Which cPanel backup format InterWorx's importer reads

The InterWorx importer reads exactly one shape of cPanel backup: a full account backup, the same tarball pkgacct produces. Anything else — partial transfers, encrypted backups, restoration-tool-only payloads — either fails outright or imports without mail or databases.

This is the decision tree if your import is silently dropping data, plus the cleanest way to generate a compatible backup. The full migration walkthrough lives at migrate cPanel to InterWorx.

The format the importer expects

cpmove-<user>.tar.gz

or its WHM-backup sibling:

backup-<date>_<user>.tar.gz

Both unpack to the same structure: userdata/, homedir/, mysql/, mail/, dns/, cron, meta. The importer reads meta for account metadata, then restores each subtree to the corresponding SiteWorx location.

What works

• WHM → Backup Configuration → Compressed + Per-account backups enabled. Daily, weekly, or monthly runs produce backup-*.tar.gz per account. These import cleanly.
• /usr/local/cpanel/bin/backup --force on demand. Triggers a backup outside the normal schedule. Same output format.
• /scripts/pkgacct <user> directly. Writes cpmove-<user>.tar.gz to /home/. The most common ad-hoc method.

What does not work

• Transfer Tool payloads generated by WHM → Transfer Tool. These are an in-flight transfer format, not a standalone backup — they exist only between source and destination during a live WHM transfer. InterWorx cannot read them.
• pkgacct with --skiphomedir or other skip flags. The resulting tarball is missing critical subtrees. The importer either errors immediately or restores an empty account.
• Encrypted backups. WHM supports server-side encryption on its backup output. InterWorx has no decryption hook. Disable encryption for the backup run you intend to import, then re-enable.
• Backups from cPanel < 11.30. The on-disk layout is too old. Upgrade cPanel on the source first or use a newer intermediate.
• Incremental backups. WHM's incremental option produces a base + diff structure. The importer reads only the base, silently missing all subsequent changes.

Generate a clean backup

The reliable recipe:

# in WHM → Backup → Backup Configuration:
#   Enable Backups: yes
#   Backup Type: Compressed
#   Per-Account Backups: enabled
#   Encryption: DISABLED for the run you will import

# then force a run:
/usr/local/cpanel/bin/backup --force

# output lands in (default):
ls /backup/<date>/accounts/

Copy to the InterWorx server:

scp /backup/<date>/accounts/backup-*.tar.gz \
    root@interworx.example.com:/home/interworx/import/

In NodeWorx on the InterWorx side go to SiteWorx Accounts → Import → cPanel → Local file and select the file. The importer validates the tarball before starting; an invalid format errors immediately rather than half-importing.

When the import "succeeds" but data is missing

If the importer reports success but the restored account is missing mail or databases, the source tarball was likely generated with skip flags or is a transfer-tool payload. Verify by unpacking on the InterWorx side:

tar -tzf cpmove-baduser.tar.gz | head -20

A complete backup lists userdata/main, mysql/*.sql, mail/, homedir/. Anything missing from that list is missing from the import.

Regenerate the source backup with /scripts/pkgacct <user> (no flags) and re-run.

Next steps

• Walk through the full migration: cPanel to InterWorx migration.
• For multi-server transfers, see WHM transfer tool to move cPanel accounts.
• Get the target server licensed via the InterWorx license page.