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Do you want to move your web hosting from another provider to BEST-HOSTING? You can move your website to new hosting without unnecessary downtime. First you set up the new web hosting, move your files and database, test everything, and only then point your domain to BEST-HOSTING.
This guide takes you through the website migration step by step - from ordering the new hosting to pointing your domain.
We will move your website for you for free. Order web hosting and send our technical support the login details for your current hosting (FTP and database, if you have one). We will take care of the move and let you know when the website is ready for the domain switch.
Before you start, make sure you have access to your current hosting provider. Depending on your website, you will mainly need:
Tip: Do not cancel your old web hosting yet. First move the website to BEST-HOSTING, test it, and only then cancel the old hosting.
First, order hosting for your existing domain on the Web hosting page.
Complete and pay for the order. Once your payment arrives, the web hosting is set up automatically and you will receive your FTP login details at the e-mail address you used when you registered.
If you also want to transfer the domain itself to BEST-HOSTING, you can do it together with the hosting (see step 7).
Important: Ordering new hosting does not stop your current website. It can keep running at your current provider until the migration is finished.
Before you start, we recommend making a full backup of your website.
Back up mainly:
For a simple website made of HTML/PHP files, it is enough to download the files, for example with an FTP client.
If you use WordPress, remember to move the database as well as the files. WordPress stores most of its content, settings and other data in the database.
Connect to your old hosting over FTP and download the website files to your computer.
Then connect to your new hosting at BEST-HOSTING over FTP and upload the files there. See How to connect to the server via FTP.
During the transfer, check mainly:
For larger websites, the file transfer can take some time.
If your website uses a MySQL database, you need to move its content too.
At your old hosting, create a database export with phpMyAdmin or another tool.
Then create a new database at BEST-HOSTING and import the exported data into it.
After the import, check that the database contains all the tables you need.
If you use WordPress, Joomla, Drupal or another system that works with a database, you need to update its configuration so it uses the new database.
In WordPress, these are mainly the details in the wp-config.php file:
When moving WordPress, it is important to move both the files and the database. Uploading the WordPress folder alone is not enough.
This is an important step if you want to move your website without downtime.
Your domain can still point to the old hosting while you check that the copy of your website at BEST-HOSTING works correctly.
You can test the website before changing DNS by editing the hosts file
on your computer. The file is located:
C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts (open it in an editor started as administrator),/etc/hosts.Add a line like this at the end of the file:
IP_ADDRESS yourdomain.com www.yourdomain.comYou can find the IP addresses of your services in the administration on the Profile page.
After this change, your computer will open the domain from the new server, while
other visitors still see the website on the old hosting.
When you finish testing, remove the line from the hosts file.
Once you are sure the website works on the new hosting, you can point your domain to BEST-HOSTING.
If your domain is still with your original registrar, you do not have to transfer it just because you change web hosting. Web hosting and domain registration are two different services.
You can keep the domain with your current registrar and only change its DNS settings, in one of two ways.
Tip: One day before the switch, lower the TTL of your domain's DNS records at your current DNS provider (for example to 300 seconds). The change will then take effect within minutes instead of up to 24 hours.
At your domain registrar, set the BEST-HOSTING nameservers:
You then manage your domain's DNS records directly in the BEST-HOSTING administration and have everything in one place. If you use the domain for services outside our hosting (for example e-mail at another provider), first copy their DNS records (MX, SPF, DKIM, etc.) to the BEST-HOSTING administration, otherwise they will stop working after the switch. More in How to set nameservers for hosting at best-hosting.cz.
If you want to keep DNS with your current provider, change only the domain's
A record and the record for www there to the IP address
of your new hosting at BEST-HOSTING (the same one you used in step 5).
All other records, including e-mail, stay the same.
After the DNS change, it may take some time before the new settings reach all visitors.
That is why you should not cancel the old hosting right after the DNS change.
If you want not only to change web hosting but also to transfer your domain to BEST-HOSTING, you can do a domain transfer as well. Enter the domain on the Domain registration page and order its transfer.
A domain transfer to another registrar uses an authorization code, AUTH-ID / AUTHINFO.
For .CZ domains, we will send you the AUTH-ID by e-mail after you complete the transfer order.
For other domains, you need to get the authorization code from your current registrar.
Then send the authorization code to podpora@best-hosting.cz.
If you also have mailboxes at your original web hosting, you need to plan their move separately.
Before changing DNS, check:
If you want your e-mail at BEST-HOSTING, create mailboxes with the same addresses in the administration before changing DNS. Only then switch the nameservers or the MX record, so no message gets lost.
Note: Moving the website files does not move the content of your mailboxes.
If you want to keep your old e-mails, move them as well before you cancel the original hosting.
After the DNS change, check again that the website works correctly.
We recommend checking mainly:
Once the website works fully at BEST-HOSTING and you have also checked DNS, the database and e-mail, you can cancel the original web hosting.
We recommend keeping the old hosting active for some time after the migration.
This way you can go back to the original website if an unexpected problem appears after the DNS change.
A migration done right does not have to mean long downtime.
The most important thing is not to change DNS before the website is fully ready on the new server.
This way you can do most of the migration while visitors still use the original hosting. The same steps apply to WordPress and other content management systems.
First order the new hosting, move your website files and database to it, test the new website and then change your domain's DNS records so they point to the new server. Cancel the old hosting only after you have checked that everything works. We can also move the website for you for free.
You do not have to transfer the domain to a new registrar. Just order the new web hosting and then change your domain's DNS records so they point to the new hosting.
Copying the website itself can take from a few minutes to several hours, depending on the size of the website and the database. After the DNS change, you also need to allow some time for the new DNS settings to take effect.
If the migration is done correctly, you should not lose any data. Before the migration, we always recommend making a full backup of your files and database and keeping the old hosting until the new website is checked.
No. Moving web hosting and transferring a domain are two different things. You can keep the domain with your current registrar and only change its DNS settings.
For WordPress, you need to move both the website files and the database and then update the login details for the new database. Before changing DNS, we recommend testing the new website thoroughly.
Your old hosting stays active until you cancel it or let the service expire. We recommend cancelling it only after the migration is finished and the website is checked.
You do not have to do the whole move yourself.
We will move your website and database to BEST-HOSTING for free and gladly help you with the domain transfer. If you are not sure about the steps or do not want to risk a mistake during the migration, contact our technical support.
BEST-HOSTING technical support:
+420 491 618 519
podpora@best-hosting.cz
