Migration · 1 hour · Zero data loss

Migrate from Contabo to Valebyte

Move from Contabo to Valebyte: dedicated vCPU instead of oversold shared, 10 Gbps unmetered, faster I/O on real NVMe.

Why people leave Contabo

Heavy CPU oversell on cheap plans

Contabo VPS S ($8/mo for 4 vCPU/8 GB) is famous for high CPU steal under load — typical 30-50% during peak hours. The advertised vCPUs are not what you actually get.

Slow disk I/O on shared storage

VPS S/M/L use shared SSD storage with measurable IOPS contention. Random read/write benchmarks land far below dedicated NVMe equivalents.

Network speed varies by location

Some Contabo locations (Singapore, Tokyo) suffer from network bottlenecks during peak. EU and US-Central usually fine. Hard to test before commit.

Setup fee on monthly billing

Contabo charges €5-10 setup fee on monthly plans. Quarterly/yearly billing waives it but locks you in.

Limited control panel features

No proper snapshot/restore in real-time. Reinstall is a multi-step process. Console access via VNC works but is dated UX.

Mainly German support

Email support primarily during German business hours. Live chat is limited. Response times measured in days, not hours.

Contabo vs Valebyte: honest comparison

No marketing — actual differences. Including where they win.

FeatureContaboValebyte
Cheapest VPS VPS S — €5.95 — 4 vCPU shared (oversold), 8 GB, 75 GB SSD + €5 setup VPS-XS $7.59 — 1 vCPU dedicated, 2 GB, 20 GB NVMe
CPU type Shared with 1:6-1:8 oversell Dedicated vCPU
Disk I/O Shared SSD, ~10K IOPS random read on busy host Dedicated NVMe, 50K-200K IOPS
Network 200-400 Mbps shared, 32 TB/mo 10 Gbps unmetered
Setup fees €5-10 on monthly billing None
Locations DE, US, UK, JP, SG, AU, IN Multi-provider: FR, NL, DE, NO, JP, IN, US, ZA, AE, BR
Snapshot/backup Manual via control panel Free snapshots, faster
Console access VNC (basic UX) noVNC + serial console
Support response 1-3 days email primarily 4-24h email, Russian/Spanish/English
Payment methods Card, PayPal, SEPA, crypto Stripe, Square, SEPA, USDT/BTC/ETH/TON, MIR/SBP

Migration checklist: 12 steps

Total time — 1 hour (small VPS) to 4 hours (TB-scale DB). Zero-downtime possible — steps 4-6.

  1. 1

    Snapshot or back up your existing servers

    Contabo control panel → VPS → 'Snapshots' tab. Note: snapshots take significant time and may briefly pause the VPS. For databases, do logical dumps instead.

  2. 2

    Export DNS records to a zone file

    Contabo doesn't have a built-in DNS service. Your DNS is at your registrar (Namecheap, GoDaddy, Cloudflare, etc.) — export from there.

  3. 3

    Lower DNS TTL to 300 seconds

    Do this 24h before cutover. Visitors see new IP within 5 min instead of waiting hours for caches.

  4. 4

    Order your Valebyte VPS or dedicated matching specs

    Match RAM and vCPU; disk you can grow later. Pay your preferred way (card, SEPA, USDT/BTC, MIR/SBP).

  5. 5

    Restore data via rsync over SSH

    `rsync -avzP --delete /source/ root@new-server:/dest/` for files, configs, Docker volumes, and pre-dumped databases. Test first with `--dry-run`.

  6. 6

    Migrate databases with logical dump

    Postgres: `pg_dumpall | ssh new-server psql`. MySQL: `mysqldump --all-databases | ssh new-server mysql`. Contabo doesn't offer managed DB. Your database is self-hosted on the VPS, so use standard `pg_dump`/`mysqldump` to migrate to your new Valebyte VPS.

  7. 7

    Re-create users, SSH keys, sudoers

    Don't copy `/etc/shadow` blindly across distros — use `useradd` and copy `~/.ssh/authorized_keys`. Verify sudoers with `visudo -c`.

  8. 8

    Install your stack

    Same Docker Compose, Ansible playbook, or k3s manifest works on Valebyte (Ubuntu 22/24, Debian 12, AlmaLinux 9 are available). No vendor-specific lock-in.

  9. 9

    Re-create firewall rules

    List your existing rules → recreate via `ufw` or `nftables` on Valebyte. Test all inbound services with `nmap` from outside before going live.

  10. 10

    Update DNS A/AAAA records to new IPs

    Wait for old TTL to expire (5 min if you lowered earlier). Watch traffic with `tcpdump` to confirm requests are arriving on the new server.

  11. 11

    Run both servers in parallel for 48 hours

    Don't shut down the old side immediately. Watch error rates, latency, customer complaints. If something breaks — flip DNS back instantly.

  12. 12

    Cancel old service only after 7 days

    Wait until you're sure nothing references old IPs (cron jobs, webhooks, hardcoded configs in third-party services).

Pick a plan that matches your Contabo budget

All plans: 10 Gbps, dedicated IP, full root, KVM console

VPS-XS
$7.59/mo
  • 1.00 vCPU
  • 2 GB RAM
  • 20 GB NVMe
  • 10 Gbps unmetered
Order
VPS-S
$13.10/mo
  • 2.00 vCPU
  • 4 GB RAM
  • 40 GB NVMe
  • 10 Gbps unmetered
Order
VPS-M
$24.14/mo
  • 4.00 vCPU
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 80 GB NVMe
  • 10 Gbps unmetered
Order
VPS-L
$47.69/mo
  • 8.00 vCPU
  • 16 GB RAM
  • 150 GB NVMe
  • 10 Gbps unmetered
Order
VPS-XL
$88.46/mo
  • 16.00 vCPU
  • 32 GB RAM
  • 300 GB NVMe
  • 10 Gbps unmetered
Order
VPS-2XL
$182.50/mo
  • 24.00 vCPU
  • 64 GB RAM
  • 400 GB NVMe
  • 10 Gbps unmetered
Order

Frequently asked questions

Will Contabo refund unused balance?
It depends on the plan. Most Contabo plans refund pro-rata for hourly billing or remaining month. Check their billing page or contact support before closing.
How fast is the actual cutover?
DNS propagation 5-30 min if TTL=300 was set 24h before. DB dump+restore: 10 GB ~ 5 min, 100 GB ~ 30 min, 1 TB ~ a few hours over 1 Gbps. User-visible downtime if scripted: 5-15 minutes.
Can I run my Docker Compose stack on Valebyte?
Yes. Valebyte VPS provides full root on KVM. AlmaLinux 9, Ubuntu 22/24, Debian 12 are available — Docker works out of the box. `docker-compose.yml` migrates unchanged.
Do you have an API?
VPS create/destroy/snapshot/rebuild/console is fully API-driven (HostPVE-powered). Dedicated server ordering is currently manual fulfillment within 1-24 hours; full API by Q3 2026.
Can I migrate without downtime?
Yes with database replication (logical or physical) before cutover, then DNS flip. Most users accept 5-15 min as it's much simpler. Real zero-downtime is proportional to your service architecture — we can advise on a free call.
What about IP-based licenses?
Licenses tied to specific IPs (Plesk, cPanel, MetaTrader, IDS appliances) need re-issuing. Talk to your license vendor before cutover.

Leave Contabo today

10 Gbps unmetered, multi-region, flexible payment (card, SEPA, crypto, MIR). VPS in 30 seconds.

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