If you’ve ever hosted WordPress on Bitnami using Amazon Lightsail, you probably know how convenient it feels at the beginning.
One-click install.
Pre-configured stack.
Security and updates handled.
It looks perfect — until you try to migrate.
After personally struggling to move a Bitnami-based WordPress site to a new cloud server, I realized why so many users complain about this setup. Even popular migration plugins failed, and manual migration became a multi-day debugging exercise.
In this post, I’ll explain:
- Why Bitnami WordPress is hard to migrate
- What Reddit users are saying
- What actually works
- Whether you should use Bitnami at all
The Promise of Bitnami WordPress
Bitnami offers pre-built WordPress stacks for cloud platforms like:
- AWS Lightsail
- Azure
- Google Cloud
- VirtualBox
With Bitnami, you get:
✅ Apache/Nginx + PHP + MySQL
✅ Security patches
✅ Ready-made configuration
✅ Quick deployment
For beginners, it’s attractive. You can launch a website in minutes.
But Bitnami is not standard WordPress hosting.
And that’s where the trouble begins.
The Core Problem: Non-Standard Architecture
A typical WordPress server looks like this:
/var/www/html/
└── wordpress/
├── wp-content/
├── wp-config.php
└── wp-admin/
Bitnami looks like this:
/opt/bitnami/apps/wordpress/htdocs
/opt/bitnami/wordpress
/bitnami/wordpress
With heavy use of:
- Symbolic links (symlinks)
- Custom permissions
- Vendor-managed configs
Example:
wp-config.php → /bitnami/wordpress/wp-config.php
wp-content → /bitnami/wordpress/wp-content
When you move these files to another server…
➡️ Those paths no longer exist.
➡️ The links break.
➡️ WordPress crashes.
Most migration plugins cannot handle this.
Why Migration Plugins Fail on Bitnami
Many users (including myself) tried tools like:
- MigrateGuru
- UpdraftPlus
- WPVivid
- All-in-One Migration
They often fail on Bitnami because:
1. Broken Symlinks
When plugins archive your site, they copy links instead of real files.
On restore:
No such file or directory
Dangling symlink
Result: missing wp-content, missing config.
2. Permission Conflicts
Bitnami uses strict permissions:
daemon:daemon
bitnami:bitnami
After restore:
Unable to write wp-config.php
Permission denied
Plugins cannot fix this automatically.
3. Custom PHP & MySQL Setup
Bitnami bundles its own:
- PHP version
- MySQL/MariaDB version
- Config files
When moving to a normal Ubuntu server:
➡️ Collation errors
➡️ Charset mismatches
➡️ Import failures
Example:
Unknown collation: utf8mb3_uca1400_ai_ci
What Reddit Users Are Saying
A Reddit discussion about Bitnami migration highlights the same issues.
One user said:
“The folder structure and permissions tend to break normal migration plugins.”
Another commented:
“Manual move (export DB + copy wp-content) finally worked.”
A top commenter added:
“Bitnami went downhill after acquisition. Build your own stack.”
Others suggested alternatives like:
- Docker-based WordPress
- Custom VPS setups
This mirrors exactly what I experienced.
What Actually Works: The Manual Method
After all plugins failed, the only reliable solution was:
Step 1: Database Export
On Bitnami:
mysqldump -u root -p wordpress > db_backup.sql
Step 2: Copy Real Files (Not Symlinks)
Instead of /opt/bitnami/wordpress, use:
/opt/bitnami/apps/wordpress/htdocs
Copy:
wp-content/
wp-admin/
wp-includes/
Step 3: Rebuild on New Server
On new VM:
- Install Nginx/Apache
- Install PHP
- Install MySQL
- Create database
- Import SQL
- Recreate wp-config.php manually
Step 4: Fix URLs
After migration:
UPDATE wp_options
SET option_value='https://yourdomain.com'
WHERE option_name IN ('siteurl','home');
Without this, redirects break.
Step 5: Fix Permissions
chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/wordpress
chmod -R 755 /var/www/wordpress
This step is critical.
Why Bitnami Feels “Locked In”
Bitnami is convenient, but it creates soft vendor lock-in.
You depend on:
- Their directory structure
- Their update system
- Their stack versions
Upgrading PHP, MySQL, or switching stacks is harder than normal.
As one Redditor said:
“You can’t easily upgrade PHP or MySQL.”
This limits long-term flexibility.
Better Alternatives in 2026
If you want fewer migration headaches, consider:
1. Standard VPS Setup (Recommended)
Install yourself:
- Ubuntu
- Nginx
- PHP-FPM
- MySQL/MariaDB
- WordPress
This is what you’re running now.
Pros:
✅ Portable
✅ Plugin-friendly
✅ Easy migration
✅ Full control
2. Docker WordPress
Using Docker:
docker-compose up
Everything runs in containers.
Pros:
✅ One-command migration
✅ Same environment everywhere
✅ No dependency issues
3. Managed Hosting
Providers like Hostinger, Kinsta, or Cloudways handle migration.
Pros:
✅ Support team
✅ Automatic backups
❌ Less control
Should You Use Bitnami at All?
Use Bitnami If:
✅ You’re testing
✅ You’re learning
✅ Short-term project
✅ No migration planned
Avoid Bitnami If:
❌ You plan to scale
❌ You plan to migrate
❌ You manage multiple sites
❌ You want flexibility
For serious projects, it’s better to start clean.
My Final Verdict
Bitnami WordPress is:
✔️ Great for beginners
✔️ Fast to deploy
❌ Painful to migrate
❌ Hard to customize long-term
Migration is possible — but only with manual work.
If you know you’ll move servers someday, skip Bitnami and build a standard stack from Day 1.
It will save you days of frustration later.
Useful Resources
Here are some helpful links:
- Bitnami WordPress:
https://bitnami.com/stack/wordpress - WordPress Manual Migration Guide:
https://wordpress.org/support/article/moving-wordpress/ - Certbot SSL:
https://certbot.eff.org - Docker WordPress:
https://hub.docker.com/_/wordpress - AWS Lightsail:
https://aws.amazon.com/lightsail/
Conclusion
My migration journey showed me one thing clearly:
Convenience today can become complexity tomorrow.
Bitnami makes WordPress easy to start — but hard to leave.
If you’re building a serious site, invest early in a clean, portable setup. Your future self will thank you.
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