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Install VestaCP on a clean, supported VPS, create account backups on the old server, copy those archives into the new server’s /home/backup directory, restore each account, and correct imported DNS records before changing nameservers. This moves websites, mail, databases, cron jobs, and user files without copying the old operating system wholesale.

What you are moving—and what you are not

VestaCP’s documented migration unit is a user backup archive. The process recreates Vesta accounts and their selected services on a new installation; it is not a block-level clone of the old VPS. That distinction matters because the replacement server should use a clean operating-system image, while account content is transferred through Vesta’s backup and restore commands.

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You need root SSH access to both machines. The destination must be a minimal installation of an operating system supported by VestaCP’s current documentation: RHEL, CentOS, Debian, or Ubuntu. Do not begin by installing VestaCP over an already customized web stack. Provision the replacement VPS first, record its public IP address, and keep the old VPS online until testing and DNS cutover are complete.

Choose the destination capacity

VestaCP’s 2026 documentation describes four server groups by memory: Micro (less than 1 GB RAM), Small (less than 3 GB), Medium (less than 7 GB), and Large (more than 7 GB). The documentation states that antispam and antivirus packages are installed only for Medium and Large groups. Select a group that can accommodate the accounts you are restoring and the services you intend to enable; the labels describe the installer’s package profile, not a guaranteed capacity for a particular number of sites or mailboxes.

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Inventory the old server first

Make a list of every Vesta username that must move, the domains assigned to each account, databases, scheduled jobs, mail domains and addresses, and any DNS zones hosted in Vesta. Decide whether the migration is per-user or all-user. A per-user run is easier to stage and verify. An all-user run reduces the chance of overlooking an account but creates more archives to transfer and test.

Install VestaCP on the new VPS

Connect to the clean destination as root over SSH. Download the official installer and execute it from the shell:

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curl -O https://vestacp.com/pub/vst-install.sh
bash vst-install.sh

Follow the installer prompts for the server profile and administrative settings. The installation documentation covers RHEL, CentOS, Debian, and Ubuntu and associates the Micro, Small, Medium, and Large groups with the memory ranges above. Because the installer configures the control panel and its services, let it finish before attempting a restore.

Confirm the destination is ready

  • Verify that you can sign in to the new VestaCP panel and still obtain root SSH access.
  • Record the new VPS IP address separately from the old address; you will need both while checking DNS.
  • Ensure the destination has enough free storage for the transferred archives plus the expanded account data.
  • Keep the destination hostname and administrative credentials available for the restore work.

Do not point production nameservers at the new address yet. The new server is not considered ready until at least one restored account has been checked for web, DNS, mail, database, cron, and user-directory content.

Back up accounts on the old Vesta server

Back up one account

Log in to the old server as root and create an archive for the account you are moving. Replace admin with the actual Vesta username:

v-backup-user admin

Vesta places the resulting archive in the old server’s backup area. The official migration example uses a filename such as admin.2014-01-14.tar; use the exact filename generated on your server rather than assuming that date or extension.

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Back up every account

For an all-user migration, Vesta provides:

v-backup-users

Use the resulting archives as the transfer set. Keep a written mapping of archive names to usernames, especially if the old server contains similarly named accounts or accounts that will be renamed on the destination.

Plan the backup window

A backup captures the account state while the command runs. If a site is receiving uploads, a database is accepting writes, or mail is arriving during that interval, plan a short maintenance window or otherwise coordinate the final backup with the application owner. The documentation does not publish a universal backup or migration duration; elapsed time depends on account size, database volume, mail storage, network throughput, DNS TTLs, and provider configuration.

Copy archives to the destination

Transfer each archive to the new server’s /home/backup directory. The Vesta migration documentation gives this pattern:

scp /home/backup/admin.2014-01-14.tar new-server:/home/backup/

Replace the source filename and new-server with the real archive and destination hostname or IP. Repeat the transfer for every archive created by v-backup-users. The destination path is important: Vesta’s restore workflow expects the tarball in /home/backup.

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Check the transfer set

  • Confirm that every intended account has a corresponding archive on the destination.
  • Check that the archive filename is intact; the username embedded in the name is used when you restore under the same account.
  • Make sure the destination has sufficient free space before copying the next large archive.
  • Keep the original archives on the old server until all restores and service checks pass.

If an archive is not in /home/backup, move or copy it there before running the restore command. Do not try to restore directly from an arbitrary temporary directory when following the documented procedure.

Restore each user on the new VPS

Restore with the original username

On the new server, restore the transferred archive with:

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v-restore-user admin admin.2014-01-14.tar

Replace both values with the account name and the exact archive filename. The restore recreates the account’s backed-up components. Repeat the command for each archive in an all-user migration.

Restore under a different username

To change the destination username, rename the archive so its basename uses the target username, then pass that username and renamed archive to v-restore-user:

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v-restore-user newuser newuser.2014-01-14.tar

Vesta’s official migration page says the account is created automatically if the target username does not already exist. Update your account-to-domain mapping before DNS cutover so that administrators know which destination username owns each site.

Restore only the components you need

The restore command supports targeting individual components through its options. The documented component areas are web, DNS, mail, databases, cron, and the user directory. A selective restore is useful when the destination already has a deliberately configured service or when you want to stage a site before importing mail or DNS.

Restore scope Use it when
Full account restore You want the backed-up account recreated with its web, DNS, mail, database, cron, and user-directory content.
Web The website files and web configuration are the first items you need to test.
DNS You want the Vesta-hosted zone imported and are prepared to inspect its nameservers and IP addresses.
Mail You are moving mail domains, mailboxes, and stored messages as part of the account.
Databases The account’s application data depends on its backed-up databases.
Cron The account relies on scheduled jobs that should be recreated on the destination.
User directory You need the account’s user-owned files restored without necessarily restoring every other area.

The supplied documentation describes these targets but does not provide a universal option string for every Vesta release. Use the restore options exposed by the installed version rather than copying flags from an unrelated release. If you are unsure, perform a full restore on a test account first, then use selective restores for the production sequence.

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Validate the restored account before DNS changes

Testing on the new IP prevents a DNS mistake from hiding a restore problem. Work through each service that you restored and compare it with the old server.

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Web content and configuration

  • Open the site using a method that reaches the new VPS, such as a temporary local test or a hostname that resolves to the new address.
  • Check the home page, representative application paths, uploaded files, and any HTTPS-dependent features.
  • Confirm that the restored web files are associated with the intended Vesta username, particularly when the account was renamed.

Databases and scheduled jobs

  • Exercise database-backed pages and administrative functions rather than checking only a static page.
  • Verify that expected tables and recent application data are present.
  • Review cron jobs and confirm that their schedules and scripts were restored before allowing jobs that send mail, modify data, or perform billing to run unattended.

Mail

  • Check that mail domains and mailboxes exist on the destination.
  • Test delivery and retrieval using controlled messages before changing production MX or nameserver records.
  • Account for the size of stored mail when estimating transfer time; the cited Vesta documentation publishes no universal duration.

DNS records

Inspect every imported zone before cutover. A myVesta migration walkthrough published on 2020-07-25 reports that imported DNS can still contain the old server’s NS1 and NS2 values and the old IP address. Correct those records on the destination and verify that web, mail, and database services use the intended new address.

Correct DNS and cut over traffic

DNS is the step that determines where users actually connect. Do not change nameservers simply because the restore command completed.

  1. List the domains and zones that should move.
  2. On the new Vesta server, inspect imported NS1, NS2, A, AAAA, MX, and other records relevant to each service.
  3. Replace stale nameserver hostnames and old-server IP addresses with the values appropriate for the new VPS.
  4. Recheck web, mail, and database behavior while testing against the new address.
  5. Change the authoritative nameserver or DNS records at the DNS provider only after the destination passes those checks.
  6. Keep the old VPS available while cached resolvers continue using previous answers, and monitor both servers during the transition.

Lowering DNS TTLs before a move is a common staged-cutover practice, but the correct setting and timing are provider-specific and should be validated with your DNS provider. TTL changes do not make propagation instantaneous; resolvers may retain an earlier answer until its cache expires.

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Why the old VPS may still receive traffic

Different resolvers refresh at different times, and some users may continue to reach the old address after the authoritative change. This is why the old server should remain functional during the transition. If a site is writable, coordinate application maintenance or data synchronization so that users cannot create divergent data on two machines while DNS converges.

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Choose the migration pattern that fits your change

Decision Option 1 Option 2
Backup scope Per-user archive with v-backup-user All-user set with v-backup-users
Restore scope Full account restore Selective web, DNS, mail, database, cron, or user-directory restore
Username Keep the original username Rename the archive and restore under a new username
DNS change Manual cutover after verification Staged verification with provider-specific TTL planning
Server administration Self-managed VPS Managed VPS with provider support and backup features

Use per-user backups when accounts have different owners, schedules, or maintenance windows. Use the all-user command when the replacement VPS is intended to reproduce the entire Vesta tenant set. Selective restores reduce unnecessary changes, while full restores are simpler when the destination is empty and should mirror the source account.

Troubleshoot common migration problems

The restore cannot find the archive

Check the filename character by character and confirm that the tarball is in /home/backup on the destination. Recopy it with scp if necessary. The restore command expects both the username and archive filename, so a renamed file must be passed with its new name.

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The destination username is wrong

For a renamed account, the archive basename and the first argument to v-restore-user must use the target username. If you intended to preserve the original account, restore with the original username and original archive name instead.

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The site loads the old server

Inspect the relevant DNS A or AAAA record and the authoritative nameserver delegation. The myVesta walkthrough specifically warns that imported zones may retain the old IP and NS1/NS2. Correct those values before changing delegation, then allow resolver caches to expire.

One service is missing after a full restore

Identify whether the missing area is web, DNS, mail, database, cron, or the user directory. Rerun the restore using the supported component target for that area, then test the service independently. Keep the original archive until the result is confirmed.

Migration is taking longer than expected

There is no authoritative published figure for typical migration time, downtime, failure rate, or a universal data-volume limit. Large mail stores, databases, slow network throughput, DNS caching, and provider-side configuration can each extend the window. Measure progress by archive transfer, restore completion, and service checks rather than by an assumed clock time.

Final cutover checklist

  • The new VPS runs a supported clean operating-system installation with VestaCP installed.
  • Every intended account has a backup archive and a documented destination username.
  • Archives were copied into /home/backup before restoration.
  • Restored websites, databases, cron jobs, mail, and user files were tested according to the selected restore scope.
  • Imported DNS records no longer reference the old IP or obsolete NS1/NS2 values.
  • Nameserver or DNS changes were made only after destination verification.
  • The old VPS remains available while DNS caches converge and final traffic checks run.

This sequence gives you a controlled VestaCP migration: install cleanly, move account archives rather than the operating system, restore only what each account needs, and treat DNS correction and verification as mandatory parts of the move.

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