website on php

They have: 1 posts

Joined: Oct 2008

Hi to all

I have a quick question, I was someone here would know the answer. I have a website that is built with PHP, i think the development company have tweaked it to make it unique to them. I am told that this website could not be moved to another hosting company, is this true.

Thanks in advance

mickster

pr0gr4mm3r's picture

He has: 1,502 posts

Joined: Sep 2006

Most likely: no. PHP/MySQL sites can be moved to a hosting location that has a similar setup. Most hosting providers offer PHP/MySQL.

JeevesBond's picture

He has: 3,956 posts

Joined: Jun 2002

Agreed with pr0gr4mm3r. One of the advantages of PHP scripts is that they don't need much time to setup. Copy, paste and rock-on.

Welcome to the forums! Smiling

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decibel.places's picture

He has: 1,494 posts

Joined: Jun 2008

Well...

A PHP script could be created that will only function on a certain domain or server path

For example, a client purchased Webscribble WebDate, which will only run on the domain which he registered (on any compatible hosting)

Or the code could require files that are not in the site's filesystem, thus not under the site owner's control.

It would take some hacking to liberate the OP site, but probably not impossible.

greg's picture

He has: 1,581 posts

Joined: Nov 2005

At the very least, "most" of the PHP code would work fine. Not wanting to scare you with "most".

It is entirely possible it will all work fine, although it is more likely small changes are required.

If you move to a server with different version of PHP and/or MYSQL, some things may not work. Certain functions, for example, from older verions of PHP don't work at all in newer versions of the software.

Some paths may become incorrect, depending on how they are stated now, but generally if you keep the same folder structure, that is all files and folders in the same places, then this shouldn't be an issue.

So you are likely to come across a few minor glitches, but nothing that cannot be resolved simply.

It's certainly not a case of "this site cannot work on another server".
Even if they coded in something to each and every page to stop it working elsewhere, that code can be removed.

But with limited info we can only give you some basics and generalise.
Perhaps they meant the site cannot be elsewhere due to the domain name, as it's registered with the hosting company (etc).

They have: 9 posts

Joined: Jan 2008

If you move it on a server running the same version of PHP and/or MYSQL it should run okay.

They have: 26 posts

Joined: Nov 2008

PHP/MYSQL is the cheapest way to set up a web.

He has: 1,758 posts

Joined: Jul 2002

Of course, you guys are all assuming that they don't have any specific modules or libraries installed outside of your own webspace.

For instance, one company I know of keep their core function library in a special folder outside of their clients webspace. This stops the customers from breaking the important stuff but also stops them from moving their site away.

Personally, I would just try it - copy the site to your hard drive and upload to a different hosting provider (you can get a 1 month account for free or just a couple of dollars). If it doesn't work in the new location, you haven't lost anything.

You may also want to review any contracts you signed when you joined - it may expressly forbid hosting it elsewhere. If they don't have a contract or any such clauses, then you could probably get away with threatening legal action to get them to release the content.

Andy

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