachability, and backup access for the entire estate. | Needs capacity and backup space for each workload as it is moved. |
Inventory the source before touching it
Make a written inventory of every project, resource, connected server, database engine, Docker volume, bind mount, domain, certificate, webhook, scheduled task, registry credential, monitoring endpoint, and external callback. Mark where each item lives: in Coolify’s control plane, on a workload server, or in an external service.
- Record the source Coolify version and the version displayed when the backup is created.
- List all production DNS records and their TTLs so you know what can be changed and how quickly it can be reversed.
- Measure destination storage, including room for database dumps, extracted volumes, logs, and temporary files.
- Confirm that you can log in to the source and destination over SSH with an account that can run Docker commands.
- Identify applications that cannot tolerate writes during the final synchronization window.
Create and verify the Coolify instance backup
Configure the backup destination
In the Coolify dashboard, open Settings > Backup. Configure a destination that the replacement server can reach, preferably remote storage rather than only the source machine. Run a backup and wait for a successful execution status.
Download or otherwise access the resulting .dmp file from the storage provider. Keep an independent copy outside the source server. A backup that is listed in the dashboard but cannot be downloaded is not a usable migration artifact.
Save the encryption key exactly
On the source, read /data/coolify/source/.env and save the complete line beginning with APP_KEY= in a password manager or other restricted location. Preserve every character, including any prefix and punctuation. Coolify uses this key to decrypt stored secrets; changing it makes restored credentials unreadable.
Back up workload data separately
Databases
For every application database, use that database engine’s logical dump procedure. Record the engine and version, database name, users, extensions, and the restore order. A logical dump is portable and can be checked before the destination database starts accepting production traffic.
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For the final cutover, stop application writes before taking the last dump. If an application continues writing while the dump is created, the restored database and copied files may represent different points in time.
Volumes and bind mounts
List the Docker volumes attached to each service and archive the required volumes while the service is stopped, or use the application’s documented export method. Copy bind-mounted directories and host files separately. Preserve ownership, group ownership, permissions, symbolic links, and timestamps where the application depends on them.
Do not delete or prune the source volume after copying. Keep the source available until the destination has passed functional tests and the retention period has ended.
Prepare the replacement Linux server
Use a fresh Linux VPS or server with reliable SSH access and enough CPU, RAM, storage, and network capacity for the control plane and any workloads you are moving. Coolify can provision supported providers such as Hetzner, DigitalOcean, or Vultr, or you can add an existing Linux server manually.
Server validation may install or verify Docker and Docker Compose and can restart Docker. Existing workloads on a server being validated may be temporarily unavailable, so do this before the cutover window and communicate the interruption.
For capacity planning, include space for the operating system, Docker images, writable layers, volumes, database dumps, extracted archives, logs, and at least one rollback copy. Coolify documentation states that Hetzner backups add 20% to the monthly server price; that figure is provider-specific and should be checked for the selected region and current plan.
Install a compatible Coolify version
Install Coolify on the replacement machine. For a restore, use the version shown when the backup was created whenever that version is available. If the installer accepts a version argument, the official restore example reruns the installer with that argument to match the source release.
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Do not overwrite the destination environment wholesale. Keep destination-specific values such as DB_PASSWORD from the new installation. The exception is the encryption key: replace only the destination APP_KEY with the saved source value before restoring the database.
Transfer and validate the dump
If the backup is stored in S3-compatible storage, download it from the storage provider and copy it to the replacement server. Before invoking PostgreSQL, check that the expected path exists and that the file is non-empty. A truncated transfer can otherwise produce a partial restore that looks like a configuration failure.
Keep the dump in a location readable by the account running the restore, but do not make it publicly accessible. It contains encrypted control-plane data and should be treated as a credential-bearing backup.
Restore the Coolify control plane
Stop only the containers that must be stopped
Keep the coolify-db container running. Stop coolify and coolify-redis; on older releases, stop coolify-realtime as well. Stopping the application containers prevents writes while the control-plane database is replaced.
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Execute the following command, substituting the path to your verified dump file:
docker exec -i coolify-db pg_restore --clean --if-exists --exit-on-error --no-acl --no-owner --username=coolify --dbname=coolify < /path/to/backup.dmpThe options remove objects that conflict with the dump, stop on the first error, and avoid restoring ownership and access-control entries that may not match the new server. Read the command output. An exit status indicating failure requires investigation before you start Coolify or proceed with workload restoration.
Restart and apply migrations
Restore the source SSH key directory and relevant authorized-key files before reconnecting managed servers. The key directory is /data/coolify/ssh/keys/. Restore the original files from your separate backup, retaining their permissions and ownership.
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Rerun the Coolify installer so containers start and required migrations are applied. Then sign in and confirm that the dashboard loads without encryption errors. If saved credentials appear unreadable, stop and recheck the exact APP_KEY value rather than generating a new one.
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Managed and existing servers
Check the restored server records and run Coolify’s localhost or connectivity validation. Confirm that the destination can reach every managed server over SSH and that the expected authorized keys are present. A control-plane restore can be correct while deployments still fail because a key, firewall rule, hostname, or provider token was not transferred.
Application databases
Create or verify the destination database service, apply the engine-specific logical dump, and check users, extensions, collations, and permissions. Restore databases before starting applications that expect their schemas and data to exist.
Files and volumes
Restore archives into the exact paths expected by each service. Reapply ownership and permissions, then compare directory sizes and representative files with the source. Start one application at a time and inspect logs for missing mounts, permission errors, or incompatible paths.
Validate through a temporary domain
Do not point production DNS at the replacement immediately. Use a temporary hostname or another controlled test route and validate the entire request path:
- Dashboard login and decryption of saved credentials.
- Projects, resources, deployment history, and instance settings.
- Connectivity to every managed server.
- Application health checks, background workers, queues, scheduled jobs, and uploads.
- Database reads and writes, volume contents, and file permissions.
- TLS issuance or installation for the temporary hostname.
- A test deployment from the normal source repository.
- Webhooks, registry authentication, monitoring alerts, and callback URLs.
Use production-like data paths and run a scheduled/background operation manually. A green dashboard alone does not prove that a worker, cron task, webhook, or persistent volume works.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Perform the final cutover
- Announce a write freeze for applications whose databases or files are moving.
- Stop application writes and create final database dumps.
- Copy final bind-mounted files and synchronize volume contents.
- Restore the final state on the destination and verify checksums, row counts where practical, and file ownership.
- Start applications and perform the same smoke tests used on the temporary domain.
- Update DNS records to the replacement endpoint and allow for resolver caching according to the records’ TTLs.
- Confirm TLS certificates, webhooks, CI secrets, registry credentials, monitoring targets, scheduled tasks, and callback URLs.
- Trigger one deployment and one scheduled or background operation after DNS begins resolving to the new server.
DNS changes route new requests; they do not synchronize databases. Keep the write freeze until the destination is authoritative for the required traffic, or use an application-specific replication method if continuous writes are unavoidable.
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Keep rollback possible
Leave the source server unchanged while the destination proves stable. If you must roll back, stop destination writes first and account for any data created there. Return DNS to the source, restore or reconcile the source state as appropriate, and verify critical flows.
Returning DNS does not merge destination database changes into the source. Treat every write made after cutover as data that needs an explicit reconciliation decision.
When it is safe to remove the old server
Set a retention period based on your recovery requirements. During that period, retain the source server, the original Coolify dump, workload database dumps, volume archives, and configuration exports. Verify that you can actually download and restore the backups rather than relying only on their existence.
Coolify warns that deleting resources or a linked provider machine can permanently destroy application files, databases, volumes, and backups. Do not select provider deletion until all required data has been moved, independently backed up, and accepted by the people responsible for the applications.
Troubleshooting the common failure points
The dashboard opens but secrets cannot be read
Check that the destination uses the complete source APP_KEY line and that it was set before the database restore. Do not rotate the key during recovery.
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Confirm that coolify-db is running, the dump is non-empty, and the restore command targets the intended database. The documented command uses --clean --if-exists --exit-on-error --no-acl --no-owner; read the first reported error and fix that condition before rerunning.
Deployments cannot reach a server
Restore /data/coolify/ssh/keys/ and the relevant authorized-key files, then check destination-to-server SSH reachability, firewall rules, hostnames, and provider credentials.
Applications start with empty data
The Coolify instance backup does not contain application databases, Docker volumes, or bind-mounted files. Restore the workload-specific database dump and file or volume archive, then verify the service’s mount paths.
Files exist but the application gets permission errors
Reapply the source ownership, group, and permission model to restored bind mounts and volumes. Compare the container user and host directory ownership before restarting the service.
Old and new servers both receive traffic
Check DNS records, cached resolvers, reverse-proxy rules, and any external load balancer. Keep the source available until traffic has converged, and avoid writes on both sides unless the application provides a supported replication design.
Quick Recap
Migration checklist
- Control-plane scope and workload scope documented.
- Coolify backup completed, downloaded, and verified outside the source server.
- Original
APP_KEYstored securely. - Database dumps created with engine-aware tools.
- Volumes and bind mounts copied with metadata intact.
- Destination capacity, SSH access, and backup storage confirmed.
- Compatible Coolify version installed.
- Destination
DB_PASSWORDand other new-environment values retained. - Source
APP_KEYinstalled before the restore. - Control-plane dump restored successfully.
- Coolify SSH keys and authorized keys restored.
- Managed-server connectivity and localhost validation passed.
- Workload databases and persistent files restored.
- Temporary-domain tests passed.
- Final write freeze, DNS change, TLS, automation, and monitoring checks completed.
- Source retained for rollback and the old provider machine not deleted prematurely.
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