Hosting Migration: Move Your App to a New Server With Low Downtime
I move your app, database, files and workers to a new server or provider with a written plan, a fresh backup, a rollback path and a short maintenance window you approve. From $390 ($300 founding) for one site or app, usually 1–3 weeks. Email the current and target hosting to start.
See a sample report, proposal and weekly update- Price
- from $390
- Founding
- from $300
- Timeline
- ~1 week
- Format
- Fixed scope, fixed price
- Hours
- US Eastern Time, async
Who this is for.
A good fit if
- Apps on an aging server, a shared host or a provider you want to leave
- Teams whose OS or runtime is past end of life and want a clean rebuild
- Agencies moving client apps between hosts
Common triggers
- The OS or database is past end of life (for example MySQL 8.0 ended April 2026)
- The host raised prices or had repeated outages
- The server was built by someone who has left
Not a fit if
- You need email mailboxes moved (I keep your DNS mail records working, but don’t move mailboxes)
- You need zero downtime across a large, busy database
- The destination is Kubernetes or a multi-region setup
What I do, and what you get.
What I do
- Inventory the old setup: app, database, files, cron, workers, DNS, TLS
- Write a migration plan with a rollback plan and a maintenance window for your sign-off
- Build the new server and deploy the app
- Take a fresh backup before anything moves
- Copy data, test on a temporary hostname, then switch DNS in the window
- Keep the old server untouched until you confirm (rollback = point DNS back)
What you get
- A signed-off migration plan with rollback steps
- The app running on the new server, tested
- A post-migration checklist with results
- Runbook for the new server and handover notes
Your part
- Access to old and new hosting, DNS and domain registrar
- Approval of the plan and the maintenance window
- Someone to test key flows after the switch
- Keeping the old server running for at least 7 days after
Included
- App, database, files, workers, cron
- TLS, DNS switch, rollback plan
- Pre-migration backup and post-checks
- DNS/mail-record add-on (records only)
Not included
- Mailbox migration
- Hosting costs on either side
- Code changes beyond config
- Zero-downtime guarantees
Fixed prices, agreed before work starts.
One site or simple app
App + database + workers, low-downtime cutover
Several apps or app/database split
DNS move with mail records kept working (added to any plan)
Build your scope
- Timeline
- ~1 week
- Payment
- Paid in full before work starts
- Earliest start
- Oct 5
Founding price: 3 of 7 spots left, until Mar 31, 2027 — one-off work, in return for a testimonial. How it works
Prices are in USD, paid by bank transfer against an invoice. Work under $1,000 is paid upfront; larger work is 50% to start and 50% before handover, or monthly milestones. How working together works
Variations
- Simple site (Starter)
- WordPress or one simple site.
- App with database and workers (Standard)
- A low-downtime sync, then a final delta in the window.
- Several apps or split (Plus)
- Several apps, or an app and database on separate servers.
- Cloud to cloud
- The same steps, with data transfer planned by size.
- DNS/email add-on
- Move DNS hosting and keep MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records correct.
How it runs.
- 01
Send hosting details
Email your current and target hosting, app list and data size, and I reply within one US business day.
- 02
Inventory and plan
I inventory the setup read-only and write a plan with rollback and a proposed window, with a prepaid invoice.
- 03
You sign off
You sign off the plan and the window.
- 04
Build and test
I build the new server, sync the data and test on a temporary hostname.
- 05
Cutover and checks
I cut over in the window and run post-checks, keeping the old server for rollback until you confirm.
Where I have done this before.
Questions buyers ask.
How long will the site be down?
Usually minutes for small apps, set by the final data sync. The exact window is in the plan you approve.
What if something goes wrong?
The old server stays as it was. Rollback is pointing DNS back, written step by step.
Will you move our email?
No mailboxes. I keep your mail DNS records working if you take the add-on.
Do we lose data written during the switch?
Writes are paused during the window, so nothing is lost.
Have you done server migrations before?
Yes. I worked as a server migration and support engineer in 2018–19.
Ask about Hosting Migration.
Tell me what you have and where it hurts. I reply within one US business day with either a fixed quote or the entry step that makes a fixed quote possible.
Helpful to include
- Current host and OS
- Target host
- Apps and stacks
- Database type and size
- File storage size
- Email on the domain?
- Preferred window (US Eastern)
- Deadline
More in Cloud & Server Migration
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I move your Heroku (or similar PaaS) app to Docker on a VPS you own: web, worker, Postgres, Redis, scheduler and deploys, with a backup, a rollback plan and a short approved window. From $780 ($600 founding), typically 2–4 weeks. A new service. Email your Heroku app list and add-ons to start.
AWS to VPS Migration
For small apps paying more for AWS than they need, I move EC2, RDS, ElastiCache and S3-backed workloads to a simpler VPS you own, with backups, a rollback plan and an approved window, after a Cloud Cost Review. From $1,560 ($1,200 founding), about 4–6 weeks. Email your AWS services and bill.
Database Migration
I move your data between database engines with a backup, a rehearsal, row-count checks, a rollback plan and a window you approve. Redis to Valkey from $260 ($200 founding). MySQL ↔ Postgres from $1,040 ($800 founding) after a short assessment, for apps with up to 30 tables that mostly use an ORM. Email your database and stack.