Your site slows down at peak hours, your shared hosting dashboard shows its limits and your database keeps growing? You are at the classic stage where a professional website moves from a shared account to a VPS server. Good news: this migration is within reach of any team that prepares it properly.
The scary word is "switchover": DNS, files, database, emails. Well organized, the transition runs without data loss and with minimal interruption for your visitors. Here is the step-by-step plan, from the initial inventory to the post-switch checks.
Why leave shared hosting?
With shared hosting, your site shares the processor, memory, and disk with other accounts on the same machine. A resource-hungry neighbor can slow your site down, and you cannot configure the server: PHP version, extensions, cache — everything is imposed. A VPS changes the game, because it is a virtual server with dedicated resources and full administrator access.
What actually changes:
- dedicated resources: your traffic peaks no longer depend on the activity of other accounts;
- a dedicated IPv4: useful for sending email, for APIs, or for your domain's reputation;
- the freedom to configure: install only what your project needs;
- support services: a management panel, automatic backups, and support are part of the offer at serious hosting providers.
That is the case with Open Vista, an IT consulting firm based in Rabat, Morocco, which operates its own KVM virtualization (Proxmox). Every NVMe VPS plan includes a dedicated IPv4, a management panel, automatic backups, deployment in under 15 minutes, and 24/7 support in French and English.
Before migrating: the full inventory
An hour of preparation saves a night of catching up. Before ordering anything, gather these seven items:
1. The list of sites and domains to migrate, including subdomains and redirects.
2. Email accounts and DNS records: MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC. Forgetting them is the most common mistake.
3. A complete export of the files via FTP or the shared hosting file manager.
4. An export of the database (SQL dump) and of all tables.
5. The exact versions used: PHP, MySQL, extensions, and libraries.
6. SSL certificates and their renewal dates, to avoid any browser warning.
7. A quiet window: choose a low-traffic slot and notify your team.
Important tip: if your domain uses DNS records with a high TTL, lower it 24 to 48 hours before the switch. Propagation will then be almost immediate on the day.
The step-by-step migration
Once preparation is complete, follow this order:
1. Order your VPS at my.openvista.ma and choose a plan suited to the estimated load: the server is deployed in under 15 minutes, with its dedicated IPv4 and its management panel.
2. Secure access immediately: change the default passwords, create your user, enable the firewall.
3. Install the service stack: web server (Nginx or Apache), PHP, and database system, in the versions noted in step 4 of the inventory.
4. Transfer the files from the site to the VPS, preserving the original directory structure.
5. Import the database into the new server and verify the number of imported tables.
6. Adapt the configuration: file paths, database connection file (wp-config.php, .env), file permissions.
7. Test before the switch: to do this, temporarily point your machine to the VPS IP address (local hosts file) and browse the site, the forms, and the admin area.
8. Switch the DNS: replace the A and www records with the dedicated IPv4 of the new server.
9. Keep the old hosting for a few days: if you forgot something, you can still retrieve a file or a setting.
After the switch: the checks that matter
Once the DNS switch is done, do not close the tab right away. Go through this checklist:
- the site responds over HTTPS, with no missing certificate;
- the forms do send emails and replies arrive;
- the admin area and the dynamic pages work;
- the web server logs show no unusual errors;
- the automatic backups of the new VPS are active and verified;
- the old email accounts remain accessible during the overlap period.
Once everything has been validated for several days, you can cancel the old hosting with peace of mind.
FAQ
Will the migration take my site offline?
If the DNS TTL was lowered in advance and the tests are done before the switch, downtime is limited to a few minutes while propagation completes. The site stays online on the old server until the records are changed.
What about my business email?
During the migration, mailboxes remain on the old hosting if the MX records do not change. You can migrate the accounts afterward, or gradually point email to the new server while keeping the old one available in read-only mode for a few days.
Will I lose data?
No, if the export is complete and verified: files, database, and DNS settings. The automatic backups included in Open Vista's VPS plans add extra safety after the switch.
Do I need to be an expert to migrate on my own?
The plan above can be carried out by anyone comfortable with a management panel. If you would rather have help, Open Vista's 24/7 support in French and English — an IT consulting firm based in Rabat, Morocco — can guide you step by step.
Conclusion: migrate in stages, without stress
Shared hosting got your project started; an NVMe VPS gives it the resources to grow. The key to a successful migration comes down to three words: prepare, test, verify. The inventory, the gradual DNS switch, and the post-migration checks guarantee a transition with no data loss.
Open Vista's NVMe VPS plans start at $9.99/month, with no commitment, each with a dedicated IPv4, a management panel, automatic backups, and 24/7 FR/EN support. Compare them on the Open Vista VPS page then order online at my.openvista.ma : your server is deployed in under 15 minutes.