Migrate from Contabo to RamNode

A complete step-by-step guide to migrating your Contabo VPS to RamNode Cloud using file-level migration techniques.

Introduction

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for migrating your infrastructure from Contabo to RamNode. Whether you're moving a single VPS or multiple servers, following this structured approach will ensure minimal downtime and a smooth transition.

RamNode offers modern cloud infrastructure with high-performance NVMe storage, private networking capabilities, and flexible scaling options that make it an excellent choice for developers, businesses, and self-hosting enthusiasts.

Why Manual Migration Is Required

Important: Unlike cloud providers that use OpenStack or offer image export functionality, Contabo runs a proprietary virtualization platform that does not support disk image exports.

Contabo's infrastructure limitations include:

No downloadable snapshots — Their internal snapshot feature cannot be exported or transferred
No API access — No programmatic method to extract disk images
No detachable block storage — Volumes cannot be disconnected and moved to another provider
Closed hypervisor access — No direct access to the virtualization layer for image extraction

This guide focuses on file-level migration using standard Linux tools such as rsync, tar, mysqldump, and pg_dump. While this approach requires more steps than an image-based migration, it offers several advantages: you can selectively migrate only what you need, clean up legacy configurations, and optimize your setup for RamNode's NVMe-based infrastructure.

1Pre-Migration Planning

Inventory Your Current Setup

Before beginning the migration, document everything running on your Contabo server(s):

Operating system and version (e.g., Ubuntu 22.04, Debian 12, Rocky Linux 9)
Web servers (Apache, Nginx, LiteSpeed, OpenLiteSpeed)
Database servers (MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis)
Application stacks (PHP-FPM, Node.js, Python, Ruby, Go)
Control panels (cPanel, Plesk, DirectAdmin, CyberPanel)
Mail servers (Postfix, Dovecot, Mail-in-a-Box)
Containers and orchestration (Docker, Podman, Kubernetes)
Cron jobs and scheduled tasks
Custom configurations and firewall rules
SSL certificates and their expiration dates
DNS records and zones

Resource Assessment

Compare your current Contabo resource usage with RamNode's offerings:

Resource	Contabo (Current)	RamNode (Target)
CPU Cores	Document current allocation	Match or exceed based on load
RAM	Check actual usage with `free -h`	Size appropriately for workload
Storage	Use `df -h` to check usage	NVMe SSD (high IOPS)
Bandwidth	Review monthly transfer	Generous allocations available
Network	Note IP addresses in use	Private networking available

Create a Migration Timeline

Select a low-traffic period for the cutover
Notify stakeholders and users of potential brief downtime
Schedule DNS TTL reduction 24-48 hours before migration
Prepare rollback procedures in case of issues
Allocate time for post-migration testing

2RamNode Environment Setup

Create Your RamNode Account & Deploy VPS

Visit ramnode.com and create an account
Complete account verification and add your payment method
Enable two-factor authentication for security

From the RamNode dashboard:

Click "Deploy New Server"
Select your preferred location (NYC, Atlanta, Seattle, LA, NL)
Choose the VPS plan matching your requirements
Select your operating system (match your Contabo OS for easier migration)
Configure hostname and root password
Add your SSH public key for secure access
Deploy and wait for provisioning (usually under 60 seconds)

Initial Server Configuration

Once your RamNode VPS is deployed, perform initial setup:

# Update system packages
apt update && apt upgrade -y      # Debian/Ubuntu
# or
dnf update -y                     # RHEL/Rocky/Alma

# Set timezone
timedatectl set-timezone America/Chicago

# Configure hostname
hostnamectl set-hostname your-server.example.com

Configure Private Networking (Optional)

If you're migrating multiple servers, RamNode's private networking allows secure inter-server communication:

# Enable private network interface
# Network details available in RamNode dashboard
ip addr add 10.x.x.x/24 dev eth1
ip link set eth1 up

3Data Backup from Contabo

Full System Backup

Create a comprehensive backup of your Contabo server before migration:

Using rsync (Recommended):

# From your RamNode server, pull data from Contabo
rsync -avzP --progress root@contabo-ip:/var/www/ /var/www/
rsync -avzP --progress root@contabo-ip:/etc/ /home/backup/etc/
rsync -avzP --progress root@contabo-ip:/home/ /home/backup/home/

Using tar for Compressed Archives:

# On Contabo server, create archives
tar -czvf /tmp/www-backup.tar.gz /var/www/
tar -czvf /tmp/etc-backup.tar.gz /etc/

# Transfer to RamNode
scp /tmp/*-backup.tar.gz root@ramnode-ip:/home/backup/

Database Backup

MySQL/MariaDB:

# Export all databases
mysqldump --all-databases --single-transaction \
  --routines --triggers --events > all-databases.sql

# Or export specific database
mysqldump -u root -p database_name > database_name.sql

# Transfer to RamNode
scp all-databases.sql root@ramnode-ip:/home/backup/

PostgreSQL:

# Export all databases
pg_dumpall > all-postgres.sql

# Or specific database
pg_dump database_name > database_name.sql

MongoDB:

# Full backup
mongodump --out /tmp/mongodb-backup/

# Compress and transfer
tar -czvf /tmp/mongodb-backup.tar.gz /tmp/mongodb-backup/
scp /tmp/mongodb-backup.tar.gz root@ramnode-ip:/home/backup/

Email Data Backup

If running a mail server:

# Backup mail data
tar -czvf /tmp/mail-backup.tar.gz /var/mail/ /var/vmail/

# Backup mail configuration
tar -czvf /tmp/mail-config.tar.gz /etc/postfix/ /etc/dovecot/

SSL Certificate Backup

# Let's Encrypt certificates
tar -czvf /tmp/letsencrypt-backup.tar.gz /etc/letsencrypt/

# Or copy specific certificates
rsync -avz /etc/ssl/certs/ root@ramnode-ip:/etc/ssl/certs/
rsync -avz /etc/ssl/private/ root@ramnode-ip:/etc/ssl/private/

4Application Migration

Web Server Configuration

Nginx:

# Install Nginx on RamNode
apt install nginx -y

# Copy configuration files
rsync -avz root@contabo-ip:/etc/nginx/ /etc/nginx/

# Test configuration
nginx -t

# Restart service
systemctl restart nginx

Apache:

# Install Apache
apt install apache2 -y

# Copy configurations
rsync -avz root@contabo-ip:/etc/apache2/ /etc/apache2/

# Enable required modules
a2enmod rewrite ssl headers proxy proxy_http

# Test and restart
apachectl configtest
systemctl restart apache2

Database Restoration

MySQL/MariaDB:

# Install MariaDB
apt install mariadb-server -y

# Secure installation
mysql_secure_installation

# Import databases
mysql < /home/backup/all-databases.sql

# Recreate users if needed
mysql -e "CREATE USER 'user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';"
mysql -e "GRANT ALL ON database.* TO 'user'@'localhost';"

PostgreSQL:

# Install PostgreSQL
apt install postgresql postgresql-contrib -y

# Import databases
sudo -u postgres psql < /home/backup/all-postgres.sql

Control Panel Migration

If using a control panel, follow the panel-specific migration process:

cPanel:

# On Contabo (source), create full backup via WHM
# WHM > Backup > Full Backup

# Or use command line
/scripts/pkgacct username /home/backup/

# On RamNode, restore
/scripts/restorepkg /home/backup/cpmove-username.tar.gz

Plesk:

# Export via Plesk Migrator or command line
plesk bin pleskbackup domains-only -v

# Transfer and restore on RamNode
plesk bin pleskrestore --restore domains-only backup.xml

Docker Container Migration

# Export container images
docker save -o myapp.tar myapp:latest

# Export volumes
docker run --rm -v myvolume:/data -v $(pwd):/backup \
  alpine tar -czvf /backup/volume-backup.tar.gz /data

# On RamNode, load images
docker load -i myapp.tar

# Restore volumes
docker run --rm -v myvolume:/data -v $(pwd):/backup \
  alpine tar -xzvf /backup/volume-backup.tar.gz -C /

5DNS Migration

Pre-Migration DNS Preparation

Reduce TTL values 24-48 hours before migration to ensure faster propagation:

example.com. 300 IN A current-ip
www.example.com. 300 IN A current-ip

Update DNS Records

After verifying your RamNode server is functioning correctly:

Log into your DNS provider (Cloudflare, Route53, your registrar)
Update A records to point to your new RamNode IP address
Update AAAA records if using IPv6
Update MX records if migrating email
Update any CNAME, TXT, or other records as needed

Verify DNS Propagation

# Check DNS propagation
dig example.com +short
dig @8.8.8.8 example.com +short

Or use online tools like whatsmydns.net or dnschecker.org

Configure rDNS for your RamNode IP through the control panel for proper email deliverability and server identification.

6Post-Migration Tasks

Verification Checklist

All websites load correctly and function as expected
SSL certificates are valid and not showing warnings
Database connections are working
Email sending and receiving is functional
Cron jobs are running on schedule
Application APIs respond correctly
File uploads and downloads work
User authentication systems function properly

Performance Optimization

Take advantage of RamNode's NVMe storage and optimize your applications:

# Enable opcache for PHP
# /etc/php/8.x/fpm/conf.d/10-opcache.ini
opcache.enable=1
opcache.memory_consumption=256
opcache.max_accelerated_files=20000

# Optimize MySQL/MariaDB
# /etc/mysql/conf.d/optimization.cnf
[mysqld]
innodb_buffer_pool_size = 1G
innodb_log_file_size = 256M
innodb_flush_method = O_DIRECT

Security Hardening

# Configure firewall
ufw default deny incoming
ufw default allow outgoing
ufw allow ssh
ufw allow http
ufw allow https
ufw enable

# Install and configure fail2ban
apt install fail2ban -y
systemctl enable fail2ban
systemctl start fail2ban

Backup Configuration

Establish a backup strategy for your RamNode server:

# Install restic for efficient backups
apt install restic -y

# Initialize backup repository (RamNode S3 or external)
restic init -r s3:s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/bucket-name

# Create backup script
#!/bin/bash
restic backup /var/www /etc --exclude-caches
restic forget --keep-daily 7 --keep-weekly 4 --keep-monthly 6

# Add to cron for daily backups
0 2 * * * /root/backup.sh

Contabo Cleanup

After confirming everything works on RamNode (recommend waiting 7-14 days):

Download a final backup from Contabo for archival purposes
Cancel Contabo services through their control panel
Update any external services pointing to old Contabo IPs
Document lessons learned for future migrations

Troubleshooting

Connection Refused Errors

# Check if service is running
systemctl status nginx
systemctl status apache2

# Check if port is open
ss -tlnp | grep :80
ss -tlnp | grep :443

# Check firewall
ufw status

Database Connection Issues

# Check MySQL/MariaDB is running
systemctl status mariadb

# Verify user permissions
mysql -e "SELECT user, host FROM mysql.user;"

# Check bind address
grep bind-address /etc/mysql/mariadb.conf.d/*.cnf

SSL Certificate Problems

# Re-issue Let's Encrypt certificate
certbot certonly --nginx -d example.com -d www.example.com

# Check certificate validity
openssl x509 -in /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/cert.pem -text -noout

Email Delivery Issues

# Check mail queue
mailq

# Verify MX records
dig MX example.com

# Test SMTP
swaks --to test@example.com --server localhost

Getting Help

If you encounter issues during your migration:

RamNode Knowledge Base: clientarea.ramnode.com/knowledgebase
RamNode Support Tickets: Available via client portal
Community Forums: Engage with other RamNode users

Welcome to RamNode!

Congratulations on successfully migrating from Contabo to RamNode! You now have access to high-performance NVMe storage, flexible scaling options, and excellent support.