Hosting provider checklist: what to verify before moving a real website

Confirm the workload fit first

List runtime, database, storage, mail, shell/root, background workers, cron, ports, CPU/memory/concurrency, traffic, compliance/residency constraints, and required integrations. Reject providers/products that cannot support a hard requirement before comparing nice-to-have features.

Distinguish shared hosting from self-managed VPS/dedicated responsibilities.

Normalize price and limits

Compare regular renewal price in one currency, taxes, required licences, backups, IPs, domains, setup fees, bandwidth/storage/resource limits, and overage/upgrade rules. “Unlimited” marketing should still be read with AUP/resource policy.

Avoid comparing an introductory annual rate to another provider’s month-to-month renewal rate.

Test ownership, recovery and support boundaries

Verify you control registrant/domain access, can export files/databases/mail as needed, understand backup retention/restore procedure, and know what support administers versus what remains customer-managed.

Ask how to recover account access and what happens to data after cancellation.

Run a small proof before a critical migration

Where practical, test DNS, TLS, application behavior, mail, backup/restore, monitoring, and support response on a representative workload. Keep a documented exit/migration plan from day one. Record the provider, plan, tested date, limits observed, and any unanswered question so the checklist remains a reusable evidence record for future reviews.

• Fit hard requirements first.
• Normalize recurring TCO.
• Verify ownership/recovery scope.
• Test before moving critical production.