Know what must move.
List websites, databases, files, certificates, jobs, queues and external services. Identify authoritative DNS, mail records, domain renewals and the accounts required for the agreed work. Keep secrets out of a general enquiry.
THE LAUNCH PLAN
Make the move.
Keep the way back.
A migration succeeds when the application and its users can do the work.
Prove the destination.
Build a staging environment and test representative application paths. Check runtime versions, permissions, outbound dependencies and data consistency. A copied homepage is not a complete acceptance test.
Restore before relying on the backup.
Agree recovery objectives and retention. Test restoration into a controlled environment, including databases and required configuration. Confirm who can perform the recovery and what evidence demonstrates a usable result.
Coordinate the changes.
Plan DNS timing with its actual TTLs and resolver behaviour. Preserve relevant MX, TXT and other mail dependencies. Agree a maintenance window where needed, a final data synchronisation and the person authorised to proceed or roll back.
Make the next day clear.
Record monitoring, patching, certificate renewal, domain renewal, backup checks and escalation contacts. Confirm the application outcome after cutover and retain the previous service until the agreed acceptance and recovery conditions are satisfied.
Discuss a migration ↗