DirectAdmin Migration

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If you are moving from DirectAdmin to Jabali, the operator handles the per-user backup ingest. Operator-side details: DirectAdmin Migration.

What gets moved

  • Linux home directory.
  • Web domains and subdomains. DirectAdmin’s per-subdomain document roots are translated to subdomain Domain rows (separate vhosts).
  • DNS zones (translated from DirectAdmin’s BIND-style format).
  • MySQL databases and DB users. Password hashes import where the source format is one MariaDB accepts.
  • Email accounts in Stalwart, passwords reset (DirectAdmin uses Exim+Dovecot password hash formats Stalwart cannot import).
  • Forwarders, autoresponders, catch-all settings.
  • Cron jobs (those passing the Cron allowlist).

What does not get moved

  • TLS certificates, reissued by Let’s Encrypt after the per-domain SSL toggle.
  • ModSecurity per-domain rules, Modsec is removed in Jabali (see Removed Features); equivalent protection is provided by the server-side AppSec WAF.
  • CSF allowlists, carry over manually to the administrator (CrowdSec uses a different model).

Source-side prep

Before the operator pulls your backup:

  1. Use the DirectAdmin user-level “Create / Restore Backups” to generate a per-user tarball.
  2. Note the per-domain TLS certificates you currently use and the SSL providers (you will reissue via Let’s Encrypt on Jabali, but you may want a record of the prior expirations).
  3. Note any custom Apache .htaccess rules you depend on so you can verify they translate to nginx rules after the migration.

After your account is restored

  1. Log in: set a new panel password under Profile.
  2. Add SSH keys under SSH Keys for SFTP access.
  3. Collect email passwords from the administrator and pass them on to mailbox owners.
  4. Repoint DNS at the registrar when the migration is fully verified.
  5. Issue SSL per domain.

Gotchas

  • Apache directives that depend on mod_php: these do not translate. PHP runs via FPM under nginx; configure PHP behavior under PHP Settings instead.
  • DirectAdmin’s per-user CGI: CGI scripts (Perl, etc.) are not exposed to nginx vhosts by default. If you depend on CGI, contact the administrator before cutting over.
  • Per-user MySQL root: DirectAdmin lets the reseller see a root-like database manager. Jabali does not; you have your own DB users with privileges only on your own databases. Use the Databases SSO into phpMyAdmin for the equivalent UI.