Server Migration Checklist: Move Your Website or App Without Downtime

Server migrations rarely fail because of the big things. They fail because of the small things nobody listed: an email record, a scheduled job, a hard-coded path or a forgotten SSL certificate. Use this checklist.

1. Inventory everything

• [ ] Websites, apps and domains
• [ ] Databases (type, version, size)
• [ ] Files and uploads
• [ ] Email (hosted on the server, or elsewhere?)
• [ ] DNS records (A, CNAME, MX, TXT for SPF/DKIM/DMARC)
• [ ] SSL certificates
• [ ] Cron jobs and background workers
• [ ] Environment variables and secrets
• [ ] Third-party integrations and IP allow-lists

2. Prepare

• [ ] Full backups of files and databases, tested by restoring them
• [ ] Lower DNS TTLs (e.g. to 5 minutes) a day or two before
• [ ] Build the new server with matching software versions
• [ ] Write a rollback plan

3. Rehearse

• [ ] Copy everything to the new server
• [ ] Test it using a hosts-file override or temporary domain
• [ ] Check forms, logins, payments, emails and scheduled jobs

4. Cut over

• [ ] Choose a quiet time window
• [ ] Put the old site in maintenance mode, or freeze writes
• [ ] Do a final data sync
• [ ] Switch DNS
• [ ] Re-issue or install SSL

5. After go-live

• [ ] Monitor errors, speed and uptime
• [ ] Check email delivery (check records with the DNS lookup tool)
• [ ] Keep the old server for a week before shutting it down
• [ ] Restore DNS TTLs to normal

Moving to the cloud specifically? See cloud migration for UAE businesses.

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