Upgrade a Web Hosting instance

Procedure

1. Go to the upgrade page from one of the following entry points.

   • On the Cloud Web Hosting management page:

     In the instance list, find the Alibaba Cloud Web Hosting instance that you want to upgrade and click Upgrade in the Actions column.

   • On the Cloud Web Hosting Management Console:

     At the top of the Alibaba Cloud Web Hosting console page, click Upgrade.

2. On the Confirm Order page, configure the upgrade parameters and click Next.

   Note

   If the upgrade path is valid but the Alibaba Cloud Web Hosting console does not display the upgradeable host types, subscription durations, or prices, it may be because your original host has more than three years remaining on its subscription, and the target host does not offer a three-year pricing plan. To proceed, request a refund to reduce the subscription duration of your original host to less than three years, and then perform the upgrade.

   The following table describes the parameters.

   Parameter	Description
   Host type to upgrade to	Select the target Alibaba Cloud Web Hosting instance type. For example, Exclusive Web Hosting Advanced Edition.
   Subscription duration	The subscription duration for the target Alibaba Cloud Web Hosting instance. For example, 1 year. The new expiration date is based on the subscription duration that you select and is independent of the original order's expiration date. Check the Expiration time after upgrade in the Current configuration section.
   Upgrade and restart	Select Yes, I want to upgrade and restart the server immediately. Note On the Upgrade configuration section of the Alibaba Cloud Web Hosting console, some instances may not have the Yes, I want to upgrade and restart the server immediately or No, I do not want to upgrade and restart the server now options. The actual UI may vary.
   Service terms	Select I have read and agree to [Exclusive Web Hosting Advanced Edition Online Service Terms].

   Note

   The upgrade cost is the price difference between the new and original configurations. The exact amount is displayed in real time on the Confirm Order page.

   If the console does not display a price or upgrade option, possible causes include:

   • Your original host's remaining subscription duration exceeds three years, and the target host does not have a three-year pricing plan.

   • The current host type does not support a direct upgrade to the target host type.

   In these cases, see Hosts That Support Upgrade for the supported upgrade paths, or adjust the subscription duration of the original host and try again.

3. In the dialog box that appears, click OK.

4. On the payment page, select a payment method and type, and then click Pay.

   After the payment is successful, the upgrade is completed within 5 to 10 minutes.

Next steps

If your Alibaba Cloud Web Hosting instance is replaced during the upgrade, perform the following steps after the upgrade is complete:

• Confirm that the website data migration was successful.

  After submitting the payment for the upgrade, the original host is retained for only 7 days. During this period, you cannot log on to the original host from the Alibaba Cloud Web Hosting console. You can connect to the original host only by using an FTP client to download website data or by using Data Management Service (DMS) to export database data.

• Reset the FTP logon password and the Alibaba Cloud Web Hosting console password for the target host. For more information, see Reset the console password and FTP password for a web hosting instance.

• To ensure the security of your database, we recommend that you reset the database password for the target host and update the database connection string in your website's code. For more information, see Reset the database password of an Alibaba Cloud Web Hosting instance.

• After debugging your website, update the domain name resolution to point your domain name to the IP address of the target host.

  • If your domain name's DNS is managed by Alibaba Cloud, see Domain name resolution types for an Alibaba Cloud Web Hosting instance.

  • If your domain name's DNS is managed by another provider, contact your provider to ensure the domain name resolves to the IP address of the target host.

FAQ

Upgrading a Web Hosting instance to an ECS instance

You cannot directly upgrade an Alibaba Cloud Web Hosting instance to an ECS instance.

If you need to migrate your website to an ECS instance, you must first configure the environment and set up the website on the ECS instance. Then, migrate your data to the ECS instance and point your domain name to the ECS instance's IP address.

Handling data loss after an upgrade

Possible cause: After the upgrade, the automatic data migration may fail due to system issues. As a result, data from the original host may be missing from the new host.

In this scenario, you will receive an email notification titled Notification of Web Hosting Website Data Migration Failure. The notification informs you that the data on the original host will be retained for only 7 days, after which it cannot be recovered.

Will the FTP account credentials and IP address change after upgrading a Web Hosting instance?

Yes, upgrading a Web Hosting instance typically changes the following information:

• IP address

• FTP username

• Database name

After the upgrade is complete, perform the following steps:

1. Reset the FTP password and the console password for the new host in the console. For more information, see Reset the console password and FTP password for a web hosting instance.

2. Update the database connection string in your website's code to use the new database information. For more information, see Reset the database password of an Alibaba Cloud Web Hosting instance.

3. Update your domain name resolution to point to the new host's IP address. For more information, see Domain name resolution types for an Alibaba Cloud Web Hosting instance.

What should I do if the IP address of my shared Cloud Web Hosting instance is flagged as a risk by a search engine?

Cause: Shared Cloud Web Hosting instances use a shared IP address across multiple users. If another website hosted on the same IP address violates platform regulations, your website may be flagged as medium risk or dangerous by search engines such as Baidu.

Solution: Upgrade to an exclusive Web Hosting instance to obtain a dedicated IP address. This prevents your website from being affected by other users sharing the same IP.

Additional recommendations: Scan your website for security vulnerabilities or malicious code, and back up your data regularly.