Migrating Wordpress Forum using SQL

Migration
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Hello Users!

Can you help us in understanding how data migration works and if it is available with the free version or standard version of discourse. I can see it is mentioned in higher versions.

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Here’s an overview of how data migration works with Discourse and what is available on different plans:

How Discourse Data Migration Works

  • Migration Process: This is usually done using import scripts, database exports/imports, and specific tools provided by the Discourse team. You can find high-level guidance and detailed steps in this guide:
  • Self-Hosting (Free/Open Source): If you are self-hosting Discourse (using the free, open source version), you are responsible for running the migration process yourself. Discourse provides scripts and guides (Migrating to Discourse Index), but no official migration support is provided for free. You’ll often need technical skills to handle imports or hire someone at Marketplace.
  • Hosted Plans (Starter, Standard): On the paid Standard hosting plan, migration services are not included by default. You are expected to start with a fresh site or handle migration yourself.
  • Business & Enterprise Plans: Discourse offers migration services as part of the Business and Enterprise plans. Their team assists with or fully manages the migration process for you, ensuring safety, data integrity, and platform support. This is a key differentiator for higher plans.
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3

Which wordpress forum? There are scripts in scripts/import_scripts. There are topics for several wordpress forums. It’s very rare that a script will work like you want it to without modification.

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If you’re using bbPress as the forum component for your WordPress site, we do have more targeted support for that. Discourse’s import scripts include a dedicated bbpress.rb importer, which can pull over users, topics, posts, categories, and attachments.

To use it, you’ll need access to a MySQL database dump of your WordPress site. The importer assumes default bbPress table structures and post types, so if you’ve customized bbPress heavily or used additional plugins (e.g., BuddyPress), some tweaking may be required.

If you’re unsure whether your forum content is using bbPress, one quick way to check is to look for tables like wp_bb_posts or wp_posts entries with post types like topic and reply.

Note that this process does require some technical familiarity, particularly with Ruby, SQL, and running import scripts inside a Discourse environment. If you’re not a developer, you may want to work with one, or if you’re interested in using a hosted Discourse site, the earlier comment about reaching out to the team is a good summary of your options. We’re happy to assist if you go that route.

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