WordPress to Payload CMS Migration Tool

A comprehensive TypeScript CLI tool for analyzing WordPress sites and generating detailed migration effort estimations, reports, and migration scripts for transitioning to Payload CMS.

🚀 Features

Core Analysis Capabilities

• WordPress Site Analysis: Deep scanning of WordPress installations, themes, plugins, and content
• SEO Plugin Detection: Comprehensive analysis of Yoast SEO, RankMath, All in One SEO, and custom SEO implementations
• Plugin Compatibility Assessment: Evaluation of WordPress plugins and their Payload CMS equivalents
• Theme Analysis: Custom theme code analysis and complexity assessment
• Database Schema Mapping: Automated mapping of WordPress database structures to Payload collections
• URL Structure Analysis: Permalink patterns, redirects, and URL migration planning
• Content Type Discovery: Automatic detection of custom post types, taxonomies, and meta fields

Migration Planning & Estimation

• Effort Estimation Engine: AI-powered estimation of migration complexity and time requirements
• Risk Assessment: Identification of potential migration risks and mitigation strategies
• Resource Planning: Team size and skill requirements analysis
• Timeline Generation: Detailed project timeline with milestones and dependencies
• Cost Estimation: Budget planning with breakdown by development phases

Report Generation

• Multi-Format Output: PDF, HTML, JSON, CSV, and Markdown reports
• Executive Summaries: High-level overviews for stakeholders
• Technical Documentation: Detailed technical specifications for developers
• Migration Scripts: Ready-to-use migration code and configurations
• Testing Checklists: Comprehensive QA and testing guidelines

📋 Prerequisites

• Node.js: Version 18.0.0 or higher
• TypeScript: Version 5.8.3 or higher
• Database Access: MySQL connection to WordPress database
• WordPress Access: File system access to WordPress installation

🛠️ Installation

Global Installation

npm install -g ts-wp-payload-migration

Local Development

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/techseria/ts-wp-payload-migration.git
cd ts-wp-payload-migration

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the project
npm run build

# Link for local development
npm link

🎯 Quick Start

Automatic Analysis (Recommended)

The tool now automatically discovers WordPress configuration from wp-config.php:

# Navigate to your WordPress document root and run analysis
cd /var/www/html
ts-wp-payload-migration analyze

# Or specify WordPress root directory
ts-wp-payload-migration analyze --wp-root /path/to/wordpress

# Generate specific report formats
ts-wp-payload-migration analyze --format html,pdf,json --output ./reports

Advanced Usage

# Full analysis with custom branding and options
ts-wp-payload-migration analyze \
  --format pdf,html,json,csv \
  --company "My Agency" \
  --primary-color "#2563eb" \
  --output ./detailed-report \
  --verbose

# Exclude specific sections from reports
ts-wp-payload-migration analyze \
  --exclude-sections executiveSummary,riskAssessment \
  --csv-tables content,plugins,tasks

What Happens Automatically

1. 🔍 WordPress Discovery: Automatically finds wp-config.php in current directory
2. 🔐 Database Connection: Extracts database credentials from wp-config.php
3. 🌐 Site URL Detection: Determines site URL from WordPress configuration
4. 🗄️ Database Analysis: Connects and analyzes WordPress database content
5. 📊 Report Generation: Creates comprehensive migration reports

Error Handling & Database Connection

The tool provides robust error handling with detailed, actionable error messages and comprehensive database connection management:

Database Connection Features

• Robust Error Handling: Comprehensive error classification with specific error types (authentication, permission, timeout, network, etc.)
• Safe Property Access: Uses optional chaining (?.) throughout database connection logic to prevent runtime errors
• Enhanced Logging: Detailed logging at multiple levels (verbose, info, warn, error) for troubleshooting
• Connection Pooling: Efficient connection pool management with automatic cleanup
• Read-Only Mode: Enforced read-only database access to prevent accidental data modification during analysis
• Retry Logic: Exponential backoff with jitter for failed connection attempts
• MySQL/MariaDB Compatibility: Full compatibility with both MySQL (5.7+) and MariaDB (10.2+)

Error Message Examples

# If wp-config.php is not found
❌ WordPress configuration not found!
Please ensure you're running this command from a WordPress document root directory.

# If database connection fails with specific error details
❌ Database connection failed: [authentication] Invalid credentials (code: ER_ACCESS_DENIED_ERROR)
Please check your WordPress database configuration in wp-config.php.

# If database host is unreachable
❌ Database connection failed: [network] Host 'localhost' not found (code: ENOTFOUND)
Please verify the database host configuration.

# If database permissions are insufficient
❌ Database connection failed: [permission] User 'wp_user' has no access to database 'wordpress_db'
Please check database user permissions.

Database Connection Logging

The tool provides comprehensive logging for database operations:

# Verbose logging shows detailed connection process
🔌 Establishing database connection
🌐 Parsed connection details: host=localhost, port=3306
🏊 Creating connection pool
✅ Database connection established successfully
🔒 Enforcing read-only mode
📊 Retrieving server version: MySQL 8.0.35
🔤 Character set: utf8mb4

Connection Pool Management

• Automatic Resource Cleanup: Connections are properly released back to the pool
• Pool Status Monitoring: Real-time tracking of active, idle, and total connections
• Safe Property Access: Uses optional chaining for pool configuration access
• Connection Validation: Ping tests and metadata retrieval before use
• Graceful Degradation: Handles connection failures with detailed error context

## 📁 Project Structure

ts-wp-payload-migration/ ├── src/ │ ├── commands/ # CLI command implementations │ │ ├── analyze.ts # Main analysis command │ │ └── index.ts # Command exports │ ├── core/ # Core analysis engine │ │ ├── analysis-orchestrator.ts # Main orchestration logic │ │ ├── types.ts # Core type definitions │ │ ├── seo-types.ts # SEO-specific types │ │ └── url-redirect-types.ts # URL/redirect types │ ├── scanners/ # WordPress analysis scanners │ │ ├── database-scanner.ts # Database analysis │ │ ├── plugin-analyzer.ts # Plugin detection & analysis │ │ ├── theme-analyzer.ts # Theme code analysis │ │ ├── seo-scanner.ts # SEO plugin detection │ │ ├── redirect-scanner.ts # URL redirect analysis │ │ ├── meta-field-analyzer.ts # Custom fields analysis │ │ └── index.ts # Scanner exports │ ├── estimators/ # Effort estimation engines │ │ ├── complexity-assessor.ts # Complexity calculations │ │ ├── effort-calculator.ts # Time/effort estimation │ │ ├── risk-assessment-engine.ts # Risk analysis │ │ └── estimation-engine.ts # Main estimation logic │ ├── generators/ # Report and code generators │ │ ├── report-generator.ts # Report generation │ │ ├── migration-planner.ts # Migration planning │ │ ├── payload-schema-generator.ts # Payload config generation │ │ ├── seo-mapping-generator.ts # SEO field mappings │ │ ├── pdf-generator.ts # PDF report generation │ │ └── templates/ # Report templates │ └── utils/ # Utility functions │ ├── config.ts # Configuration management │ ├── logger.ts # Logging utilities │ └── cache.ts # Caching mechanisms ├── dist/ # Compiled JavaScript output ├── docs/ # Documentation ├── examples/ # Usage examples └── tests/ # Test suites

## 🔧 Configuration

### Configuration File Example

```json
{
  "database": {
    "host": "localhost",
    "port": 3306,
    "database": "wordpress_db",
    "username": "wp_user",
    "password": "wp_pass"
  },
  "analysis": {
    "includeSEO": true,
    "includePlugins": true,
    "includeThemes": true,
    "includeCustomFields": true,
    "includeRedirects": true
  },
  "output": {
    "formats": ["pdf", "html", "json"],
    "includeExecutiveSummary": true,
    "includeTechnicalDetails": true,
    "includeCodeSamples": true
  },
  "estimation": {
    "teamSize": 3,
    "experienceLevel": "intermediate",
    "includeQA": true,
    "includeDeployment": true
  }
}

Environment Variables

# Database Configuration
WP_DB_HOST=localhost
WP_DB_PORT=3306
WP_DB_NAME=wordpress_db
WP_DB_USER=wp_user
WP_DB_PASS=wp_pass

# Output Configuration
OUTPUT_DIR=./migration-reports
DEFAULT_FORMAT=pdf,html,json

# Analysis Options
INCLUDE_SEO=true
INCLUDE_PLUGINS=true
INCLUDE_THEMES=true

📊 Analysis Components

1. WordPress Site Scanner

• File System Analysis: Scans WordPress core, themes, and plugins
• Database Schema Discovery: Maps WordPress database structure
• Content Analysis: Analyzes posts, pages, custom post types, and taxonomies
• Media Library Assessment: Evaluates media files and attachments

2. SEO Analysis Engine

• Plugin Detection: Identifies and analyzes SEO plugins (Yoast, RankMath, AIOSEO)
• Meta Field Mapping: Maps SEO meta fields to Payload CMS structure
• Schema.org Analysis: Detects structured data implementations
• Social Media Integration: Analyzes Open Graph and Twitter Card configurations

3. Plugin Compatibility Assessor

• Functionality Mapping: Maps WordPress plugins to Payload CMS equivalents
• Custom Code Detection: Identifies custom plugin modifications
• API Integration Analysis: Evaluates third-party integrations
• Security Assessment: Identifies potential security considerations

4. Theme Analysis System

• Template Hierarchy: Analyzes WordPress template structure
• Custom Code Complexity: Evaluates custom PHP, JavaScript, and CSS
• Hook Usage: Identifies WordPress hooks and filters usage
• Performance Impact: Assesses theme performance characteristics

📈 Estimation Algorithms

Complexity Scoring

• Low Complexity (1-3): Standard WordPress sites with minimal customization
• Medium Complexity (4-6): Sites with custom themes, moderate plugin usage
• High Complexity (7-10): Heavily customized sites with complex integrations

Effort Calculation Factors

• Content Volume: Number of posts, pages, and media files
• Custom Functionality: Custom post types, fields, and taxonomies
• Plugin Dependencies: Number and complexity of active plugins
• Theme Customization: Level of custom theme development
• SEO Implementation: Complexity of SEO setup and configurations
• Third-party Integrations: External API integrations and services

Risk Assessment Matrix

• Technical Risks: Complex custom code, deprecated functions, security vulnerabilities
• Data Risks: Large databases, complex relationships, data integrity concerns
• Timeline Risks: Resource availability, dependency management, testing requirements
• Business Risks: Downtime considerations, SEO impact, user experience changes

📋 Generated Reports

Executive Summary

• Project overview and recommendations
• High-level timeline and budget estimates
• Key risks and mitigation strategies
• Resource requirements and team composition

Technical Documentation

• Detailed WordPress analysis results
• Payload CMS configuration recommendations
• Database migration scripts and procedures
• SEO field mapping and migration strategies

Migration Scripts

• Payload CMS collection configurations
• Database migration scripts
• Content import procedures
• SEO data migration utilities

Testing Checklists

• Functional testing requirements
• Content validation procedures
• SEO verification steps
• Performance testing guidelines

🧪 Testing

# Run all tests
npm test

# Run specific test suites
npm run test:unit
npm run test:integration
npm run test:e2e

# Run tests with coverage
npm run test:coverage

# Run linting
npm run lint

# Format code
npm run format

🚀 Development

Building the Project

# Clean previous builds
npm run clean

# Build for production
npm run build

# Build and watch for changes
npm run dev

Code Quality

• TypeScript: Strict type checking enabled
• ESLint: Code linting with TypeScript rules
• Prettier: Code formatting
• Husky: Pre-commit hooks for quality assurance

Contributing Guidelines

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

📚 API Reference

Core Classes

AnalysisOrchestrator

Main orchestration class for WordPress analysis.

import { AnalysisOrchestrator } from './core/analysis-orchestrator';

const orchestrator = new AnalysisOrchestrator(config);
const results = await orchestrator.runAnalysis(wordpressPath);

EstimationEngine

Effort and complexity estimation engine.

import { EstimationEngine } from './estimators/estimation-engine';

const engine = new EstimationEngine();
const estimate = engine.calculateEffort(analysisResults);

ReportGenerator

Multi-format report generation.

import { ReportGenerator } from './generators/report-generator';

const generator = new ReportGenerator();
await generator.generateReport(results, { format: 'pdf' });

Utility Functions

Database Connection

import { createDatabaseConnection } from './utils/database';

const connection = await createDatabaseConnection(dbConfig);

Configuration Management

import { loadConfig } from './utils/config';

const config = loadConfig('./migration-config.json');

🔍 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Database Connection Errors

The tool provides detailed error classification and troubleshooting guidance:

# Check database connectivity manually
mysql -h localhost -u wp_user -p wordpress_db

# Verify credentials in wp-config.php
cat wp-config.php | grep -E "(DB_NAME|DB_USER|DB_PASSWORD|DB_HOST)"

# Test connection with verbose logging
DEBUG=wp-migration:* ts-wp-payload-migration analyze /path/to/wordpress --verbose

Common Database Error Types and Solutions:

• Authentication Errors (ER_ACCESS_DENIED_ERROR):

  • Verify username and password in wp-config.php
  • Check if database user exists and has correct permissions

• Database Not Found (ER_BAD_DB_ERROR):

  • Confirm database name in wp-config.php matches actual database
  • Verify database exists on the server

• Permission Errors (ER_DBACCESS_DENIED_ERROR):

  • Grant appropriate permissions to database user
  • Ensure user has SELECT privileges on WordPress tables

• Connection Refused (ECONNREFUSED):

  • Check if MySQL/MariaDB service is running
  • Verify host and port configuration

• Host Not Found (ENOTFOUND):

  • Verify database host address
  • Check DNS resolution for remote hosts

• Connection Timeout (ETIMEDOUT):

  • Increase connection timeout in configuration
  • Check network connectivity to database server

Connection Pool Troubleshooting:

# Monitor connection pool status in logs
ts-wp-payload-migration analyze --verbose 2>&1 | grep -E "(pool|connection)"

# Check for connection leaks
ts-wp-payload-migration analyze --verbose 2>&1 | grep -E "(release|cleanup)"

File Permission Issues

# Ensure read access to WordPress directory
chmod -R 755 /path/to/wordpress

# Check file ownership
ls -la /path/to/wordpress

Memory Issues with Large Sites

# Increase Node.js memory limit
node --max-old-space-size=4096 ./dist/run.mjs analyze

Debug Mode

# Enable debug logging
DEBUG=wp-migration:* ts-wp-payload-migration analyze /path/to/wordpress

# Verbose output
ts-wp-payload-migration analyze /path/to/wordpress --verbose

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🤝 Support

• Documentation: Full documentation
• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Discussions: GitHub Discussions
• Email: [email protected]

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Payload CMS for the excellent headless CMS platform
• WordPress for the robust content management system
• OCLIF for the CLI framework
• TypeScript for type safety and developer experience

Made with ❤️ for the WordPress and Payload CMS communities