# What migrates, what needs manual work, and how to verify - **Authors:** Tim Benniks - **Published:** 2026-06-11T12:23:33.877Z - **Updated:** 2026-06-11T12:24:20.891Z - **Tags:** headless, content_modeling, api, taxonomy --- A real migration is more than content types and entries. This chapter lists what comes across automatically, what needs manual attention, and the checklist to confirm the migration is complete. ## What you'll learn - The full set of content and configuration that migrates - The items that require manual work after migration - A verification checklist for content and code ## What migrates automatically The content migration covers: - Content types and fields, including help text, descriptions, default values, and slug handling - Entries, including references, localized variants, and entry tags - Assets and media, with re-linking - Locales and languages, with master-locale detection and fallback - Taxonomy and terms - Rich text converted to JSON RTE, with embedded entries and assets preserved as references - Environments mapped to branches - Webhooks - Roles and permissions, mapped to built-in or custom Contentstack roles - Marketplace apps and extensions, including DAM apps such as Cloudinary and Bynder - Delivery and preview token provisioning, with Live Preview and Personalize enabled ## What needs manual work A few items cannot migrate cleanly, mostly because the source redacts or omits them: - Webhook secret values are redacted in Contentful exports and cannot be read back. Re-enter them in Contentstack by hand. - Publish rules require reconstruction through the Contentstack Management API, because they are not represented in Contentful exports. - Users, memberships, and single sign-on configuration require re-invitation and setup. - Releases and scheduled actions must be recreated and rescheduled. - Global fields are an optional content-modeling refactor, not required for a one-to-one migration. ## Verification checklist Confirm the content migration before moving on: - Imported counts for locales, content types, assets, and entries match the exported counts. - A sample entry resolves its references and renders its rich text. - Localized entries and fallback behavior match the source. - Assets carry the dimensions and types your components expect. Then confirm the code migration: - The app builds, and the migration check suite passes. - The homepage and listing pages render published content from Contentstack. - Reference-heavy and rich-text pages render correctly. - Live Preview reads draft content where the app supports it. - Every TODO(migration) comment has been reviewed. ## Key takeaways - Most content and configuration migrates automatically, including environments, roles, and DAM apps. - Webhook secrets, publish rules, users and SSO, and releases need manual work. - Verify that imported counts match exported counts before trusting the migration. - Confirm published delivery, references, rich text, and Live Preview in the migrated app. --- ## Frequently asked questions ### What content and configuration migrates automatically? Content types and fields, entries (including references, localization, and tags), assets, locales, taxonomy, webhooks, roles/permissions, apps/extensions, and token provisioning migrate automatically. ### How is rich text handled during migration? Rich text is converted to JSON RTE, and embedded entries/assets are preserved as references. ### Which items require manual work after migration? Webhook secret values must be re-entered, publish rules must be rebuilt via the Contentstack Management API, users/SSO must be reconfigured, and releases/scheduled actions must be recreated. ### What should be verified before trusting the migrated content? Match exported vs imported counts for locales, content types, assets, and entries; validate reference resolution, rich text rendering, localization fallback behavior, and asset metadata (dimensions/types). ### What should be checked in the migrated codebase? Ensure the app builds and checks pass, key pages render published content, reference-heavy and rich-text pages render correctly, Live Preview reads drafts where supported, and all TODO(migration) items are reviewed. --- ## Chapter Navigation **← Previous:** [Migrating your application code](https://developers.contentstack.com/guides/migrating-from-contentful-to-contentstack-in-depth/migrating-your-application-code) **Next →:** [Troubleshooting and next steps](https://developers.contentstack.com/guides/migrating-from-contentful-to-contentstack-in-depth/troubleshooting-and-next-steps)