How to Migrate from Shared Hosting to a VPS

Why Move to a VPS?

Shared hosting limits your control over resources, software, and configuration. Migrating to a Breeze gives you root access, dedicated resources, and the freedom to install any software stack you need.

Step 1: Inventory Your Current Setup

Before migrating, document everything on your shared host:

• Website files and their locations
• Databases (MySQL/MariaDB names and users)
• Email accounts and forwarders
• Cron jobs and scheduled tasks
• SSL certificates
• DNS records

Step 2: Set Up Your Breeze

Provision a new Breeze and install your web stack:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install nginx mysql-server php-fpm php-mysql php-curl php-xml php-mbstring -y

Step 3: Export and Transfer Files

On your shared host, create a compressed archive of your site files:

# On shared host (via SSH or file manager)
tar czf site-backup.tar.gz -C /home/user/public_html .

# Transfer to your Breeze
scp site-backup.tar.gz root@your-breeze-ip:/var/www/html/

Step 4: Export and Import Databases

# Export from shared host
mysqldump -u dbuser -p dbname > database.sql

# Import on your Breeze
mysql -u root -p dbname < database.sql

Step 5: Update DNS

Point your domain A record to your Breeze IP. Keep TTL low (300 seconds) during migration so changes propagate quickly. Once everything is confirmed working, increase TTL back to 3600.

Step 6: Install SSL

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y
sudo certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com -d www.yourdomain.com

Post-Migration Checks

• Test all site pages and forms
• Verify database connectivity
• Re-create cron jobs on the Breeze
• Set up automated backups