How to move a Java application from cPanel to a VPS

1. Take inventory

Before you move anything, write down what the application uses today:

• Java version and Tomcat version.
• The WAR file or the folder of JSP files, and any files the application writes (uploads, logs, caches).
• The database type, name, user and size.
• JVM options set in the panel, such as heap size and system properties.
• Cron jobs, environment variables, SSL certificates and custom ports.
• The domain names and where DNS is hosted.
• Email: if mail is hosted in the same panel, keep it there. Moving the website does not have to move mail.

2. Choose a server size

Look at current memory use in the panel. If the application was running with a 512 MB cap and a database, an 8 GB plan is generous, a 4 GB plan is comfortable. Read how much RAM a Java app needs.

3. Export the data

# MySQL
mysqldump --single-transaction -u USER -p DBNAME | gzip > dbname.sql.gz

# PostgreSQL
pg_dump -U USER DBNAME | gzip > dbname.sql.gz

Download the WAR and the data directories too.

4. Build the server and deploy

Tell us the stack and database when you subscribe, and we set up the server. Then restore the database, copy the files and deploy the application: deploy a WAR file to Tomcat.

5. Test before you switch DNS

Point your own computer at the new server by editing the hosts file, then open the site by its real name. Log in, upload a file, run a report. Fix what breaks while the old site is still live.

6. Lower the DNS TTL, then cut over

A day before the move, lower the TTL of your DNS records to 300 seconds. At cutover stop the old application, take a final database dump, restore it on the new server and change the A record. Most visitors reach the new server within minutes.

7. Keep the old host for a week

Do not cancel the old account on the same day. If something is wrong you can change the DNS back. Cancel when the new server has run a full week without problems.

Want help?

Managed plans include help migrating one application. Contact us with what you run today and we will tell you what size to start with.

Last updated October 29, 2026.