OVH Migration

Managed WordPress hosting for sites leaving OVH.

On OVH's shared plans your files and your database are on different machines, addressed by different hostnames. That single fact shapes the whole migration.

Separate database host handledEU residency preservedFree migration
Free migrationEU origin availableDatabase dumped remotelyDaily backupsFree SSL24/7 support
Files here, database there

The split that catches every OVH migration.

It is a reasonable architecture and it breaks every tool that assumes the database is on localhost.

The database is on its own server

OVH shared plans address the database by a hostname of their own rather than localhost, so a dump run over SSH on the web server reaches nothing.

Dumped over the networkOwn hostname

EU residency you may be relying on

Plenty of OVH customers chose it for European hosting specifically. If that was the reason, the replacement origin has to be chosen deliberately rather than defaulted.

Backups worth verifying, not assuming

Check what your plan's backups actually cover and how far back they go before the migration, not after. It is the cheapest thing to confirm and the worst thing to discover late.

Their own control panel

The OVH manager is not cPanel, so there is no archive to restore. Files come over SFTP and the database over the network.

Domains and DNS in the same manager

OVH is a registrar too, and the DNS zone usually lives in the same manager as the hosting — including records that have nothing to do with the site.

Migration

Dump the database where it actually lives.

The recurring OVH mistake is treating the web server as the whole site. The files are only half of it, and the other half answers on a different hostname.

  • Database dumped from its own host, not the web server
  • EU origin chosen deliberately if residency matters
  • Full DNS zone captured from the manager
  • OVH plan left running until you confirm
Database host
Separate server
confirmed
Dump
Taken over network
1.4 GB
Origin
Region
EU
DNS cutover
Awaiting your go-ahead
scheduled
Performance

The database stops being a network hop.

A separate database server means every query crosses a network. Here the database sits beside the site, which is most of the difference on an uncached page.

Free
migration, done by us
Local
database, not a hop away
14
edge regions
MagicWP131 ms
OVH shared, remote database870 ms
No object cache470 ms

Illustrative comparison of an uncached page load before and after the move. Your numbers depend on plan tier and query volume.

Configuration

What we change when a site arrives from OVH

The split architecture drives the export, and residency drives where the site lands.

SettingWhat we doWhy
Database exportDumped from OVH's database hostname over the networkTheir shared plans put the database on a separate server, so the usual dump over SSH on the web host finds no database there to export.
Database localitySite and database placed on the same machineEvery query on the old plan crossed a network to another server, which is a fixed cost per query that no amount of page caching removes.
Origin regionEU origin chosen explicitly when residency was the reason for OVHCustomers frequently pick them for European hosting specifically, and inheriting a default region quietly discards the thing they were paying for.
Export routeSFTP for files, since the manager produces no restorable archiveThe OVH manager is not cPanel and hands over no backup file, so the copy is assembled rather than restored.
DNS zoneCaptured whole from the OVH manager before repointingThey are the registrar as well as the host, so the zone holds mail and verification records that go down with the site if only the A record is considered.
Plans

Simple, transparent pricing.

Every plan includes free migration, daily backups, SSL and 24/7 support.

MonthlyYearly
Starter
For personal sites, blogs, and portfolios.
$20/mo
Billed $240 yearly · save $60
  • 1 WordPress site
  • 10 GB NVMe disk
  • Free SSL
  • Daily backups
  • One-click deployment
  • Support tickets
Start free trial
Pro★ Most popular
For growing businesses and busy stores.
$80/mo
Billed $960 yearly · save $240
  • 5 WordPress sites
  • 50 GB NVMe disk
  • Free SSL
  • Daily backups
  • One-click deployment
  • Priority support tickets
Start free trial
Enterprise
For agencies and high-traffic platforms.
$250/mo
Billed $3000 yearly · save $600
  • 20 WordPress sites
  • 200 GB NVMe disk
  • Free SSL
  • Daily backups
  • One-click deployment
  • Dedicated support
Start free trial
FAQ

Questions, answered.

My database dump comes back empty. Why?
Because it is not on the web server. OVH shared plans address the database by their own hostname on a separate machine, so a dump run over SSH where the files live finds nothing to export.
I chose OVH for EU hosting. Can I keep that?
Yes, and it is worth saying so up front. An EU origin is chosen deliberately in that case rather than inherited from a default, which is how residency quietly gets lost in a migration.
Will my site be faster after moving?
On uncached pages, usually noticeably. Your database currently sits on another server, so every query pays a network round trip that disappears once the two are on the same machine.
Should I trust my OVH backups for the migration?
Check them rather than trust them. Confirm what your plan actually covers and how far back it reaches before you start — it costs nothing to verify and a great deal to discover late.
OVH manages my domain too. Does it have to move?
No. Registration can stay with them while the site is hosted here. What matters is copying the full DNS zone first, since it holds mail and verification records alongside the website.

Bring the database back next to the site.

Free migration, the remote database handled properly, and an EU origin if that is why you were there.