Moving To And From FediHost
Migrating to and from FediHost is easy
By Paige Saunders
A key philosophy of the fediverse is the freedom to move which means most hosting providers like FediHost are pretty good about facilitating migrations. With FediHost it's easy to export a complete copy of your data from the control panel.
Moving to FediHost from another place is largely depended on your current provider.
Migrating A Single Account
If you currently have an account on another server and want to start hosting your own instance you can create a Mastodon or GoToSocial instance and use the tools built into Mastodon and GoToSocial to migrate your account.
Moving A Server
If you currently have an instance hosted elsewhere and want to move to FediHost this is situation dependent.
Move Preparation
Before moving we need to check that everything will work.
1. Check Backups are Supported
Check that you can download or export a copy of your data from your existing provider.
2. Data Download and Analysis
Download a copy of data and share a link to it with support@fedihost.co so we can analyse it. We need to check that it is complete and does not have custom code or processes running.
Usually the data can be put on the server, but sometimes we will have to work on it, in which case you will be given a quote for the work and can choose if you would like to go ahead.
3. Create FediHost Account
You will need to create a FediHost account and add payment details for your new instance.
4. Organize Move Day
If the data is from a currently active instance we will want to arrange the move for a specific date and time with FediHost support.
Moving Day
On move day we work quickly through a number of steps to get the instance migrated across.
1. Disable Old Instance
At this time you will disable you old instance to prevent new data and records going into its database and storage.
2. Download Backup and Send to FediHost
Download a final backup of your old instance and send it to FediHost.
3. Migrate Your DNS Settings
While FediHost is setting up your instance you should migrate your DNS settings across following the instructions that FediHost support proves.
4. Migration Success
Provided no insurmountable barriers are encountered your instance should be up and running once the DNS has migrated. After testing everything is working correctly for a few days your old instance can be deleted.
Why FediHost and other managed hosts don’t often support forks and custom code.
FediHost automatically makes daily backups which can be restored in the case of user error. A backup can be made every 7 days for users wanting to make their own backups or move services they are able to in the FediHost control panel for the service. Run Export Process Services > *Service Name* > Edit > Export Find the service you would like to export a backup from in your list of services. Click the edit button, navigate to the export tab, and download a backup. This backup takes a while
It's easy to get up and running with GoToSocial on FediHost in a few minutes