Move from self-hosting to Zulip Cloud
With Zulip's high quality import and export tools, you can always
move from self-hosting your own Zulip server to using the Zulip
Cloud service (and back).
Process overview
To move your Zulip organization from a self-hosted server to Zulip
Cloud, you will need to take the following steps, which are described
in more detail below:
- Instructions for all platforms
Plan the process and coordinate with Zulip support
To import your self-hosted organization into Zulip Cloud, your server will need
to have the same database format as Zulip Cloud. Zulip Cloud is updated every
couple of weeks, so it's important to coordinate the timing with Zulip's support
team.
- Instructions for all platforms
-
Review the process described on this page, and decide when you will be ready
to make the transition.
-
Email support@zulip.com with the following information:
- URL of the organization you plan to migrate
- Your estimated timeline for generating a data export
- Any other timing considerations for the transition (e.g., time of day)
- If you're planning to purchase the Zulip Cloud Plus
plan, details on the Plus plan features (e.g.,
authentication methods) you intend to use. These features will be
configured for your organization as part of the import process.
Zulip's support team will coordinate with you to make the transition with
minimal disruption for your team.
Upgrade your self-hosted server
You will need to upgrade your server to use the same database format
as Zulip Cloud, using the published zulip-cloud-current branch.
- Instructions for all platforms
For additional support with upgrading from an older version of Zulip, contact
sales@zulip.com for paid support options.
Export organization data
- Instructions for all platforms
-
Make sure you have a
plan for when the
import into Zulip Cloud will take place.
-
Announce the migration and schedule Zulip downtime for your team.
-
Follow these instructions
to export your Zulip data.
-
Send an email to support@zulip.com with:
- Your data export.
- The subdomain you would like to use for your organization. Your Zulip
Cloud organization will be hosted at
<subdomain>.zulipchat.com.
Zulip's support team will let you know when the data import process is complete.
Decide how users will log in
When user accounts are imported, users initially do not have passwords
configured. There are a few options for how users can log in for the first time.
For security reasons, passwords are never exported.
Allow users to log in with non-password authentication
Users will immediately be able to log in with authentication
methods that do not require a password,
if these authentication methods are
enabled.
Send password reset emails to all users
You can ask support@zulip.com to send password reset
emails to all users in your organization, which will allow them to set an
initial password.
To avoid confusion, first make sure that the users in your
organization are aware that their account has been moved,
and are expecting to receive a password reset email.
Manual password resets
Alternatively, users can reset their own passwords by following the instructions
on your Zulip organization's login page.
Advantages of Zulip Cloud
- No setup or maintenance overhead: Zulip Cloud is a simple SaaS solution,
so you don't need to set up your own server. It only take a minute to sign
up.
- Always up to date: Zulip Cloud is updated every couple of weeks with the
latest version of Zulip. In contrast, new features are
released for self-hosted
installations twice a year (with maintenance
releases in between).
- Operated by experts: Zulip Cloud is operated by the core team developing
Zulip, with deep expertise in running your mission-critical chat software with
minimal downtime.
- Free to get started: Zulip Cloud Free
makes it easy to get started, and has all the features you need for casual
use.
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