Move Some topics to New Instance

Product Support

AI-generated summary

The discussion centers around moving a selection of topics and the user base from an 8-year-old Discourse instance to a fresh install. Heliosurge initially asks about a method to copy users and specific topics, avoiding a full instance backup and restore. omarfilip suggests a full backup/restore approach with deletion of unwanted topics, but this is deemed too complex due to the volume of existing content and the desire to merge topics from another forum. RGJ points to a Discourse administrative tool to export and import specific categories https://meta.discourse.org/t/administrative-bulk-operations/118349 which addresses the original request. [Heliosurge](/t/-/372443/4, /t/-/372443/5) confirms this tool looks to be a viable solution, expressing the need to copy the user base and anticipating complexities in topic import. RGJ clarifies the tool also transfers users who participated in the moved topics, and suggests using scp rather than Rsync for file transfer.

1

I am wondering on if there is a method to copy the user base to a fresh install. I am thinking maybe in the old instance create new categories to house the topics that are desired to copy to the new install.

Then on the original forum. I would like to copy certain topics not all of them to the new forum.

I do apologize if this is covered, but onna quick search wasn’t having much success.

2

How many topics? Perhaps something like this:

  • Create a backup from Forum 1
  • Create a new instance
  • Restore backup from Forum 1 and call this Forum 2

Now you have two identical Discourse forums - 1 and 2

  • Delete topics/categories from Forum 1
  • Delete topics/categories from Forum 2
3

This will work Administrative Bulk Operations

4

That unfortunately would be quite the under taking as the current forum has 8 years of content.

Plus as a side idea. I may want to also copy topics from another forum as I have been creating user interface topics. So a backup would copy the entire instance when I am looking to just copy the user base and move a collection of topics. Plus want to start fresh adding themes and TC.

5

Thank you this looks like exactly what I am looking for. Will look at more of it as I imagine from the quick scan it will cover copying user base. Otherwise imagine it might have some complications importing the topics.

:clinking_beer_mugs::star_struck::+1::sparkles:

I imagine to move the files to import use something like Rsync?

6

It covers the users that participated in one of the moved topics.

Or scp which is usually a bit more simple to use.