How to Migrate to a Managed VPS With Minimal Downtime
If you're considering a move to a new hosting provider, there's usually a good reason behind it, and often a fair bit of hesitation alongside it. That's understandable. Your website or application matters to your business, and the idea of moving it somewhere new naturally raises questions. What if something breaks along the way? What if customers notice? What if it all takes longer than expected?
These are reasonable concerns, and they're ones we hear regularly.
It can help to think of it a little like moving offices. You know your current space has its problems, but you also know where everything is. The new space might genuinely be better in every way, yet there's still a period of adjustment where you need to carefully pack, transport and unpack things in the right order.
A managed VPS migration with Layershift works in much the same way, except we handle the packing and the transport. You don't need to manage the technical detail yourself. We plan the move, carry out the migration, and give you the opportunity to check everything is working correctly before we finalise anything. Where a brief pause is truly unavoidable, we'll tell you exactly when and why, well in advance.
Here's how the process actually works, step by step.
Key takeaways
- A standard VPS migration to Layershift is free.
- Your existing website stays live throughout, right up until testing is complete.
- The only pause is a short one during the final synchronisation, and only for ecommerce sites.
Planning your migration
Step 1: We start by understanding why you're moving
This is the part that sets the tone for everything else.
Before recommending anything, we want to understand what hasn't worked with your current hosting. It might be poor performance, unreliable uptime, support that's difficult to reach, security concerns, or simply outgrowing the resources you have. Whatever the reason, we need to make sure it doesn't follow you to the new server.
Moving a slow, unreliable website onto another server with the same limitations isn't really a migration. It's just relocating the same problem.
Step 2: We recommend a VPS that actually fits
Once we understand what's gone wrong, we look at what you're actually running. That includes your website or application, how many sites you manage, your typical traffic, your current specification, and your database and email requirements. We also factor in how you expect things to grow.
From there, we recommend a VPS plan that matches your needs, rather than the largest or cheapest option available.
Moving and testing your site
Step 3: We begin the migration and arrange access
Once you've purchased your new VPS, our support team gets in touch to begin the migration itself.
To copy your website across, we'll need access to your existing hosting account. Depending on what your current provider allows, this might be FTP, SSH, Control panel access, or a full backup where access isn't otherwise available. Smaller websites are usually straightforward to access this way. Larger or more complex setups sometimes require a little more coordination, and we'll explain exactly what we need for your situation before proceeding.
Step 4: We assess exactly what needs to move
We assess every migration individually, because every website is a little different.
We review what your site needs to run properly, including the software it depends on and any specific configuration in place. We test the website on the new server before sending traffic to it. This allows us to catch anything that might need attention, such as a setting that needs adjusting, or a plugin that only existed because of a quirk in your previous host's setup and that you won't need going forward.
We assess email separately, since it depends on how your current provider handles it. We'll work out the best way to migrate your mailboxes, either to your new Managed VPS or to EhloMail, our dedicated business email service.
Step 5: We migrate your website and ask you to test it
Once the groundwork is complete, we copy your website, application, databases and any uploaded content across to your new Managed VPS and get it running.
At this stage, nothing is public facing. Your existing website remains live and continues serving visitors as normal. This gives you the opportunity to test the new version properly: logging in, checking key pages, testing any forms or checkout processes, and confirming that everything behaves as expected. We resolve anything that needs adjusting before we move any further.
Step 6: We carry out the final synchronisation
Once testing is complete, we perform a final synchronisation, copying across anything that's changed since the initial migration, so we don't leave anything behind.
This is the one stage where we won't promise zero downtime, and we think it's important to be upfront about that rather than imply otherwise. For ecommerce websites in particular, we place the existing site into a short maintenance mode immediately before this final copy. This stops new orders reaching the old server while we transfer the last of your data, avoiding the more serious problem of losing an order entirely. This period is typically brief, and we agree the timing with you in advance, so it happens when it will cause the least disruption to your business.
Going live
Step 7: We coordinate the DNS change
The final step is pointing your domain at the new server, known as a DNS change. You can choose to manage this in a few ways: directly on your Managed VPS, through deSEC, our recommended DNS platform, or through your domain registrar.
If you're using deSEC alongside Plesk, we manage the relevant settings through Plesk rather than through deSEC directly, keeping everything in one place. You can read more about how that works in our guide to deSEC integration with Plesk.
DNS is also worth getting right for reasons beyond the migration itself. It's a part of your hosting setup that's easy to overlook, but it plays an important role in keeping things secure and reliable. We've written more about why that trust matters in our post on DNS trust and risk.
Whichever option you choose, we coordinate the change with you, so it takes place at a time that suits your business.
We also offer guidance when it comes to reducing the TTL to speed up the DNS changes ahead of the move, so when it's time to switch your domain over, the change takes effect faster rather than sitting behind a long cache window. One less thing to wait on during the final changeover.
Step 8: We confirm your new VPS is live and working correctly
Once we've made the DNS change, we confirm your domain is pointing to the correct place and that your website is responding correctly from your new Layershift server. If anything doesn't look right, we investigate it immediately, rather than waiting for you to notice and report it.
After the move
Step 9: You cancel your old hosting whenever you're ready
There's no deadline for cancelling your old hosting. Once you're happy everything on the new VPS is working as expected, many customers keep the previous account running for a short while afterwards, simply as a safety net while everything beds in.
What migration actually costs
A standard VPS migration to Layershift is free.
Some migrations are more involved, for example websites built across clustered databases or multiple application servers, and these may require additional engineering work at £75 per hour. If your setup is likely to fall into this category, we'll discuss it with you during the initial conversation, before the migration begins, so there are no unexpected costs partway through.
You don't need to manage this alone
Moving hosting provider can feel like a significant undertaking, particularly if you're not especially technical, or your website is one that genuinely cannot afford to go wrong.
It doesn't need to be something you handle by yourself. From identifying what hasn't worked with your current hosting, to recommending the right VPS, migrating your data, giving you time to test properly, and coordinating the final switch, our team is there for every stage of the process.
If you're considering a move to a managed VPS and would like to talk through what that would look like for your website, get in touch. We're happy to walk you through the process before you make any decision.
Frequently asked questions
Will my website experience any downtime during migration?
In most cases, no. Your existing website stays live and continues serving visitors throughout the migration and testing phases. The one exception is the final synchronisation for ecommerce websites, where we use a short maintenance period to stop new orders reaching the old server while we transfer the last of your data. We agree the timing of this with you in advance.
How long does a typical VPS migration take?
This depends on the size and complexity of your website, your database, and whether email is included. We often have straightforward websites migrated and ready for testing within a few days. Larger or more complex setups, such as those with multiple applications or clustered databases, take longer, and we'll give you a realistic timeframe once we've assessed what's involved.
What access do you need to my current hosting?
We typically need FTP, SSH or Control panel access to your existing hosting account so we can copy your website across. Where that isn't available, a full backup is usually a suitable alternative. We'll confirm exactly what we need for your setup once the migration begins.
Can you migrate my email as well as my website?
Yes. We'll assess your current email setup and work out the best way to migrate it, either to your new Managed VPS or to EhloMail, our dedicated business email service. Email migrations depend on how your current provider handles mail, so we assess it separately from the website migration.
Do I need to cancel my old hosting straight away?
No. Once your new VPS is live and you're satisfied everything is working correctly, you can cancel your previous hosting whenever suits you. Many customers keep their old account active for a short period as a safety net before letting it go.
How much does migration cost?
A standard VPS migration to Layershift is free. More complex migrations, such as those involving clustered databases or multiple application servers, may require additional engineering work at £75 per hour. We discuss any additional cost with you during the initial conversation, before the migration begins.
