It is considered normal for the vendor folder to be missing after a manual migration. This directory is almost always excluded from file transfers and version control (git) because it contains thousands of third-party files that can be easily regenerated.

Since you are on Bluehost with PHP 8.2, here am trying for you on how to bring it back.

The "Standard" Way (SSH):

1. Connect to your Bluehost server using SSH (Terminal). If you haven't set this up: Log in to Bluehost cPanel > Advanced > SSH Access to manage your keys/access.

2. Navigate to your project folder: cd public_html/your-project-folder

3. Run the specific Composer install command. /opt/cpanel/ea-php82/root/usr/bin/php /opt/cpanel/composer/bin/composer install --optimize-autoloader --no-dev

The "Upload" Way (No SSH) If you are uncomfortable with the command line, you can build the folder on your own computer and upload it.

1. On your computer, open your project in your terminal/command prompt. Run: composer install --optimize-autoloader --no-dev

2. Compress the newly created vendor folder into a ZIP file (vendor.zip).

3. Upload vendor.zip to your server folder using Bluehost's "File Manager" or an FTP client (like FileZilla).

4. Extract (Unzip) the file on the server using the Bluehost File Manager (right-click > Extract).

Important Note on composer.lock Ensure you have uploaded the composer.lock file from your local machine to the server.

Hope that helps.

I'm typing "ls -a" in my public_html folder and I am still seeing dots that represent hidden files. How do I make sure I have the correct composer.lock file?