Before cancelling a server, take a few minutes to close things down properly. Once the service is deleted, the server and everything on it are gone — see What happens if an invoice for my server is not paid? for the deletion timescales.
1. Copy off everything you need
Take a final backup and check that you can actually open it before relying on it. Do not forget the parts that are easy to overlook:
- website files and databases — a files-only backup restores a site that cannot start;
- mailboxes, if mail was hosted on this server;
- configuration files, cron jobs and any custom scripts;
- SSL certificates and their private keys, if you intend to reuse them;
- DNS zone contents, if the domain was served from this server — the records are easier to copy than to reconstruct.
2. Move anything that keeps running
Point domains at their new location and let the DNS change propagate before the server goes away — see How long does DNS propagation take? If you cancel first and change DNS afterwards, visitors reach nothing in the interval.
The same applies to mail: MX records need to point to the new server before this one stops accepting mail, or messages sent in between are lost.
3. Wipe the data
If the server held confidential data, wipe it yourself rather than relying on the deletion process. It takes minutes and removes all doubt.
On a virtual server: boot the machine from any available installation image through the client area console, and delete the disk partitions from it — see Managing your CloudVM virtual server in the client area.
On a dedicated server: use the console to boot from an image and wipe the disks, or delete the RAID configuration in the BIOS/UEFI — see Working with the IPMI interface.
Deleting partitions removes the file system, not the contents of the disk. If the data was genuinely sensitive, overwrite the disks — with shred or dd from a live image, or the drive's own secure-erase function. Tell us in a ticket if you need help with this; on our side the storage is in any case cleared before reuse.
4. Cancel the service
Submit the cancellation in your client area rather than simply letting the next invoice go unpaid. Letting it lapse means overdue reminders, and the service is suspended before it is removed, so you lose access to the server while still holding data on it.
Check whether anything is billed separately alongside the server — additional IP addresses, licences, backup storage — and cancel those too, or they continue to be invoiced.
5. Do not delete the old server the same day
Where you can, keep the old server for a few days after the new one is live. DNS propagates gradually, and missing files are usually discovered after the switch, not before. If the service is already cancelled, that option is gone.
If you are unsure what needs moving, or would like us to check that nothing is left running, open a ticket from your client area before you cancel.
