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ServerPilot

Host web applications and static sites

The apps you host on your server can be database-driven web applications such as WordPress or sites built with static site generators such as Astro.

Multiple apps per server

You can host many apps on a single cloud server.

Learn how to create an app.

Manage an app’s domains

When your server receives an HTTP or HTTPS request, the request is routed to the correct app based on the requested domain name. To preview an app using your server’s IP address, add the server’s IP address as one of the app’s domains.

Learn how to manage an app’s domains.

Enable SSL

SSL can be enabled for apps using either AutoSSL or custom SSL certificates you provide.

Learn how to enable SSL for an app.

System users

Every app belongs to a system user.

SSH and SFTP

Using an SSH or SFTP client, you can log into your server as an app’s system user to view or modify the app’s files.

The web root directory of each app is the following directory relative to the system user’s home directory:

apps/APPNAME/public

Learn more about the directory structure.

App isolation

An app’s processes run as the app’s system user and cannot access the files of apps that belong to other system users. The processes that run as the app’s system user include the app’s PHP processes as well as the system user’s cron jobs and shell scripts you run while SSH’d into your server as the app’s system user.

To create an app that can access the files of an existing app, choose the existing app’s system user when creating the new app.

PHP version

An app can use any PHP version that is available on a server. Different apps on the same server can use different PHP versions.

Learn how to change an app’s PHP version.

MySQL databases

Apps can have one or more MySQL databases. Learn how to create a database.

Monitoring

App request and resource usage metrics can be viewed through the monitoring dashboards.

Log files

To view an app’s log files:

  1. Go to the Apps page in the dashboard and click on the name of the app.
  2. Click on Logs.
  3. Select the log file to view.

Migrate an app

Use the following steps to migrate an app to a server that’s managed by ServerPilot.

  1. Create a new app on your server.
  2. Create a database for the new app with the same name as your app’s existing database. Make a note of the username and password.
  3. Copy the website’s files to the new app’s web root directory (apps/APPNAME/public/).
  4. Update any files that contain database credentials to use the username and password of the new database you created. In WordPress, the database credentials are in the file wp-config.php.
  5. Export the database from the old server using the command line or phpMyAdmin.
  6. Import the data to the new server using the command line or phpMyAdmin.
  7. Update DNS for your domain to point to your server’s IP address.

Delete an app

When you delete an app, the app’s files and databases are deleted from your server.

As multiple apps can belong to the same system user, the app’s system user is not deleted when you delete an app.

To delete an app:

  1. Go to the Apps page in the dashboard and click on the name of the app.
  2. Click on Delete.
  3. Click on Delete App.
  4. Click on Confirm Delete App.