Migration · 1 hour · Zero data loss

Migrate from DigitalOcean to Valebyte

Move from DigitalOcean to Valebyte: 2 GB for $7.59 instead of $12, dedicated IP and 10 Gbps unmetered, no bandwidth overage.

Why people leave DigitalOcean

$6 per 1 GB RAM is high in 2026

DigitalOcean's Basic Droplet starts at $6/mo for 1 GB / 1 vCPU shared. Equivalent specs cost $7.59/mo with 2 GB and dedicated vCPU at Valebyte.

Bandwidth caps with $0.01/GB overage

Each Droplet has 1-9 TB/mo allowance, then $0.01/GB. A spike in traffic creates a surprise bill at the end of the month.

Backups and snapshots cost extra

20% of Droplet price for automated backups, $0.06/GB-month for snapshots. Comparable infrastructure at Valebyte includes free snapshots.

Single network speed (no 10 Gbps)

Droplets cap at 2 Gbps egress (Premium AMD) or 1 Gbps. Valebyte VPS uses 10 Gbps unmetered shared port — relevant for video, file sync, scraping.

Limited locations for some regions

15 datacenters but only 1-2 each in APAC, none in LATAM or Africa. Valebyte's multi-provider catalog adds Mumbai, São Paulo, Johannesburg, Dubai.

Managed services lock-in

Managed Postgres, Spaces, App Platform — once you adopt them, migration involves rewriting infrastructure. Self-host the same stack on a $7.59 VPS.

DigitalOcean vs Valebyte: honest comparison

No marketing — actual differences. Including where they win.

FeatureDigitalOceanValebyte
Cheapest VPS Basic — $6 — 1 vCPU shared, 1 GB, 25 GB VPS-XS — $7.59 — 1 vCPU dedicated, 2 GB, 20 GB NVMe
Network 1-2 Gbps, 1-9 TB cap, $0.01/GB overage 10 Gbps unmetered (no overage)
Locations 15 DCs (NYC, SFO, AMS, FRA, LON, TOR, BLR, SGP, SYD) Multi-provider: FR, NL, DE, NO, JP, IN, US, ZA, AE, BR
Snapshot pricing $0.06/GB-month Free (included)
Automated backups 20% of Droplet price Optional, $1-2/mo
CPU type Shared on Basic, dedicated on Premium AMD/Intel Dedicated vCPU on every plan
API + CLI doctl, Terraform provider HostPVE-powered API + cURL
Object Storage Spaces ($5/250 GB) BYO MinIO on VPS or Backblaze B2 affiliate
Marketplace 200+ 1-click apps Marketplace with 1-click Docker stack
Payment methods Card, PayPal 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 your Droplets

    DigitalOcean Console → Droplet → 'Snapshots' tab → 'Take Snapshot'. Cost: $0.06/GB until you delete it. For Volumes, snapshot separately.

  2. 2

    Export DNS records

    DigitalOcean → Networking → Domains → click domain → 'More' → 'Export Zone File'. Most registrars import BIND format directly.

  3. 3

    Lower DNS TTL to 300 seconds

    Do this 24h before cutover. The default DigitalOcean DNS TTL is 1800s — change all A/AAAA/CNAME records temporarily.

  4. 4

    Order your Valebyte VPS matching specs

    Match RAM and vCPU; disk you can grow. Pay in your preferred method (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. Test with `--dry-run` first.

  6. 6

    Migrate Managed Database to self-hosted

    Postgres: `pg_dump -h db-cluster-do.com -U doadmin -d defaultdb | psql -h new-server -U postgres`. Same for MySQL with `mysqldump`. ARM-compatible if your new VPS is ARM.

  7. 7

    Move Spaces objects to MinIO or Backblaze B2

    `s3cmd sync s3://your-space/ s3://new-bucket/` if using Backblaze B2. Or self-host MinIO on your VPS for full S3 compatibility.

  8. 8

    Re-deploy your stack

    Same `docker-compose.yml` works (Ubuntu/Debian/AlmaLinux on Valebyte). If you used App Platform, deploy as Docker container or systemd service.

  9. 9

    Re-create firewall rules

    DigitalOcean Cloud Firewalls → list rules → recreate via `ufw` or `nftables`. Test all inbound services with `nmap` from outside.

  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.

  11. 11

    Run both servers in parallel for 48 hours

    Don't power off the Droplet immediately. Watch error rates, latency, customer reports. If something breaks — flip DNS back instantly.

  12. 12

    Destroy Droplets only after 7 days

    Confirm nothing references old IPs (cron jobs, webhooks, hardcoded configs in third-party services). Then destroy via Console or doctl.

Pick a plan that matches your DigitalOcean 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 DigitalOcean refund unused balance?
Yes — prepaid credit and unused Droplet hours are refunded to your card within 5-10 business days of account closure. Reserved IPs are not refundable.
How fast is the actual cutover?
DNS propagation 5-30 min if TTL=300 set 24h before. Database dump+restore: 10 GB ~ 5 min, 100 GB ~ 30 min, 1 TB ~ a few hours over 1 Gbps. Total 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 — all run Docker out of the box. `docker-compose.yml` migrates unchanged.
What about App Platform apps?
App Platform uses container or buildpack deploys. On Valebyte, run the same container via `docker compose` + Caddy/Traefik for SSL, or use Coolify/Dokku for similar developer UX.
Do you have an API like DigitalOcean's?
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 Managed Database without downtime?
Yes with logical replication (Postgres `pg_basebackup` + WAL streaming) or MySQL master-slave. Most users accept 5-15 min downtime — much simpler. We can advise.
How do I move Spaces to MinIO?
Use `rclone` or `s3cmd sync` from Spaces to your new bucket. MinIO is fully S3-compatible — your existing SDK code works unchanged with new endpoint URL.

Leave DigitalOcean today

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

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