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.
| Feature | Contabo | Valebyte |
|---|---|---|
| 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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).
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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`.
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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.
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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`.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
Frequently asked questions
Will Contabo refund unused balance?
How fast is the actual cutover?
Can I run my Docker Compose stack on Valebyte?
Do you have an API?
Can I migrate without downtime?
What about IP-based licenses?
Leave Contabo today
10 Gbps unmetered, multi-region, flexible payment (card, SEPA, crypto, MIR). VPS in 30 seconds.
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