VPS migration
Bring up a copy on Vertra Cloud, move variables and data, test on the platform address and only then point the DNS. The old VPS keeps serving until you decide.
Your own server gives you control, and work along with it: the system, updates, the process, the certificate, backups. On a PaaS you hand over the code and the platform takes care of the rest.
Updating the operating system, applying patches and watching the server is routine on a VPS. On a PaaS, language versions are maintained by the platform, with security updates.
systemd, pm2 or supervisor exist for this. On Vertra Cloud the container is restarted automatically when the application crashes, on every application.
The SSL/TLS certificate is issued and renewed before it expires, with HTTP to HTTPS redirect on by default, custom domains included (depending on the plan).
Application and database snapshots, with restore and zip download. Before deleting or resetting a database, the platform takes a safety snapshot on its own.
The comparison covers the tasks that weigh most on whoever maintains a VPS.
| Task | On a VPS | On Vertra Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | You update and monitor it. | The platform maintains the runtime environment. |
| Language version | Install and update by hand. | Pick the version in the dashboard, among 13 languages. |
| Keeping the app up | systemd, pm2 or supervisor. | Automatic container restart. |
| HTTPS | Certbot, renewal and redirects. | Automatic SSL/TLS, with HTTP to HTTPS redirect. |
| Deploy | scp, rsync or git pull on the server. | Zip, GitHub, CLI or VS Code extension. |
| Database | Install, configure and update the engine. | Managed PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis and MySQL, with mandatory TLS. |
| Backups | A script and storage on your own. | Application and database snapshots. |
| Logs | journalctl, log files and SSH. | Live logs in the dashboard. |
| Disk | Whatever the server has. | 10 GB per application. |
In exchange, you stop administering the server: each application runs in an isolated container, and anything that does not fit that model has to be adapted before you move.
Moving does not require rewriting the application. The sequence is to bring up a copy, move configuration and data, test, and only then move the traffic.
The port comes from PORT and the server listens on 0.0.0.0. Secrets come from environment variables. The start command does not depend on a Procfile or a file from the VPS, and nothing important is written only to local disk. A Procfile with web: node server.js becomes START=node server.js in vertracloud.config.
Upload the .zip, import the GitHub repository or run vertra upload. Keep the VPS live and do not touch the DNS yet.
Recreate the variables under Settings, leaving out PORT and HOST, which the platform sets. It is a good moment to rotate secrets instead of copying them.
Create the database and use the engine's own tools: pg_dump and pg_restore, mongodump and mongorestore, mysqldump. For Redis, recreate the keys that matter or let the cache warm up again. The connection requires TLS and a client certificate.
Use the *.vertraweb.app address and exercise the flows that matter while watching the Logs tab.
Put the old application in read-only or maintenance mode, run a final data sync and point the DNS at Vertra Cloud with a custom domain. Lower the record's TTL to a few minutes the day before, and keep the VPS for a few days as a fallback before shutting it down.
Usually not. What tends to change is small: the port comes from PORT, secrets move to environment variables and the start command goes into the configuration (a Procfile becomes START= in vertracloud.config). The code stays the same.
It does not have to. The safe order is to bring up a copy, test it on the platform address and only then switch the DNS, with the old VPS serving until then. Lowering the DNS TTL before the switch makes the change, or the rollback, propagate faster.
Export with the engine's tool, create a new database and import: pg_dump and pg_restore for PostgreSQL, mongodump and mongorestore for MongoDB, mysqldump for MySQL. The connection requires TLS and a client certificate, so the application's connection string changes.
The platform runs 13 languages, including Node.js, Python, Go, Rust, Java, PHP, Ruby, Deno, .NET and Elixir. When you upload a zip, Next.js, Nuxt, SvelteKit, Remix, Astro and Vite projects already arrive with suggested build and start commands.
You stop administering the machine. In exchange, each application runs in an isolated container, with a terminal and logs in the dashboard, and the platform takes care of the system and the certificates.
Yes. A custom domain gets automatic SSL after the DNS is validated, and the HTTP to HTTPS redirect is on by default. Custom domains depend on the plan; check the pricing page.
You test everything on the platform address, and the VPS keeps serving until the DNS switch.
Start the migration