Technology is constantly evolving, and your current server might not always meet your needs. Whether you require more bandwidth, memory, or other resources to keep your websites running smoothly, upgrading to a new server can be the solution. Once you’ve found a web host that fits your requirements, it’s time to make the switch. In this article, we’ll guide you through the process of moving to a new web server.

What is a Web Server?

A web server is a combination of software and hardware that processes HTTP or HTTPS requests, enabling web applications and websites to be displayed in your browser. Web servers play a crucial role in the functioning of the Internet by transferring data from one server to another. They are used by a wide variety of entities, including non-profit organizations, governments, small businesses, large enterprises, web hosts, and individual website owners. Some popular web servers include:

• Apache

Apache is an open-source web server developed by the Apache Software Foundation. It is compatible with various operating systems such as Linux, Unix, and Microsoft Windows, among others.

• Nginx

Nginx is a web server that functions as a reverse proxy, load balancer, and email proxy. Like Apache, Nginx is also open-source and available for free.

• Microsoft IIS 

Microsoft IIS (Internet Information Services) is a web server developed by Microsoft, designed to work seamlessly with ASP.NET applications and is part of the Windows family.

• LightSpeed

LightSpeed web servers are developed by LightSpeed Technologies and are known for their fast load times. They share similar features with Apache but are generally proprietary, although an open-source version is available. 

Pros and Cons of Changing Web Servers

Before moving forward, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons of switching to a new web server. This can help you decide whether it’s the right step for your website or application.

Pros:

• Improved Performance: A new server may offer better bandwidth, memory, and processing power, leading to faster load times and a smoother user experience.
• Enhanced Security: Upgrading your web server can provide stronger security features and better protection against cyber threats.
• Scalability: New servers often offer more flexibility and options to scale as your website or application grows.
• Advanced Features: You might gain access to more advanced software, plugins, or configurations tailored to your specific needs.

Cons:

• Downtime Risk: During the transition, there is a risk of website downtime, which can temporarily affect user experience or business operations.
• Technical Complexity: Migrating to a new server requires technical knowledge. Misconfigurations can lead to issues like broken links, database errors, or lost data.
• Cost: Depending on the server you choose, upgrading may result in higher costs for hosting, particularly with dedicated or VPS servers.
• Compatibility Issues: Some software or applications might not be fully compatible with the new server, requiring additional adjustments or updates.

8 Steps to Change Web Servers

Here’s a step-by-step guide to switching web servers:

1. Evaluate the Current Web Server: Before making the switch, assess your current web server. Identify the reasons for the change—whether it’s due to performance issues, security concerns, software compatibility, or the need for scalability. Creating a checklist of what your current server lacks will help you choose a new one that meets your needs.

2. Choose a New Web Server : Once you’ve evaluated your needs, it’s time to explore your options. There are many web servers to choose from, each with its own pros and cons. Don’t hesitate to ask the sales team questions to find the best fit for your website or application.

3. Install the New Web Server : After selecting a web server, you’ll need to install it. Some web hosts offer servers with pre-installed software, while others may require you to manage the installation yourself. If you’re handling your own server, you can opt for server colocation or install specific software on a VPS or dedicated server. Be sure to follow the installation documentation carefully, as you may need to install additional software or dependencies.

4. Configure the New Web Server: Once installed, configure the server to meet your needs. This includes setting up virtual hosts, SSL certificates, and other necessary configurations. Refer to the configuration guides for your specific server to ensure everything is set up correctly.

5. Test the New Web Server:  Before making the final switch, test the new server thoroughly. Check your website or application, ensure pages load correctly, and verify that forms, scripts, and databases function as expected. Testing allows you to catch any potential issues before going live.

7. Migrate Your Website or Application: If all tests go smoothly, it’s time to migrate your website or application. This involves copying files, databases, and configurations from the old server to the new one. Depending on the server type, the migration process may vary, so consult specific migration guides. Your web host may also offer migration support, sometimes for a fee.
8. Update DNS Records  : After the migration, update your DNS records with your domain registrar to point to the new server. DNS propagation may take anywhere from 12 to 72 hours. During this period, you may experience downtime or be served from the old server, so check regularly to avoid missing emails or form submissions.
9. Check the Website or Application on the New Server : Once the DNS has propagated, verify that everything on the new server is working as expected. Even if testing was successful, issues can still arise in a live environment, so double-check the website or application to ensure a smooth transition.

In Summary

Thank you for reading this simple guide on changing web servers. While switching servers can get quite technical, with patience, it’s a manageable process. If you’d rather not spend your time handling the migration yourself, consider opting for a managed hosting plan. These plans often include migration assistance, making the transition smoother and stress-free. With managed hosting, you can focus on growing your business while leaving the technical details of server migration to the experts.

You can create various web redirects using your cPanel account, including both Temporary and Permanent options.

Temporary Redirects

Temporary redirects (status code 302 – Found) are useful when your website needs to be temporarily unavailable. For example, during site maintenance, you can redirect visitors to a temporary page, informing them that the site will be back soon.

Permanent Redirects

Permanent redirects (status code 301 – Moved Permanently) are used to inform visitors and search engines that a web page or site has permanently moved to a new location. This method allows search engines to transfer ranking and value signals to the new URL, recognizing it as the permanent home for the content. This type of redirect is ideal when you move your website to a new domain name.

Steps to Set Up a Domain Redirect in cPanel:

1. Log into cPanel.
2. Navigate to the “Redirects” section found under the Domains category.

1. On the Add Redirect page, choose the type of redirect (Permanent 301 or Temporary 302) from the “Type” drop-down menu.
2. Select the domain you want to redirect from the next drop-down menu.
3. For the slash ‘/’ field, enter any necessary folder names.
4. In the “Redirects to” section, type the address you want the domain to redirect to.
5. Choose one of the following options:
   • “Only redirect with www.”
   • “Redirect with or without www.”
   • “Do Not Redirect www.”
6. Check the Wild Card Redirect box if you want to add the file or folder name after the URL when it redirects (e.g., domain.com/file.php redirects to domain2.com/file.php).
7. Click the “Add” button to finalize your settings.

FileZilla is a widely used tool for transferring files on Linux, macOS, and Windows. It’s free, open-source, and offers a user-friendly interface along with advanced features like bookmarks, pausing and resuming large file transfers, a tabbed interface, and remote file searching. 

Although FileZilla is powerful, it can be intimidating for some users. But don’t worry! This guide will show you how to connect to your website’s hosting server using FTP and upload a ZIP file with FileZilla.

How to Download and Install FileZilla

FileZilla is an open-source application, meaning its code is publicly available for review and modification. However, this also means that others could create modified versions that might include harmful software. To avoid this, you can download the official version of FileZilla from its website by clicking this link. Once there, click the gray “Download FileZilla Client” button.

Their website will automatically detect your operating system and display a green button to download the FileZilla Client.

Click this button to download the application. Then open the downloaded file and install.

Using FileZilla to Connect via FTP

1. Launch FileZilla and input your FTP login details in the fields at the top of the application.

2. You’ll need the following information for your server’s FTP account:

Host: This could be your domain name or the server hosting your account
Username: Your cPanel username
Password: Your cPanel password
Port: 21 (leave this blank if you want the default port to be used)

3.Click the “Quickconnect” button.

Your computer will establish a connection with your web server. On the left side of the FileZilla window, you’ll see the directory of folders and files from your local computer. The right side displays the directory of folders and files on your web server.

Using FileZilla to Upload Files via FTP

The interface is straightforward. The top half of the application displays logs of transfers, while the left middle section shows your computer’s directory, and the middle right section shows the server’s directory. I have a ZIP file containing the latest release of WordPress in my Downloads folder that I want to upload to my public_html folder. To do this, I’ll navigate to my Downloads folder on the left side of FileZilla. Then, on the right side, I’ll locate and open the public_html folder.

To transfer the WordPress ZIP file to the public_html folder, I’ll click on it once and then drag and drop it into the public_html folder, as shown here:

Notice that the small section at the bottom shows the transfer status of the ZIP file. Once the transfer completes, you’ll see the ZIP file in the public_html folder on the right side, alongside the other files and folders. You can also copy multiple files by selecting them with your mouse or holding the CTRL (Windows) or CMD (Mac) key and clicking on individual files.

This guide will walk you through the process of creating and managing FTP accounts using cPanel.

Creating an FTP Account in cPanel

1. Log into your cPanel account.
2. Navigate to the “Files” section and click on “FTP Accounts.”

   3. Under the “Add FTP Account” section, complete the following details:

1. • Login: Enter the username for the FTP account. The full FTP username will be in the format user@domain.extension. Including your domain name is mandatory.
   • Password: Choose a strong password. If you need assistance, use the “Password Generator” tool.
   • Directory: The directory path will be auto-filled, but you can modify it. This directory will be the root folder the FTP account can access. To grant full access to your file system, enter a forward slash “/”.
   • Quota: Specify the maximum disk space (in MB) the FTP user can utilize, or set it to unlimited.

Click the “Create FTP Account” button. A confirmation message stating “Account Created” will appear.

How to delete an FTP account in cPanel

1. Log into your cPanel account.
2. Go to the “Files” section and select “FTP Accounts.”

    3. From the “FTP Accounts” list, find the user you want to remove and click “Delete.” Double-check to ensure you’re deleting the correct user.

    4. Optionally, you can choose to delete the user’s home directory, which will permanently remove all files associated with this FTP account. Be cautious with this option.

    5. Click the blue “Delete” button to remove the FTP account.

How to change the password for an FTP account in cPanel

If you need to change the password for an additional FTP account:

1. Log into your cPanel account.
2. Navigate to the “Files” section and select “FTP Accounts.”

3. From the “FTP Accounts” list, click on the “Change Password” link for the relevant user. Ensure that you set a new password for the correct FTP account.

4. Click the blue “Change Password” button to update the password.

The WordPress Heartbeat API is a server polling tool integrated into WordPress, designed to facilitate near-real-time updates on the frontend. This API operates by making AJAX calls through the admin-ajax.php file. However, if you observe an unusually high volume of POST requests directed at this file, it may indicate that you need to reduce the frequency of the WordPress Heartbeat API or consider disabling it entirely.

Excessive requests to admin-ajax.php can significantly increase CPU usage on your server, potentially leading to performance issues. To completely disable this functionality and prevent it from contributing to the overall CPU time and the number of executions on your website, you can insert specific code into your site.

Go to the functions.php file of your WordPress theme and paste these lines right after the opening <?php tag:

add_action( 'init', 'stop_heartbeat', 1 );
function stop_heartbeat() {
wp_deregister_script('heartbeat');
}

How to Restrict WordPress Heartbeat

If you prefer not to disable the Heartbeat API entirely, you can opt to limit its execution frequency instead. This can be accomplished using a plugin like Heartbeat Control. After installing and activating the plugin, you can adjust the Heartbeat API frequency to intervals of 60 seconds or more. It’s advisable to set the Heartbeat locations to “Allow only on post edit pages” to further reduce unnecessary server load. By properly managing the WordPress Heartbeat API, you can optimize your site’s performance and prevent excessive resource usage, ensuring a smoother experience for both administrators and users.

And that’s it! With these steps, you can effectively control how WordPress Heartbeat operates on your website.

You can register domain names that include special characters, such as accents or non-Latin scripts, using a method called Punycode. This process converts these characters into a format that can be recognized by the Domain Name System (DNS). In this guide, we will provide a detailed explanation of how Punycode works and guide you through the steps to successfully register your unique domain name with special characters

What is Punycode?

To understand Punycode, it’s important to first know about Unicode and ASCII, since Punycode is a way of representing Unicode characters using the limited ASCII character set that is typically used for internet domain names.

Unicode is a universal standard for encoding, representing, and processing text across most of the world’s writing systems. It is widely used on the web, often in the UTF-8 encoding format.

ASCII stands for the American Standard Code for Information Interchange. It is an older character encoding standard that was originally developed from telegraph code and is still commonly used in electronic communications.

Punycode allows you to represent special characters from different languages using ASCII, making it possible to register domain names with those characters.

Registering a Domain Name with Special Characters

To register a domain with special characters, you need to convert it into its Punycode equivalent. Once converted, you can register the domain just like any other. After registration, typing the original domain with special characters into your browser will direct you to the correct site.

Converting Special Characters to Punycode

You can use online tools like the domain converter available at Charset.org to convert your domain name from its special character format into the IDNA (Internationalizing Domain Names in Applications) format, which uses Punycode.

If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to reach out for support. We’re available 24/7 and are happy to help!

If you’ve encountered the “Error Establishing Database Connection” message while trying to access your WordPress site, it typically points to one of the following issues:

• The database has crashed
• Incorrect database login details in your WordPress configuration file
• Corrupted WordPress database tables

Let’s explore these potential problems and how to address them step by step.

Step 1: Repair the WordPress Database

Database corruption can happen due to various reasons, such as a failed update, a plugin malfunction, or a crash. This can lead to a database connection error. The first step you should take is to attempt a database repair.

If you’re using cPanel, you can easily repair your database via phpMyAdmin.

WordPress also has a built-in database repair feature, though it’s disabled by default due to security concerns. Here’s how to enable, use, and then disable this feature:

1. Open your wp-config.php file in any text editor.
2. Add the following code to a blank line in the file: 

define('WP_ALLOW_REPAIR', true);

This defines a variable that WordPress looks for when determining if it should enable the repair feature.

1. Save the changes and close the file.
2. In your browser, navigate to the following URL, replacing it with your domain name: 

http://www.yourdomain.com/wp-admin/maint/repair.php

This will take you to a database repair page. Click the “Repair Database” button to start the process. Once completed, revisit the wp-config.php file to remove the line you added earlier.

After repairs, check your site to see if the issue is resolved.

Step 2: Verify Database Login Details

If you’ve recently migrated your WordPress site to a different server or hosting provider, you may need to update your database connection settings stored in the wp-config.php file.

1. Open the wp-config.php file in your preferred text editor.
2. Locate the database connection information:

/** The name of the database for WordPress */
define('DB_NAME', 'database_name');
/** MySQL database username */
define('DB_USER', 'database_username');
/** MySQL database password */
define('DB_PASSWORD', 'database_password');

Ensure that the details match your current database credentials. If any information is incorrect, update it accordingly, save the file, and exit.
If the problem persists, restoring the database from a backup may be necessary.

If you find yourself frequently logged out of cPanel whenever your IP address changes, it could be due to security protocols set by your hosting provider or cPanel itself. These measures are in place to protect your account by interpreting IP changes as potential security threats, thus triggering an automatic logout.

While this can be frustrating, especially for cPanel users on networks like MTN and occasionally GLO, it’s important to remember that these security measures are designed to safeguard your account from unauthorized access.

Why Does cPanel Log Out When My IP Address Changes?

The primary reason for this issue is the security protocols implemented by your hosting provider or cPanel software. When your IP address changes, cPanel perceives it as a potential security risk and logs you out to protect your account and data. This problem is particularly prevalent among MTN network users, and to a lesser extent, GLO network users, due to the way these networks handle IP addresses.

Common Solutions

1. Switching Networks

One potential solution is to switch to a different network. If you have access to an alternative network, such as another ISP’s Wi-Fi or a different mobile data provider like Airtel Nigeria, try connecting through that network. This may provide you with a more stable IP address that doesn’t trigger cPanel’s security measures.

2. Using a Proxy Link

For users dealing with dynamic IP addresses, using a proxy link can help maintain a stable connection to cPanel. By connecting through a proxy, you can bypass IP-related issues. An example of a proxy link is:

https://cpanel.yourdomain.tld

Replace yourdomain.tld with your actual domain name. This method serves as an intermediary, allowing you to access cPanel through a different IP address, potentially resolving connectivity issues.

3. Using a VPN (Virtual Private Network)

Utilizing a VPN is another effective solution. A VPN provides a stable and consistent IP address, regardless of your network connection. By masking your actual IP address and assigning a new one from the VPN server, you can avoid frequent logouts. Here’s how to use a VPN:

1. Choose a reputable VPN service provider (e.g., Windscribe, which offers 10GB of free usage).
2. Install the VPN client on your device.
3. Select a server location and establish a connection.
4. Access cPanel as usual with a stable IP address provided by the VPN.

4. Checking for Other Causes

Frequent IP address changes can also be due to short DHCP lease times from your ISP or accessing cPanel from different devices. In such cases, using the URL http://cpanel.yourdomain.com/ might help resolve the issue.

Conclusion

Experiencing frequent logouts from cPanel due to IP address changes can be disruptive, particularly for MTN network users. However, by understanding the root cause and implementing solutions like switching networks, using proxy links, or employing a VPN, you can maintain uninterrupted access to cPanel. For further assistance, consult your hosting provider’s support or cPanel’s support team.

Taking proactive steps to address this issue will enable you to utilize cPanel’s features efficiently, without unnecessary interruptions.

Login to cPanel:

• • Access your cPanel account.
  • Navigate to the Softaculous Apps Installer section and click the WordPress logo. This will bring up several options.

       Click the “Install Now” button.     cPanel > Softaculous Apps Installer > WordPres

Choose a Protocol:

• • If you have installed a free Let’s Encrypt SSL, use the HTTPS protocol. Otherwise, HTTP will suffice.

Fill Out WordPress Installation Details:

• • Software Setup:
    • Choose the domain: Select the domain name where you want to install WordPress.
    • Directory field: Leave this empty to install WordPress directly on yourdomain.com. To install it in a subfolder, such as yourdomain.com/blog, type “blog” in this field.
  • Site Settings:
    • Site Name: Enter the title of your website, which will appear in search engines.
    • Site Description: Enter a description of your website, also visible in search engines.
    • Enable Multisite (WPMU): This option allows you to create a network of sites using the WordPress Multisite feature.
  • Admin Account:
    • Enter the login details for your WordPress admin panel. Use a strong password and an email address you can access.
  • Advanced Options:
    • Leave the default database settings as they are.
    • Enable auto-updates for your WordPress version, themes, and plugins if desired.

Install WordPress:

• • Scroll down and click the “Install” button.
  • After a few moments, you will receive a confirmation message that WordPress has been successfully installed.

You can now log into your WordPress Dashboard and start building your website.