Bringing an existing site
Site Buddy has no import button: you create an empty site of the right type, then hand Buddy your code and data and let it set the site up. This works for almost any site.
1. Create a matching site
Section titled “1. Create a matching site”Create a site of the same type as the one you are bringing:
- WordPress, Drupal or Laravel for those platforms. Set PHP version and Database to match the live site; the database type can’t be changed afterwards.
- Shopify Theme or Netlify: give the wizard your store or Netlify credentials, and Site Buddy works against your real account from the start.
- Generic PHP for any other PHP site or static site, and Node.js for a JavaScript app.
For WordPress, fill in Live media URL with the live site’s address: images the copy doesn’t have are shown from the live site, so you don’t have to move a large uploads folder.
2. Give Buddy the code
Section titled “2. Give Buddy the code”Either:
- From GitHub: add a GitHub integration to the site with the repository’s address and a token. Buddy can clone it, and later push its changes back or open pull requests.
- As files: upload a zip of the site’s files to the Artifacts pane (up to 64 MB per file; split a bigger archive into parts). See files and uploads.
3. Give Buddy the data
Section titled “3. Give Buddy the data”For a site with a database, export it from your current host (a .sql or .sql.gz file; most hosts and database
tools have an export button) and upload it to Artifacts.
4. Ask Buddy to set it up
Section titled “4. Ask Buddy to set it up”Something like:
Set this site up from the code in the GitHub repository and the database export in Artifacts. The live address is https://www.example.com.
Buddy puts the code in place, imports the database, changes the site’s address to its preview address, and checks the result in a browser. Then take a checkpoint so you always have this starting point to come back to.
Things worth telling Buddy
Section titled “Things worth telling Buddy”- The live site’s address, so it can fix links and settings that point to it.
- Anything special about the site: a plugin that needs a licence key, a service it talks to, a page that must not change.
- Where secrets live. Don’t paste passwords or keys into the chat; connect the service as an integration instead.
Going live
Section titled “Going live”Site Buddy is where the work happens; your live site stays with your current host. Buddy can deliver its changes the way your team already ships: by pushing to GitHub, deploying through Netlify or Shopify, or connecting to your server over an SSH server or Remote WordPress integration.