Migrating a website to xaweho

You have an existing website with another host and want to switch to us? We’ll do it for you — a flat €49, in the background, without you spending hours on it. Here’s what you need to know and which routes work.

Three migration routes

Route 1: We migrate for you (recommended)

You send us a ticket with:

• Old host: name + URL
• Plesk or cPanel backup file (if available)
• Or login credentials for the old host’s Plesk/cPanel
• Or FTP credentials + DB dump

We do the rest:

1. Fetch the data (via backup file or directly from the old host)
2. Import it into the new Plesk setup
3. DNS preparation
4. Test
5. Switch DNS to the new IP

Result: minimal downtime (typically <30 min).

Cost: a flat €49 — including all mailboxes and web data (files plus databases).

Route 2: Plesk-to-Plesk with the Plesk Migrator

Your old host also runs Plesk? Then the move goes through the Plesk Migrator. It lives in the server admin area, which you don’t have access to as a webhosting customer — we start the transfer for you.

Process: you send us the old Plesk server’s credentials via ticket (Plesk login or SSH), we kick off the transfer and check the result.

Requirement: Plesk at the old host and an access we can get in with. Runs through the same migration service as route 1 (a flat €49).

Route 3: Manually via FTP + SQL dump

The classic way:

1. At the old host: download the files via FTP
2. Export the DB as an SQL dump
3. At xaweho: upload the files via FTP
4. Import the DB in phpMyAdmin
5. Adjust the app config (DB credentials, URL)
6. Switch DNS

More effort, but full control.

Preparation — at the old host

Pull a backup

Depending on the old host:

• Plesk backup: Account → Back Up & Restore → full backup → download
• cPanel backup: Files → Backups → account backup → download
• Manually: fetch all files via FTP + DB export from phpMyAdmin

Mail migration in parallel

If mailboxes are moving too: separate guide in Migrating mail accounts to xaweho.

Lower the DNS TTL

Before the move: set the DNS TTL at the old host to 5 minutes (300 seconds). Then the switch propagates fast.

Migration steps with our help

The typical sequence for “we migrate for you”:

Day X-7 (preparation)

• You order a Plesk plan at xaweho
• You send a ticket “Please migrate from my old host”
• You send the backup file or credentials
• We set up the Plesk account
• We import files and DB for testing (test URL with us)

Day X-1 (test)

• You check the test URL: is the site identical?
• If there are problems: we fix them
• You give the green light for go-live

Day X (switchover)

• DNS switch to our servers (you, at your domain registrar)
• We pull the final data diff (mail, latest DB changes)
• The site is live under your domain with us

Day X+1 (cleanup)

• You check that everything works
• We leave the old hosting account in place for 14 days (safety buffer)
• You cancel with the old host

The DNS switch — the critical step

Once DNS is switched, it can take between 1 minute and 24 hours until all caches worldwide see the new IP.

During that time: some visitors see the old host, some the new one — depending on which DNS resolver they use.

Consequences:

• With active email: mails may go to the old server
• With an active website: content changes on one site aren’t visible on the other

Workaround:

• Keep both servers running in parallel during DNS propagation
• Sync mail via IMAP between old and new (see mail migration)
• Keep the website read-only during the move

Adjusting URLs and paths

Some CMS have absolute URLs hardcoded in the DB.

After migration:

• WordPress: Better Search Replace plugin → http://altedomain.de → https://neuedomain.de
• Manually in the DB: SQL update (careful with serialized data)
• Joomla: adjust Configuration → Site URL

Pitfalls

PHP version mismatch

Old host on PHP 7.x, the new site with us on PHP 8.x — code incompatibilities are possible.

Solution: first set the PHP version with us to match the old one (for the migration), then upgrade step by step.

Database charset problems

Old DB: latin1, new one: utf8mb4. Umlauts get displayed wrong.

Solution: set the charset explicitly to utf8mb4 on import into Plesk, convert existing data.

Path problems

Old host: /var/www/..., with us /var/www/vhosts/deinedomain.de/httpdocs/.

Files with absolute paths in the config (e.g. a WordPress caching plugin with a hardcoded path) break.

Solution: adjust the config files.

.htaccess specifics

Some .htaccess directives (e.g. mod_python, exotic Apache modules) aren’t active with us.

Solution: reduce .htaccess to standard Apache directives.

SSL certificate

Old SSL certs don’t come along. With us: Let’s Encrypt on the new domain.

Important: adjust the https URLs in the site and the DB.

Mail during migration

The most common weak spot. Mail server and web server often have separate DNS records:

• A record: points to the web server
• MX record: points to the mail server

You can migrate web without mail. Recommended:

1. Migrate web first — switch the A record, web runs with us
2. Mail stays with the old host for 1 week (stability test)
3. Then migrate mail — switch the MX record (see Migrating mail accounts)

Frequently asked questions

What does the migration cost? A flat €49 — including all mailboxes and web data (files plus databases). For extremely complex setups (multi-site, custom server config) we tell you upfront if it’ll be more.

How long does a migration take? Small site (1 GB): 1-2 hours of setup, plus DNS propagation. Medium (10 GB): half a day. Large (100 GB+): several days.

Can I test the site with you before switching DNS? Yes. We give you a test URL (<deinedomain>.preview.xaweho.de) — you check everything, then we switch.

What about custom DNS records (e.g. for Office 365 mail)? We take over your DNS records 1:1, plus adjust MX/SPF/DKIM to our mail server (if your mail is with us).

Anything special about WordPress migrations? There’s a dedicated article: Migrating WordPress to xaweho.

What happens if data is lost during migration? We always make a backup before migrating. In case of problems: rollback to the old host (access must still be active) or restore from the backup.

Can we do a trial migration? Yes, on request. You send the backup file, we import it, you test, then we decide on going live.

Do we keep the old mail address domain? Yes. As long as the domain stays yours (at your domain registrar or registered here): all addresses keep working.

What’s next

• Migrating WordPress to xaweho
• Migrating mail accounts to xaweho
• Creating backups and restoring