zulip/help/import-from-mattermost.md

Import from Mattermost

{!import-workspace-to-zulip.md!}

Import process overview

To import your Mattermost organization into Zulip, you will need to take the following steps, which are described in more detail below:

{start_tabs}

1. Export your Mattermost data.

2. Import your Mattermost data into Zulip.

3. Get your organization started with Zulip!

{end_tabs}

Import your organization from Mattermost into Zulip

Export your Mattermost data

Mattermost's bulk export tool allows you to export all public and private channel messages.

The instructions below correspond to various common ways Mattermost is installed; if yours isn't covered, contact us and we'll help you out.

Replace <username> and <server_ip> with the appropriate values below.

{start_tabs}

{tab|mm-default}

1. SSH into your Mattermost production server.

   ssh <username>@<server_ip>
   

2. Navigate to the directory which contains the Mattermost executable. On a default install of Mattermost, the directory is /opt/mattermost/bin.

   cd /opt/mattermost/bin
   

3. Create an export of all your Mattermost teams, as a tar file.

   sudo ./mattermost export bulk export.json --all-teams --attachments
   mkdir -p exported_emoji
   tar --transform 's|^|mattermost/|' -czf export.tar.gz \
       data/ exported_emoji/ export.json
   

4. Exit your shell on the Mattermost server.

   exit

5. Finally, copy the exported tar file from the server to your local computer. You may need to replace /opt/mattermost/bin/ with the path to your Mattermost installation.

   scp <username>@<server_ip>:/opt/mattermost/bin/export.tar.gz .
   

{tab|mm-cloud}

1. Make sure you have mmctl installed - these instructions assume your version is 7.5.1 or higher.

2. Log into your Mattermost Cloud instance using your administrator credentials.

   mmctl auth login https://yourdomain.cloud.mattermost.com
   

3. Create a full export of the server, including attached files.

   mmctl export create
   

4. List all of the exports on the server, and copy the name of the latest one to your clipboard.

   mmctl export list
   

5. Download the export to your local computer, replacing latest_export with the actual file name from the previous step.

   mmctl export download latest_export.zip
   

{tab|mm-docker}

1. SSH into the server hosting your Mattermost docker container.

   ssh <username>@<server_ip>
   

2. Navigate to the Mattermost docker directory. On most installs, the directory should be mattermost-docker.

   cd mattermost-docker/
   

3. Create an export of all your Mattermost teams, as a tar file.

   docker exec -it mattermost-docker_app_1 mattermost \
       export bulk data/export.json --all-teams --attachments
   cd volumes/app/mattermost/data/
   mkdir -p exported_emoji
   tar --transform 's|^|mattermost/|' -czf export.tar.gz \
       data/ exported_emoji/ export.json
   

4. Exit your shell on the Mattermost server.

   exit

5. Finally, copy the exported tar file from the server to your local computer. You may need to replace mattermost-docker with the appropriate path for your installation.

   scp <username>@<server_ip>:mattermost-docker/volumes/app/mattermost/data/export.tar.gz .
   

{tab|mm-gitlab-omnibus}

1. SSH into your GitLab Omnibus server.

2. Create an export of all your Mattermost teams, as a tar file.

   cd /opt/gitlab/embedded/service/mattermost
   sudo -u \
       mattermost /opt/gitlab/embedded/bin/mattermost \
       --config=/var/opt/gitlab/mattermost/config.json \
       export bulk export.json --all-teams --attachments
   mkdir -p exported_emoji
   tar --transform 's|^|mattermost/|' -czf export.tar.gz \
       data/ exported_emoji/ export.json
   

3. Exit your shell on the GitLab Omnibus server.

   exit

4. Finally, copy the exported tar file from GitLab Omnibus to your local computer.

   scp <username>@<server_ip>:/opt/gitlab/embedded/bin/mattermost/export.tar.gz .
   

{end_tabs}

Import your data into Zulip

{!import-your-data-into-zulip.md!}

{start_tabs}

{tab|zulip-cloud}

{!import-into-a-zulip-cloud-organization.md!}

{!import-zulip-cloud-organization-warning.md!}

{tab|self-hosting}

{!import-into-a-self-hosted-zulip-server.md!}

1. To import into an organization hosted on the root domain (EXTERNAL_HOST) of the Zulip installation, run the following commands, replacing <team-name> with the name of the Mattermost team you want to import.

   {!import-self-hosted-server-tips.md!}

   cd /tmp
   tar -xf mattermost_data.tar.gz
   cd /home/zulip/deployments/current
   ./scripts/stop-server
   ./manage.py convert_mattermost_data /tmp/mattermost_data --output /tmp/converted_mattermost_data
   ./manage.py import '' /tmp/converted_mattermost_data/<team-name>
   ./scripts/start-server
   

   Alternatively, to import into a custom subdomain, run:

   cd /tmp
   tar -xf mattermost_data.tar.gz
   cd /home/zulip/deployments/current
   ./scripts/stop-server
   ./manage.py convert_mattermost_data /tmp/mattermost_data --output /tmp/converted_mattermost_data
   ./manage.py import <subdomain> /tmp/converted_mattermost_data/<team-name>
   ./scripts/start-server
   

2. Follow step 4 of the guide for installing a new Zulip server.

{tab|mm-self-hosting-cloud-export}

{!import-into-a-self-hosted-zulip-server.md!}

1. To import into an organization hosted on the root domain (EXTERNAL_HOST) of the Zulip installation, run the following commands, replacing <team-name> with the name of the Mattermost team you want to import.

   {!import-self-hosted-server-tips.md!}

   unzip latest_export.zip -d /tmp/my_mattermost_export
   mv /tmp/my_mattermost_export/import.jsonl /tmp/my_mattermost_export/export.json
   cd /home/zulip/deployments/current
   ./scripts/stop-server
   ./manage.py convert_mattermost_data /tmp/my_mattermost_export --output /tmp/converted_mattermost_data
   ./manage.py import '' /tmp/converted_mattermost_data/<team-name>
   ./scripts/start-server
   

   Alternatively, to import into a custom subdomain, run:

   unzip latest_export.zip -d /tmp/my_mattermost_export
   mv /tmp/my_mattermost_export/import.jsonl /tmp/my_mattermost_export/export.json
   cd /home/zulip/deployments/current
   ./scripts/stop-server
   ./manage.py convert_mattermost_data /tmp/my_mattermost_export --output /tmp/converted_mattermost_data
   ./manage.py import <subdomain> /tmp/converted_mattermost_data/<team-name>
   ./scripts/start-server
   

2. Follow step 4 of the guide for installing a new Zulip server.

{end_tabs}

Import details

Whether you are using Zulip Cloud or self-hosting Zulip, here are a few notes to keep in mind about the import process:

• Mattermost does not export workspace settings, so you will need to configure the settings for your Zulip organization. This includes settings like email visibility, message editing permissions, and how users can join your organization.

• Mattermost's user roles are mapped to Zulip's user roles in the following way:

Mattermost role	Zulip role
Team administrator	Owner
Member	Member

• Mattermost's export tool does not support exporting user avatars or message edit history.

• Direct messages will only be imported from Mattermost workspaces containing a single team. This is because Mattermost's data exports do not associate direct messages with a specific Mattermost team.

• Messages in threads are imported, but they are not explicitly marked as being in a thread.

Get your organization started with Zulip

{!import-get-your-organization-started.md!}

Decide how users will log in

{!import-how-users-will-log-in.md!}

Related articles

• Choosing between Zulip Cloud and self-hosting
• Moving to Zulip
• Getting started with Zulip