How to use this — SnailyCAD Migration Platform

The three connection methods

Every export or import needs to reach the machine that has (or will have) the SnailyCAD install. There are three ways to make that connection — pick based on where that machine is.

🖥️ Local

The SnailyCAD install is on this same server — the one running this migration platform. Just type the folder path directly. Simplest option, but only works if everything's on one box.

🔐 SSH

This platform connects out to another server over SSH (password login, no key needed). Works great between servers you control — but the target machine's SSH port needs to be reachable from here, which often means opening a port or setting up port forwarding on a router/firewall.

📡 Agent — recommended for most people

This is the reverse of SSH: you download a small script and run it directly on the SnailyCAD machine. It connects out to this platform on its own — the same direction as just browsing a website. No port forwarding, no firewall changes, works behind NAT — this is the right choice if the target machine is a home PC, a machine you don't control the network for, or you just don't want to mess with firewall rules.

Step by step: Export via Agent

Go to Agent export (also linked from the dashboard).
Fill in the install path — the folder SnailyCAD lives in on the machine that will run the agent (e.g. D:\SnailyCAD). This is the folder itself, not a file inside it.
Fill in database details, or just leave the DB name blank — the agent reads the real one straight out of that install's own settings file automatically.
Click Generate agent token. You'll land on a status page with a one-time download.
Download the Windows or Linux version, whichever matches the target machine.
On that machine: unzip it, then just run it — Windows: double-click Start Agent.bat. Linux: ./start-agent.sh. No typing, no command-line arguments — everything needed is already baked in.
Watch it happen live on the status page — plain-English progress, a progress bar, and file sizes as it collects, packages, and uploads.
Once it says complete, the export shows up on your dashboard — ready to download, share, or restore elsewhere.

Step by step: Import (restore) via Agent

Go to Agent import. You need at least one completed export to restore from.
Pick which export to restore from the dropdown.
Fill in the target path — where files should land on the machine that will run the agent. Leave it blank (and uncheck "Restore files") for a database-only restore.
Fill in the target database details, or leave the name blank if there's already a SnailyCAD install at the target path with its own settings file — it'll be read automatically the same way exports work.
Generate the token, download for the target machine's OS, run it — same double-click-and-done experience as export.
Watch it download, verify, and restore live on the status page. It checks every file's integrity before touching anything, so a corrupted or incomplete download gets caught and reported instead of silently restoring bad data.

Local and SSH export/import

These work the same way as Agent, minus the download-and-run step — you fill in connection details directly in the form (New export / New import) and it runs immediately from this server.

Pick Local if SnailyCAD is on this same box. Pick Remote over SSH and fill in host/username/password if it's on another server you control and can reach — remember, this needs that server's SSH port to be reachable from here. If it isn't (or you're not sure), use Agent mode instead.

Database-only mode & auto-detect

Sometimes you only want the database, not the files (or vice versa). Every export/import form has a checkbox for this — uncheck "Include files" (export) or "Restore files" (import) and it'll only handle the database.

Auto-detect: if you fill in the install/target path but leave the database name blank, the tool reads the real database name (and host/user/password) straight out of that install's own settings file — so you never have to guess or manually type it in. If you do type a name and it turns out not to match what's actually there, you'll get a clear warning telling you the real one instead of a confusing database-not-found error.

Sharing an export

Open any completed export and use Share this export to hand it off to a hosting provider or someone helping with the migration — they don't need an account here. You'll get a link and a one-time PIN; they need both. Pick how long the link stays active (30 minutes up to 7 days activates immediately; longer needs admin approval). You can turn a link off early at any time from the same page.

How long exports are kept

Exports are automatically kept for 7 days, then removed. If you need one to stick around longer, open it and use Request longer retention — give a reason, how many days, and accept the data retention terms. Requests beyond standard always need admin approval.

If something goes wrong

The status page and the downloaded agent's output both explain what happened in plain English — read what it actually says first, it's usually specific (e.g. which file didn't match, which folder it couldn't find, which database tool wasn't installed).

Still stuck? Open a support ticket — include what the status page or agent output said, that's the fastest way to get it sorted.

Don't want to deal with install paths or database details at all? Let an admin do it for you — you just download and run the agent, and an admin fills in the technical details remotely within a 12-hour window. Nothing happens until they do.

How to use this platform