Moving your entire VPS to a new hosting provider — whether for cost, performance, or feature reasons — requires careful planning to minimize downtime and avoid data loss. This guide covers the complete migration process.
Before You Start: Create a Migration Checklist
Document everything running on the current server:
- All installed software and versions
- Databases and their sizes
- Cron jobs
- SSL certificates and domains
- Firewall rules
- Any custom configuration
Step 1 — Provision the New VPS
Match or exceed the current server's specifications, and install the same OS version for maximum compatibility.
Step 2 — Harden the New Server
Follow How to Harden a Fresh Linux VPS in 15 Minutes before migrating anything of value onto it.
Step 3 — Install Required Software
Install the same web server, database engine, runtime versions, and any other software the old server had — use your infrastructure documentation from How to Back Up Configuration Files and Server State if you maintained one.
Step 4 — Transfer Databases
mysqldump -u root -p --all-databases | gzip > full-db-backup.sql.gz
scp full-db-backup.sql.gz user@NEW_SERVER_IP:/tmp/
gunzip -c /tmp/full-db-backup.sql.gz | mysql -u root -pSee How to Migrate a Database to a New VPS for engine-specific detail.
Step 5 — Transfer Application Files
rsync -avz --progress /var/www/ user@NEW_SERVER_IP:/var/www/Step 6 — Transfer Configuration
Copy over web server virtual host configs, cron jobs, and any custom scripts — adjusting paths/usernames as needed if they differ from the old server.
Step 7 — Test on the New Server BEFORE Switching DNS
Access the new server directly by IP, or temporarily edit your local machine's /etc/hosts file to point the domain at the new IP for testing purposes without affecting other visitors:
NEW_SERVER_IP yourdomain.comThoroughly test the application on the new server this way before any public DNS change.
Step 8 — Set Up SSL on the New Server
sudo certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.comThis won't succeed until DNS actually points to the new server, so this step typically happens right after cutover, or via DNS challenge beforehand for zero-downtime SSL readiness — see How to Install a Wildcard SSL Certificate with Certbot DNS Challenge for the DNS challenge approach.
Step 9 — Lower DNS TTL in Advance
At least 24 hours before cutover, lower your DNS TTL to speed up propagation once you do switch — see How to Migrate DNS to a New Provider Without Downtime for the full technique (the same TTL principle applies to any DNS record change, not just provider migrations).
Step 10 — Cut Over DNS
Update your A record to point to the new server's IP.
Step 11 — Monitor Closely During Propagation
Watch both old and new servers' logs during the transition window, since some traffic will still reach the old server until propagation fully completes.
Step 12 — Keep the Old Server Running as a Fallback
Don't decommission the old VPS immediately — keep it running (but not actively serving traffic) for at least a week in case you need to quickly revert.
Step 13 — Final Verification and Decommission
Once confident the new server is stable, cancel the old VPS — see How to Cancel or Request a Refund for Your VPS Hosting.
Common Errors
Application works differently on the new server — check for software version mismatches (PHP, database engine) between old and new.
Some visitors briefly see the old site after cutover — expected during DNS propagation if TTL wasn't lowered sufficiently in advance.
Related Articles
- How to Migrate a Database to a New VPS
- How to Migrate DNS to a New Provider Without Downtime
- How to Harden a Fresh Linux VPS in 15 Minutes
