Migration Check

Joomla site migration

Done with Joomla upgrades? Keep the content, drop the upkeep.

Joomla has served many sites well for years, but every major version means checking each extension and template again, and many sites are stuck on old versions because of it. I move your site to Redline: plain, fast pages with nothing to upgrade, your articles brought over, and every link kept. Enter your address to see what your move would involve.

I look at your public pages and page list, the same way a visitor would. Nothing is saved unless you ask for a quote.

Typical level

A quick move for small, simple sites. Booking tools, several forms or many pages add some custom work.

Typical price

$1,800–4,000 for most Joomla sites, $4,000–6,000 for big ones. Hosting and care is $150 a month.

Time

Usually 1–3 weeks. Your current site stays live until the new one is ready.

After the move

Edit your pages yourself in a simple editor, or let me: an hour of edits a month is included.

What Joomla costs you to keep

Joomla is free to download. Keeping a Joomla site safe and current isn't:

  • Major upgrades break things. Each major version changes how extensions and templates work, so upgrading often means replacing them, or staying behind.
  • Extensions to patch. Every extension is its own software with its own updates, and abandoned ones stay on the site with no fixes.
  • A target for bots. The administrator login and well-known extensions get probed constantly.
  • A server to run. PHP, a database, backups and security settings all need looking after.

On Redline your pages are plain and fast, the platform is kept up to date by me, and there's nothing for you to upgrade.

What moves over

Comes over

  • Every article and page, with your words and images.
  • Categories, menus and the way your pages are organized.
  • Your design, rebuilt as plain pages.
  • Contact forms, set up again in Redline.
  • Your domain, and every page address you have now.
  • Logins and free members-only pages: Redline supports sign-in and different access levels.

Needs a closer look

  • Pages behind a login, and who is allowed to see each one.
  • Extensions that add features, such as directories, events or bookings.
  • Payments, paid memberships and online stores, which aren't covered yet.

I can't see pages behind a login from outside, so for sites with logins I work with whoever built your site to list every one and who can see it. Each is tested before we switch over.

Joomla addresses come in several forms: friendly ones like /about-us, ones with index.php in them, and older ones like index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12. I list every form your site answers to and make sure each still reaches the right page on the new site, then test them all before we switch over.

How the move works

  1. Check your siteEnter your address above. You'll see the level, and I'll reply with a fixed price.
  2. I rebuild itI work from your live site, and a database backup or administrator access helps me bring every article over exactly.
  3. You review itYou see the new site before anything changes, and I test that every old address still works.
  4. We switch overI point your domain at the new site. Then the old Joomla server can be shut down.

If you ever leave, here's what you take with you

Your website

As standard HTML, CSS and JavaScript files that any web host can run.

Your data

If your site keeps records such as members, bookings or form entries, you get a complete copy in a format other tools can read.

Your code

Anything built just for your business is yours. I don't own it and I won't keep it.

Your domain

It was always yours, and it goes wherever you go.

The Redline engine stays with me. Everything else goes with you. Your files, data and code are always handed over free. If you'd like help setting them up somewhere else, that's billed at my normal rate.

Questions about moving from Joomla

My site is on an old version of Joomla. Can it still move?

Yes. The move doesn't need an upgrade first: I take your content from the site as it is today and rebuild it on Redline, so the upgrade problem simply goes away.

Will old index.php links still work?

Yes. Links with index.php in them, including the long ones with option and id in the address, keep reaching the right page after the move.

How much does it cost to move a Joomla site?

Most Joomla sites are $1,800–4,000: a small, simple site is a quick move, and booking tools, several forms or many pages add some custom work. Big sites are $4,000–6,000. Hosting and care is $150 a month, or $1,500 a year, with an hour of edits a month included. The free check on this page shows your site's level.

Can my site keep its logins?

Yes. Redline supports sign-in and different access levels. Because pages behind a login can't be seen from outside, I work with whoever built your site to map every one and who should see it, then test each before we switch over. Paid memberships, where people pay for access, aren't covered yet.

Will my domain and links stay the same?

Yes. Your domain stays yours, and every page address you have now keeps working. I test each one before we switch over.

Who's behind this

I'm Brad Simon, and Coder B Dev is my one-person studio. I've been writing software for more than 30 years: enterprise systems, web applications and SaaS platforms, for companies from startups to large enterprises. Redline is the platform I built so small business sites can get that same engineering without the upkeep. I take on a small number of sites at a time, so each one gets my full attention.

I'd rather you stay because you want to. I've seen too many business owners stuck with a platform because leaving meant losing their site. I don't work that way. Your words, images and data are yours, and so is any code written for your business: I don't claim any rights to it. If you ever decide to move on, I'll hand you your site as standard files, a full copy of your data and all of your own code, with no runaround. The only thing I keep is the Redline engine itself.

More about me →