Documenso Migration Deep Dive
Current State
!npm list 2>/dev/null | head -10
Overview
Comprehensive guide for migrating to Documenso from other e-signature platforms (DocuSign, HelloSign, PandaDoc, Adobe Sign). Uses the Strangler Fig pattern for zero-downtime migration with feature flags and rollback support.
Prerequisites
- Current signing platform documented (APIs, templates, webhooks)
- Documenso account configured (see
documenso-install-auth) - Feature flag infrastructure (LaunchDarkly, environment variables, etc.)
- Parallel run capability (both platforms active during migration)
Migration Strategy: Strangler Fig Pattern
Phase 1: Parallel Systems (Week 1-2)
┌──────────┐ ┌─────────────┐
│ Your App │────▶│ Old Platform │ (100% traffic)
│ │ └─────────────┘
│ │────▶│ Documenso │ (shadow: log only, don't send)
└──────────┘ └─────────────┘
Phase 2: Gradual Cutover (Week 3-4)
┌──────────┐ ┌─────────────┐
│ Your App │────▶│ Old Platform │ (50% traffic via feature flag)
│ │ └─────────────┘
│ │────▶│ Documenso │ (50% traffic)
└──────────┘ └─────────────┘
Phase 3: Full Migration (Week 5+)
┌──────────┐ ┌─────────────┐
│ Your App │────▶│ Documenso │ (100% traffic)
└──────────┘ └─────────────┘
Old platform decommissioned
Instructions
Step 1: Pre-Migration Assessment
// scripts/assess-current-system.ts
// Inventory your current signing platform usage
interface MigrationAssessment {
platform: string;
activeTemplates: number;
documentsPerMonth: number;
webhookEndpoints: string[];
recipientRoles: string[];
fieldTypes: string[];
integrations: string[]; // CRM, database, etc.
}
async function assessCurrentSystem(): Promise<MigrationAssessment> {
// Example for DocuSign
return {
platform: "DocuSign",
activeTemplates: 15,
documentsPerMonth: 200,
webhookEndpoints: [
"https://api.yourapp.com/webhooks/docusign",
],
recipientRoles: ["Signer", "CC", "In Person Signer"],
fieldTypes: ["Signature", "Date", "Text", "Checkbox", "Initial"],
integrations: ["Salesforce", "PostgreSQL"],
};
}
Step 2: Feature Mapping
| DocuSign | HelloSign | Documenso | Notes | |----------|-----------|-----------|-------| | Envelope | Signature Request | Document | Documenso v2 also has Envelopes | | Template | Template | Template | Create via UI, use via API | | Signer | Signer | SIGNER role | Same concept | | CC | CC | CC role | Same concept | | In Person | N/A | Direct Link | Use embedded signing | | Tabs/Fields | Form Fields | Fields | SIGNATURE, TEXT, DATE, etc. | | Connect (webhooks) | Callbacks | Webhooks | document.completed, etc. | | PowerForms | N/A | Direct Links | Public signing URLs |
Step 3: Template Migration
// Templates can't be migrated via API — recreate in Documenso
// Keep template definitions in code for reproducibility
interface TemplateDef {
name: string;
description: string;
recipientRoles: Array<{ role: string; placeholder: string }>;
fields: Array<{
recipientIndex: number;
type: string;
page: number;
x: number;
y: number;
width: number;
height: number;
}>;
}
const TEMPLATES: TemplateDef[] = [
{
name: "NDA — Standard",
description: "Non-disclosure agreement template",
recipientRoles: [
{ role: "SIGNER", placeholder: "Counterparty" },
{ role: "CC", placeholder: "Legal Team" },
],
fields: [
{ recipientIndex: 0, type: "SIGNATURE", page: 2, x: 10, y: 80, width: 30, height: 5 },
{ recipientIndex: 0, type: "DATE", page: 2, x: 60, y: 80, width: 20, height: 3 },
{ recipientIndex: 0, type: "NAME", page: 2, x: 10, y: 75, width: 30, height: 3 },
],
},
// ... more templates
];
// Instructions: create each template in the Documenso UI using these specs
// Then record the template IDs in your config
Step 4: Webhook Migration
// Map old platform events to Documenso events
const EVENT_MAPPING: Record<string, string> = {
// DocuSign → Documenso
"envelope-completed": "document.completed",
"envelope-sent": "document.sent",
"envelope-declined": "document.rejected",
"envelope-voided": "document.cancelled",
"recipient-completed": "document.signed",
// HelloSign → Documenso
"signature_request_all_signed": "document.completed",
"signature_request_sent": "document.sent",
"signature_request_declined": "document.rejected",
"signature_request_signed": "document.signed",
};
// Unified handler that works with both platforms during migration
async function handleSigningEvent(source: "old" | "documenso", event: string, payload: any) {
const normalizedEvent = source === "old"
? EVENT_MAPPING[event] ?? event
: event;
switch (normalizedEvent) {
case "document.completed":
await onDocumentCompleted(payload);
break;
case "document.rejected":
await onDocumentRejected(payload);
break;
}
}
Step 5: Dual-Write with Feature Flag
// src/signing/router.ts
const USE_DOCUMENSO = process.env.USE_DOCUMENSO === "true";
async function sendForSigning(request: SigningRequest) {
if (USE_DOCUMENSO) {
return sendViaDocumenso(request);
}
return sendViaLegacy(request);
}
// During parallel phase: send via both, compare results
async function sendForSigningParallel(request: SigningRequest) {
const legacyResult = await sendViaLegacy(request);
// Shadow-send to Documenso (don't actually send to recipients)
try {
const doc = await documensoClient.documents.createV0({ title: request.title });
// Don't call sendV0 — just verify creation works
await documensoClient.documents.deleteV0(doc.documentId);
console.log("Documenso shadow test: OK");
} catch (err) {
console.error("Documenso shadow test: FAIL", err);
}
return legacyResult;
}
Step 6: Rollback Procedure
# If Documenso migration causes issues:
# 1. Disable feature flag
export USE_DOCUMENSO=false
# Or toggle in LaunchDarkly/feature flag service
# 2. Deploy the change
# All new signing requests go to old platform immediately
# 3. Handle in-flight Documenso documents
# Documents already sent via Documenso will complete there
# No action needed — they just use a different platform
# 4. Investigate and fix the issue
# Review logs, fix the integration, re-enable gradually
Migration Timeline
| Week | Phase | Action | Risk | |------|-------|--------|------| | 1 | Assessment | Inventory templates, webhooks, integrations | Low | | 2 | Setup | Configure Documenso, recreate templates | Low | | 3 | Shadow | Run parallel, compare results (no live traffic) | Low | | 4 | Pilot | 10% of new documents via Documenso | Medium | | 5 | Expand | 50% of new documents via Documenso | Medium | | 6 | Cutover | 100% via Documenso, old platform read-only | Medium | | 8 | Decommission | Remove old platform code and webhooks | Low |
Error Handling
| Migration Issue | Cause | Solution | |----------------|-------|----------| | Field position different | Different coordinate systems | Map percentage-based (Documenso) from pixel-based (old) | | Webhook format change | Different payload structure | Use event normalizer/adapter | | Template missing | Not recreated in Documenso | Create from template definitions | | High error rate during cutover | Integration bug | Pause rollout, rollback, investigate |
Resources
Next Steps
Review related skills for comprehensive coverage of your new Documenso integration.