Migrate from Netlify to ZenifraCopy Anchor Link

This guide shows where to find each setting of a Netlify project and where to enter the same value in the Zenifra console. It covers static sites and SPAs, netlify.toml, the _redirects and _headers files, Netlify Functions, Forms, server-rendered frameworks (Next.js, Astro, Nuxt), and Netlify DNS. For the general plan, with data copy and DNS switch, see Migrate to Zenifra.

Keep the Netlify site running while you deploy and validate the application on Zenifra. Only remove the site after switching DNS.

Before you start: what your site usesCopy Anchor Link

A site that only has a build, a published folder, redirects, and headers migrates directly. Netlify server features need an equivalent:

1. Copy the settings from NetlifyCopy Anchor Link

In the Netlify dashboard, open the project and go to Project configuration.

Build settingsCopy Anchor Link

In Project configuration › Developer settings › Continuous deployment › Build settings, write down:

In Branches and deploy contexts, in the same area, check the production branch. In Dependency management, check the Node.js version. The version may also be in an .nvmrc, a .node-version, or the NODE_VERSION variable: if it exists, the repository value wins.

Environment variablesCopy Anchor Link

Variables are in Project configuration › Environment variables. Each one can have values per context, such as production and deploy-preview. To export the production values with the Netlify CLI:

netlify env:list --plain --context production > netlify.env

Variables marked as secret cannot be read back, not even with the CLI. Get those values from their source, such as the external service dashboard or the team's password manager.

Also check:

• team variables in Team settings › Environment variables, which reach the project without showing up in its list
• the [build.environment] section of netlify.toml, which defines variables directly in the file

netlify.tomlCopy Anchor Link

If the repository has a netlify.toml, it takes precedence over the dashboard. Write down:

The _redirects and _headers files live in the published folder, often copied from public/ during the build.

Domains and Netlify DNSCopy Anchor Link

In Domain management › Production domains, write down the project's domains.

If the domain uses Netlify DNS, open DNS in the team menu, select the domain, and click Download records to download every record as CSV. You will need them, including the e-mail records (MX and TXT), when you change the nameservers.

2. Create the project on ZenifraCopy Anchor Link

In the console, click + Create project, choose HTTP Application and the plan. Under Advanced Settings, choose Git repository as the Project Source, the Git provider GitHub (or Forgejo), the same repository, and the production branch.

Static site or SPACopy Anchor Link

Add serve to the dependencies with npm install serve. -s answers unknown routes with index.html, like an SPA's /* /index.html 200 redirect. For multi-page HTML sites, such as Hugo, Eleventy, or static Astro, remove -s.

To spend less, serve the folder with NGINX on the Static plan; see Static sites and SPAs.

Generators outside Node.jsCopy Anchor Link

Sites built with Hugo, Jekyll, or another generator that does not run on Node.js are deployed as a Docker Image: generate the site in a Dockerfile stage and copy the folder into an NGINX image, as in the Static sites and SPAs example. The GitHub Action automates the build and deploy on every push.

pnpm, Yarn, and BunCopy Anchor Link

Zenifra installs Node.js dependencies with npm ci and needs a committed package-lock.json. If the site uses pnpm or Yarn, generate and commit a package-lock.json before migrating. Bun projects can use the Bun Runtime. See Runtimes.

3. Adjust what differs between the platformsCopy Anchor Link

Redirects and headersCopy Anchor Link

Zenifra does not read _redirects, _headers, or netlify.toml. With serve, create a serve.json inside the published folder. A simple way is to put the file in public/, which most frameworks copy to the build folder:

/blog/*      /articles/:splat   301
/old         /new               302

/assets/*
  Cache-Control: public, max-age=31536000, immutable

{
  "redirects": [
    { "source": "/blog/:slug", "destination": "/articles/:slug", "type": 301 },
    { "source": "/old", "destination": "/new", "type": 302 }
  ],
  "headers": [
    {
      "source": "assets/**",
      "headers": [{ "key": "Cache-Control", "value": "public, max-age=31536000, immutable" }]
    }
  ]
}

In serve.json, type is the redirect status (301 by default), and rewrites does the same as a Netlify 200 redirect. A segment like :slug covers one path level: Netlify's :splat, which covers several levels, needs one rule per level or NGINX. For more complex rules, such as proxying to another domain (/api/* https://api.example.com/:splat 200), use NGINX with proxy_pass or handle the route in the application server.

FunctionsCopy Anchor Link

Each file in netlify/functions is a function that starts on demand. On Zenifra, the application is a long-running server, so functions become routes of an HTTP server. Functions in Netlify's current format receive a Request and return a Response, which fits Hono:

import { Hono } from 'hono'
import { serve } from '@hono/node-server'
import { serveStatic } from '@hono/node-server/serve-static'
import contact from './netlify/functions/contact.js'

const app = new Hono()

// Same route the function had on Netlify
app.all('/.netlify/functions/contact', (c) => contact(c.req.raw))

// Site files
app.use('/*', serveStatic({ root: './dist' }))

serve({ fetch: app.fetch, port: Number(process.env.PORT) || 3000, hostname: '0.0.0.0' })

Set Start Command node server.js, Port 3000, and the variable PORT=3000. If the function uses Netlify's second context argument, replace what it provided with variables or request data. Functions in the legacy handler(event, context) format must be adapted to receive the server request.

If you prefer, keep the old URL or switch to /api/... and update the calls in the frontend.

Scheduled and Background FunctionsCopy Anchor Link

• Scheduled Functions become scheduled jobs. Create the job with Task source GitHub Repository, Runtime Node.js, and a Task command that runs the logic, such as node scripts/task.mjs. The Cron expression can be the same: both platforms use UTC. Shortcuts like @hourly become 0 * * * *, and @daily becomes 0 0 * * *.
• Background Functions can become messages in a queue, processed by a worker project with Exposure Private, or a scheduled job if the task does not need to start right away.

FormsCopy Anchor Link

Netlify detects forms with data-netlify="true" and stores submissions. On Zenifra, the form must post to a route of yours. Create a route in the application server that receives the POST, validates the fields, and sends the content by e-mail or saves it to a database. Then remove data-netlify and point the form's action to the new route.

Before turning Netlify off, save the submissions you already received, which are in the project's Forms panel.

Image CDNCopy Anchor Link

URLs with /.netlify/images do not work outside Netlify. Use images optimized at build time, your framework's optimizer running on the server, such as next/image, or an external image service.

Netlify variablesCopy Anchor Link

Variables created by Netlify during the build, such as URL, DEPLOY_URL, CONTEXT, and NETLIFY, do not exist on Zenifra. If the code or build uses one of them, create a variable with the equivalent value, such as URL with your domain.

Frameworks with a serverCopy Anchor Link

On Netlify, Next.js, Astro, and Nuxt with server rendering use adapters that turn the application into functions. On Zenifra, they run as a Node.js server:

For Astro and Nuxt, set the variables HOST=0.0.0.0 and PORT=3000. For all of them, use Port 3000. See the Next.js guide for NEXT_PUBLIC_* variables, caching, and multiple instances.

4. Migrate data and filesCopy Anchor Link

5. Validate and switch DNSCopy Anchor Link

1. Open the project's *.clients.zenifra.com URL and test pages, redirects, forms, and API routes.
2. Check Build logs and the application logs for errors.
3. Add the domain on Zenifra and create the CNAME and TXT records shown in the console in your DNS.
4. If the domain uses Netlify DNS, recreate every record from the CSV at the new DNS provider, change the nameservers at the registrar, and wait for propagation, which can take up to a day. Only then remove the DNS zone on Netlify.
5. Keep the Netlify site for a few days for rollback, and only then remove it.

Common issuesCopy Anchor Link

Need help?Copy Anchor Link

Write to [email protected] with your netlify.toml, or reach us on WhatsApp at +55 (11) 5199-3013.