Wiki source code of Instance Cloning
Last modified by Eleni Cojocariu-testing account on 2026/08/21 15:47
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| 1 | Cloning an XWiki instance means making a full, independent copy of it: an instance that serves the same content while keeping its own identity. A common case is copying a live instance into a preproduction environment, to test changes before they go live. | ||
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| 3 | The base procedure is a [[Backup and Restore>>doc:documentation.xs.admin.backup.WebHome]] of the database and the [[permanent directory>>documentation.xs.admin.configuration.directories.permanent-directory.WebHome]], which together hold everything the instance contains. What that copy cannot do on its own is tell apart what belongs to the wiki from what identifies //this// instance in //this// environment. [[Clone an XWiki Instance>>documentation.xs.admin.backup.instance-cloning.clone-instance.WebHome]] covers both halves. | ||
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| 5 | Every instance has an [[id of its own>>documentation.xs.dev.instance.get-instance-id.WebHome]], stored as the single row of the ##xwikiid## database table. Restoring that row would hand the source's identity to the target, so the table is left out of the restore. | ||
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| 7 | This id can also be relevant for licensing, if applicable. For example, [[paid extensions>>https://store.xwiki.com/xwiki/bin/view/Main/]] have their licenses issued against an instance id, so licenses restored with the database do not apply to the target instance, which instead reloads its own licenses from the store. | ||
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| 9 | A domain name, a mail server, the address of a third-party service: these describe the environment rather than the wiki, and they live in two places that behave differently when cloning. ##xwiki.cfg## and ##xwiki.properties## are [[configuration files>>documentation.xs.admin.configuration.WebHome]], so no database restore touches them. They have to be copied from the source and then reviewed, because any of their uncommented settings may name the source's environment. | ||
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| 11 | Everything else is in the database and comes back holding the source's values: the "Alias" property of the ##XWiki.XWikiServerXwiki## page, which is the domain name the wiki answers on, and the settings of every extension that connects to an external service, for example, the [[mail sending>>extensions:Extension.Mail.MailApplication]] settings. | ||
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| 13 | The [[external identities>>documentation.xs.admin.authentication.user-profiles-external-identities.WebHome]] an identity provider recorded on the user profiles are copied with them, which is what you want when both instances authenticate against the same provider. When the target uses a different one, returning users are given a second, empty profile, and its own [[authentication>>documentation.xs.admin.authentication.WebHome]] settings are not enough to prevent that, hence [[Preserve User Profiles When Cloning to a Different Identity Provider>>documentation.xs.admin.backup.instance-cloning.preserve-user-profiles-different-identity-provider.WebHome]]. |
