How to Migrate Website to a Dedicated Server: 2026 Guide

What is a Website Migration?

A website migration process simply means moving your entire website files and databases from one web server to another. The primary reason for migrating your website from a shared environment to dedicated hardware is to provide stability and, of course, more capability when it comes to traffic.

Migrating a website to a dedicated server involves planning, backing up, setting up the new server, transferring files and databases, configuring settings, updating DNS, and testing. Best practices for migration include maintaining an inventory, conducting staging tests, developing rollback plans, and seeking professional help for complex sites.

The migration process may not be that simple, though. You need to extract ALL the files from your old hosting provider and set them up with the new provider.

With a complete migration, a little bit of downtime is inevitable. We’re speaking hours, not even days.

The Advantages of Dedicated Servers

The advantages of a dedicated server over shared hosting are undeniable. Your infrastructure changes on every level, providing you with isolation, control, and performance. This matters, especially after the website starts growing, and essentials like page loading, payments, and transactions start to lag behind.

Here are the advantages and reasons to migrate website to dedicated server:

Better Performance

With dedicated hosting, you get full access to a single physical server without sharing resources. This means dedicated CPU, RAM, and Storage. Your server works only for your project; therefore, you can expect much better performance than a shared server where multiple users share the HW resources.

Security & Isolation

Dedicated platforms include advanced DDoS protection and strict firewall policies. It means that your data stays isolated from other websites on the same machine. This supports compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI standards through full administrative access.

Guaranteed Uptime

Stable infrastructure reduces outages and slowdowns. Search engines reward reliable platforms. Users stay longer when your site responds fast on a properly configured web server.

Modern Server Hardware

With a dedicated server, you can get your hands on the latest hardware available. For instance, here at ServerMania, we offer new dedicated server plans. Some of them include the best low-end CPUs, like AMD EPYC 4121P, combined with NVMe technology for maximum efficiency.

Growth Scalability

Scalability on a dedicated server allows for easy addition of resources such as storage and processing power as business needs grow. The same goes for the network capabilities, as you can upgrade from 1 GBPs all the way to 100 GBps without changing the provider.

Complete Control

Dedicated servers offer control over the hardware and operating system. You have the freedom to do absolutely anything on your own machine. You can change permissions, root access, tune performance, deploy custom applications, and everything you can imagine.

Stronger Reliability

Dedicated servers are much more reliable than shared hosting. This is because your server is the only point of failure, unlike clouds, where, when 1 physical machine fails, many virtual private servers can go down. With dedicated servers, you can enjoy 99,99% uptime SLA guaranteed.

Note: Most dedicated servers often include enterprise-grade DDoS protection and guaranteed uptime, enhancing reliability.

How to Migrate Website to Dedicated Server Hosting?

A successful server migration requires careful preparation, including taking full backups of websites and testing functionality in a staging environment before going live.

We’re taking an example with migrating a WordPress site to a new hosting provider. This works even if you have to migrate multiple websites to a new web host.

We’ve prepared a step-by-step guide to help you out. The phased migration approach involves moving non-critical environments first to validate processes before transitioning live sites.

Step 1. Plan the Migration Process

You need to start by identifying what is the main reason to migrate from shared hosting to a new server with a hosting provider with dedicated hardware. Try to find what’s dragging your performance back; is it your RAM, storage, CPU cores, compliance, or control?

Planning the migration in advance, including choosing low-traffic periods, can help ensure a smooth transition. This will help you prevent overspending on hardware you wouldn’t need.

The dedicated servers provide consistent performance and uptime, which builds user trust and can positively impact search engine rankings. Before you start, we recommend collecting some information:

What to Collect:

• Monthly Visits
• Storage Usage
• Database Size
• PHP Versions
• MySQL Versions
• Active Plugins

This information will provide you with a good idea of what your dedicated server must have. You will need enough power to handle your monthly traffic, enough storage space to accommodate the data, and licenses for MySQL and PHP (if you don’t already have them).

This brings us to the second step…

Step 2. Order the Dedicated Server

Sometimes, dedicated servers take a while to get ready, like 8 to 24 hours in some cases, so it’s best to place your order early. Based on the data you’ve collected in the previous step, the server environment should offer enough resources to handle your requirements.

We’ve prepared a quick traffic framework and the hardware needed to accommodate it:

Please keep in mind that those are just surface-level configuration recommendations. It really depends on what your website actually is. Based on the nature of your workflow, you may also need to concider what network you need, how much storage space is enough, whether you need more RAM, and more…

We recommend exploring ServerMania’s hosting plans to choose a dedicated server that will match your requirements without overspending.

Note: In 2026, features such as NVMe SSD storage and unmetered bandwidth are crucial for high-density workloads on dedicated servers.

Step 3. Create a WordPress Backup

At this point, your website is still running, the site files are all there, and nothing has really changed. Now you need to create a backup. A database backup that we’re going to use on the dedicated servers to really copy and paste your website as it is, on the new server.

To create a backup, we recommend using a WordPress plugin like UpdraftPlus. It’s free, allowing you to back up everything. This means packing your whole website into one file. Everything is there, including plugins and their configuration, files like images, WordPress settings, website themes, and so on…

You can back up your website files using cPanel, FTP, or a WordPress plugin.

Important: If creating the backup, check the plugin settings to ensure that your backup is complete.

Here’s the easiest way to back up your WordPress site:

1. Download the UpdraftPlus plugin and install it.
2. Run a complete backup option (it takes a while).
3. Then download the website backup file locally.

That’s it. It’s not difficult at all. You should now have your website downloaded on your local machine.

Note: A complete snapshot backup of files and databases should be stored separately before moving any data. Also, creating multiple backups and storing them in different locations mitigates the risk of data loss during migration.

Step 4. Prepare Dedicated Linux Server

By now, your new dedicated server should be ready. This means that your hosting provider will send you some basic access information, allowing you to start your configuration:

• Dedicated Server IP address
• SSH username, usually root
• SSH password or private key
• Server location and OS details

Note: Migrating to a dedicated server in 2026 necessitates thorough planning and a focus on zero downtime and data integrity.

You use these credentials to access the machine and configure your server environment before moving any data. We’ve got some basic configuration outlined here to get you started, but if you want to make your server as efficient as possible, we recommend checking our full Linux server optimization guide.

To begin with, prepare your new dedicated server by installing the necessary software and configuring security settings before migration:

4.1. Connect to the Server via SSH

To connect to your dedicated server, you can use your own workstation. From Linux or macOS, open Terminal, and from Windows, use PowerShell or PuTTY. To access your dedicated server remotely, you need to use the following command:

ssh root@SERVER_IP

Enter your password when prompted. After login, you gain full root access and administrative access to the system. This level of control allows you to tune performance, install packages, and define your rules.

4.2. Update the Operating System

Start by updating the base system to avoid known vulnerabilities:

apt update && apt upgrade -y

This will guarantee that your operating system and core libraries stay secure and compatible with the modern web stacks. It’s essential to update it.

Note: A dedicated server environment reduces risks from other sites, allows for custom security settings, and simplifies compliance for sensitive data.

4.3. Install the Needed Web Stack

For WordPress, you need a web server, PHP, and MySQL. Here’s the command:

apt install nginx mysql-server php-fpm php-mysql unzip curl -y

This will create the foundation for your web server and database layer.

4.4. Secure MySQL from Wizzard

Run the built-in security wizard:

mysql_secure_installation

Set a root password, disable anonymous users, and remove test databases.

4.5. Configure Server’s Firewall

ufw allow OpenSSH
ufw allow 'Nginx Full'
ufw enable

This will restrict any open ports and protect your private server from basic network scans.

Note: Dedicated servers provide hardware-level isolation, essential for meeting regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI compliance.

Once this setup is complete, your machine is ready to receive your WordPress backup and database.

Step 5. Restore WordPress from Backup

This is the breaking point. In this step, you will be activating your WordPress site and transferring files from the backup you took from the old web hosting provider. This is the actual site migration right here. What happens here essentially is you’re taking your database file and installing it on the fresh server with dedicated resources. In short, finding it a new home.

Again, we have a few steps here to walk you through the process:

5.1. Create the Database and User

Log in to MySQL:

mysql -u root -p

Create a new database:

CREATE DATABASE wp_database;

Create a user and set a password:

CREATE USER 'wp_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'strong_password';

Grant permissions:

GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON wp_database.* TO 'wp_user'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Don’t forget to write down the MySQL database credentials:

• Database Name
• Database Username
• Database Password

You will add these values to wp-config.php.

Note: The documentation of hardware and software versions is essential to avoid compatibility issues during migration.

5.2. Upload your Backup Files

Use an ftp client such as FileZilla or WinSCP.

When you’re setting up the connection, configure it like this:

• Host: your server IP
• Protocol: SFTP
• Username: root or your created user
• Password or SSH key
• Port: 22

Upload your backup archive or WordPress folder into:

/var/www/html/

This directory becomes your website root.

5.3. Restore WordPress Files

If you uploaded a ZIP archive:

cd /var/www/html
unzip backup.zip

Set correct ownership:

chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html
chmod -R 755 /var/www/html

These steps ensure correct file permissions for PHP and the web server.

5.4. Import the Website Database

If your backup includes a .sql file:

mysql -u wp_user -p wp_database < backup.sql

This restores posts, pages, users, and plugin data.

5.5. Update the WP Configuration

Once the file transfer is ready, you need to edit:

nano /var/www/html/wp-config.php

Then you must change:

define('DB_NAME', 'wp_database');
define('DB_USER', 'wp_user');
define('DB_PASSWORD', 'strong_password');
define('DB_HOST', 'localhost');

When you’re ready, save and exit. To confirm that everything went well and all folder exists, run these:

wp-content
wp-admin
wp-includes

If you have any of these folders missing, something went wrong. So, start step #4 from the beginning.

Note: SEO protection during migration involves avoiding changes to URL structures and monitoring for indexing issues in Google Search Console.

Step 6. Update DNS and Switch Traffic

It’s finally time to stop using your old website. This will be the gap during which you may experience the mentioned inevitable downtime. Once the files and database are transferred, you need to update your website’s DNS settings to point to the new server.

This step connects your domain to the new IP and completes your website migration.

First, you need to update your DNS settings to point to the new dedicated server’s IP address after migration. The DNS changes the control over where browsers load your site from. So, a mistake here sends users to the old host or breaks email delivery.

Here’s how the process goes:

6.1. Find your New Server IP

Your hosting provider shows the IPv4 address inside the control panel or welcome email. You need to copy this IP address so we can reroute the traffic.

Example:

203.0.113.25

6.2. Log in to Domain Registrar

You need to find a domain provider and go to the domain registrar or domain name registrar dashboard.

Here are some common providers to concider:

• Namecheap
• GoDaddy
• Google Domains
• Cloudflare

Open DNS management for your domain and update the DNS record. To do so, you need to locate the main DNS record and change it from the old domain to the new domain.

The main registrar looks like this:

• Type: A
• Host: @
• Value: old IP

So, replace the value with your new server IP.

Also, update the host to point to the same IP:

• Host: www

Point it to the same IP.

This links your domain name to the new dedicated server. However, know that this process sometimes takes a few minutes or hours. There should be an informational message alarming you. This is where some downtime will come from. There is nothing you can do but wait. The old domain will lead to a 404 until the process is completed and the new site is accessible.

Tip: Keeping the old and new servers running concurrently during the DNS switch can reduce downtime.

When the DNS has been migrated, the URL will lead to the same old website “as it was”, but from your dedicated Linux server. At this point, you’re ready.

We recommend going through our Linux Server Optimization Guide to learn more ways to enhance your dedicated server. There you’ll find how to install custom software, additional migration support, get superior performance, adjust the server to function properly, establish security features, website configuration, and much more.

Based on your traffic volume, you may need these additional steps.

Security hardening in 2026 includes applying best practices like hardware firewalls and DDoS mitigation.

Pro Tip: Lowering the Time To Live (TTL) on DNS records can facilitate faster propagation during server migration.

Step 7. Post-Migration Server Monitoring

Monitoring the new server for the first 24 to 48 hours post-migration is crucial to identifying errors or unusual load patterns. Old servers should be kept active for several days after migration as a fallback option against potential hidden issues.

We also recommend maintaining the old hosting account for a week post-migration, which can serve as a safety net for unforeseen issues. Also, functional testing of the migrated site should be conducted rigorously to ensure all components function as expected.

Once you successfully migrate your website, inspect the home directory, check for any broken links, and try to identify if the XML sitemap is intact. Also, check for more features you would need to get improved security, a content management system, and try to find broken links.

When Dedicated Server Make More Sense?

A dedicated server is a good fit when your site outgrows a shared server or entry-level plans. Slow load times, traffic spikes, and limited CPU access block growth. High-traffic stores and SaaS platforms need stable processing power and isolated hardware resources to avoid any outages and performance drops.

The dedicated servers provide consistent performance and 99.99% uptime, which builds user trust and can positively impact search engine rankings.

If you don’t need 100% uptime, a little lag is tolerable, then shared hosting may be for you. The shared hosting is affordable and easy to manage, making it suitable for beginners and users with low technical knowledge. As a website grows, the required server resources will also increase, making VPS hosting a better option for performance and security.

VPS hosting uses virtualization technology to provide users with isolated, dedicated resources. Also, a VPS hosting is more affordable than dedicated server hosting while still offering additional features and better performance. So, which one is for you?

See Also: Cloud Server vs Dedicated Server

Migrate Your Server with ServerMania!

ServerMania delivers enterprise-grade dedicated server hosting built for growth. You can deploy your dedicated server in one day and get modern hardware, 24/7 customer support, and infrastructure built for scalability. The best part is that we offer dedicated servers in different top-tier data centers across North America, Canada, and Europe to minimize your latency.

This is especially helpful if you’re running an e-Commerce store, which you can enhance solely by being closer to your customers. Another ServerMania advantage is our managed services, through which you can get complete support for your dedicated server.

If you’re curious how much it would cost, explore our pricing guides:

• How Much Does a Dedicated Server Cost
• How Much Does a Cloud Server Cost
• How Much Does a Linux Server Cost
• How Much Does a Windows Server Cost

💬To get started, explore our small business servers, contact our 24/7 customer service, or book a free consultation with a migration expert. We’re available right now!