Can Yunohost backups be restored to a server with a different hostname?

Question

Restoring Backups Across Different Server Environments
The goal is to migrate a Yunohost installation to a new server instance using the standard backup and restore mechanism. This involves using a full backup archive containing application data, databases, and system configurations.
There is uncertainty regarding how the restoration process handles host-specific identifiers. Because the backup archives system settings, it is unclear if the restoration process can dynamically adapt to a target server that possesses a different hostname or IP address than the original source.
Does the yunohost backup --restore command support the automatic remapping of the hostname during the restoration process? If not, what is the recommended method for updating these network identifiers to ensure service availability without corrupting application configurations?

Tasadduq Burney · Answer

Answer
The yunohost backup --restore command does not automatically remap the hostname. By default it restores the system settings (including /etc/hostname, /etc/hosts and Yunohost’s internal configuration), which reproduces the original hostname on the target machine.
Confirmed facts

The restore process overwrites the target’s hostname with the source’s value.
  No automatic hostname remapping is performed during yunohost backup restore.
  After a full restore you can change the hostname manually and regenerate service configurations.

Recommended steps for migration to a different hostname

Boot the target server and ensure it has a basic Yunohost installation (same version as the source).
  Transfer the backup archive (e.g., backup.tar.gz) to the target.
  Restore without the system component to avoid overwriting the hostname:
    yunohost backup restore <backup-id> --no-system
  
  Set the new hostname (replace newhost.example.com with your desired name):
    sudo hostnamectl set-hostname newhost.example.com
# also update /etc/hosts to reflect the new name
sudo sed -i "s/^127\.0\.0\s*localhost.*/127.0.0.1 localhost
ewhost.example.com/" /etc/hosts

Inform Yunohost of the new main domain:
    yunohost domain set newhost.example.com

Regenerate all service configurations so they reference the new hostname:
    yunohost tools regen-conf

Restart affected services (nginx, php-fpm, etc.) or simply reboot:
    systemctl restart nginx php7.4-fpm mongod redis
# adjust version numbers as needed

Optionally, renew or replace SSL/TLS certificates for the new hostname:
    yunohost tools renewcerts --domain newhost.example.com

Verification

Check cat /etc/hostname and cat /etc/hosts match the new name.
  Run yunohost tools settings and confirm the domain field shows the new hostname.
  Access a restored web application via https://newhost.example.com; ensure the login page loads and SSOWAT works without certificate warnings.
  Inspect service logs (e.g., /var/log/nginx/error.log) for any hostname‑related errors after restart.

Can Yunohost backups be restored to a server with a different hostname?

Restoring Backups Across Different Server Environments

1 answer

Answer

Confirmed facts

Recommended steps for migration to a different hostname

Verification

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