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When your website or application keeps changing or growing to the extent that it needs more resources, server migration becomes an inevitable process for you. Meaning, you will have to consider it at one or another point. Thus, getting familiar with server migration and the steps required to migrate a server will help you plan a solid strategy and avoid any mistakes down the road.
Server migration means moving your critical data from one server to another and configuring the new server so that it can replace the previous server without causing any complications.
When the term ‘server migration is discussed in the context of web hosting, it revolves around setting up a web server and database software, copying or moving websites and their configurations, and changing the Domain Name System (DNS) so that visitors directly go to the new server instead of previous one.
 Many website and application owners don’t know when they should consider server migration and, as a result, they continue to struggle with limited resources, low website speed, and poor website functionality.
Each plan of server or web hosting is devised to meet particular needs for a website or an application. When your website or application is new, investing in a cheaper, small solution is a wise decision.
However, as your website or application grows or changes over time, their need for resources and ability to handle growing visitors also changes.
When you happen to find that your website is not getting enough resources that it needs through the current server solution or your website performance starts degrading significantly due to speed and other factors, know that it is high time to go for server migration.
Apart from this, you can also consider server migration for the following reasons:
Though server migration may seem easy on the surface, it must be handled carefully. When stuck with the wrong server solution, you will not only waste your time, effort, and money but will also experience downtime and a significant decrease in profits.
Choosing the right server solution requires thoughtful planning. Thus, it is important to know the steps that make server migration successful.
All of your website/application data must reside properly and in the right place on your server. For that, you will need to properly size the new server and prepare it for incoming data and digital assets. You must ensure that the services and packages that your site requires are already available and installed in the new server environment.
When migrating, build in around 20 percent extra storage space so that your website will have extra room to install and process data that is being migrated and the data that will be created in the future over time.
All data must be accounted for before the migration and installed correctly after migration. Losing even a tiny bit of data can create complications during the transition. So, it is critical to take some time and note what parts of your site are crucial and what parts engage with other services. For instance, plugins and themes can affect various pages when not installed correctly. A data governance plan can make things easier and safer.
You have prepared your new server, and you have secured all your data. Now, it’s time to make a copy of all the data. Data transfer is usually the most time-consuming part of the server migration process. With higher bandwidth, the speed of data transfer is typically higher. To avoid losing any data or preventing your employees from adding new data accidentally, you can put a ‘freeze’ on your website.
Once the complete data is transferred, you must check for the full functionality. Investing ample time in testing means you can prevent most issues later. Stick with rigorous testing to identify unanticipated issues, assess the effectiveness of their strategies, and confirm details on how the process and new server environment are faring.
After completing the testing phase and ensuring that everything is working fine, you can switch your DNS so that the traffic is diverted from the previous server to the new server. Though it is a simple process, it should be done when the traffic and usage are low, for instance during the night or weekend.
Even though you have migrated your website or application to a new server, it is better to keep your previous server active for some time as a backup so that you have a fallback option or a point of reference if an unknown problem occurs.
Keep these things in mind, and you are less likely to encounter major issues during server migration.