Most hosting clients start their hosting journey on a shared server plan. Considering it to be the most affordable option to launch a new website it is less than surprising. But as the website grows and attracts more users, it is natural to opt for an upgrade.

Although there are many possible solutions like VPS, Dedicated Server Hosting Dubai, cloud hosting in Dubai, unless there is some specific need, VPS servers are the next logical option.

How to upgrade from shared to VPS hosting?

If you have chosen a self-managed VPS hosting UAE, there is a possibility that you have to transfer your site data manually from the existing account to the new one. In such instances, you can follow these simple steps:

1.    Create a Site Backup

To begin with, you need to copy your website files and other associated databases, so that the transfer to the new server is seamless.

For that, log into the control panel with your current hosting company in Dubai. For the files, you can use an FTP client like FileZilla to link to your hosting account. Your site files will be typically located in the root folder. Click on the export option. By doing so you will create an archive with your site data.

For the databases, you have to locate php MyAdmin tool in your control panel. Once you login locate the related database and hit export. After all the information is verified, click Go to finish the process. If you prefer retaining your email communication as well, be sure to download your messages through the mail client before you continue.

2.    Set up the VPS.

Web hosting providers manage this step, but self-managed VPS owners will have to review it, nonetheless. A majority of hosts utilize the LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP), but you have the freedom to configure a completely different server technology. Consult with your provider about other probable options.

3.    Upload site data on the new VPS

This is the step where the archives from step 1 are moved into the new virtual server. This can be easily done by a secure SSH connection. The following commands should be used.

scp ~/Downloads/backup_db.sql.gz username@server_ip_address:

scp ~/Downloads/wp-content.zip username@server_ip_address

Otherwise, your FTP client can also get the work done.

To restore the database, log on to the control panel’s phpMyAdmin section. Go the New Database and then click Import. Thus, the database archive can be transferred from your local machine to your server.

4.    Test in Entirety

After migration, everything must be tested to know if everything is working properly. Try loading your website and testing all related plugins to make sure that nothing failed during transition.

5.    Point your domain DNS.

Once website will be fully functional post migration, the next step Domain Registration UAE. For that log into the domain registrar account and choose name server change and add the name provided by your VPS provider and save them. For the modification to be fully affected it would take upto 24-48 hours.