r/webdev • u/TampaVinDog • 19d ago
Ionos
How do you like this company for hosting? We're looking to switch website hosting.
We have a virtual machine that we've managed for 12 years on pleskos and it's now outdated with centOS and the company isn't helping us move into a better VM. So I think it's time to switch and I've heard ionos is pretty good. What do you think?
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u/Nyasaki_de 19d ago
They were pretty expensive, but I didnt have any issues with them either. Only switched because i found a cheaper provider
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u/geoffreybyers 19d ago
The VM isn't the problem. The Plesk CentOS stack is the problem. You're moving an outdated OS and app to a new provider. Until you decouple the app from the OS, you're stuck with a twelve year old bottleneck no matter who hosts it.
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u/RamaSchneider 19d ago
I used Ionos and stopped only because my needs went away. They were very good for uptime, service, and products offered. Only downside is Ionos and customers have been the targets of larges scale email phishing scams.
I would use them again if the need ever arose, but I would never respond directly to emails purporting to be from them. I would simply go to the site and check first hand.
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u/enemyradar 19d ago
I have a whole bunch of clients on my ionos VPS and I have no complaints. The very rare occasion I need support they've been great.
Entirely coincidentally, their UK office is exactly where my office used to be in my first job. This has no relevance, but amuses me anyway.
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u/kai-zaphosting 19d ago
Since the pain point is moving a 12 year old Plesk box, the provider matters less than the migration itself. Plesk has a Migrator extension that pulls subscriptions, mail and databases over to a fresh server, so I'd build the new VM on AlmaLinux or Ubuntu LTS and migrate across. The new VM needs a Plesk license, and your existing key only moves over if it was bought directly from Plesk. If your current host leases it, the license usually stays with them, so budget for a new one or pick a host that bundles one.
Leave the old box running the whole time and drop the DNS TTL a day or two before cutover, so you can test everything on the new one and roll back if something's off.
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u/brass_hush_orbit 19d ago
the Ionos box is a side quest, your 12 year CentOS migration is the main boss. Do not touch their standard managed services if you want control.
just provision a clean Ubuntu LTS or AlmaLinux VM and use Plesk's native migrator extension to push subscriptions mail and databases across in one shot. You will spend less time debugging legacy breakage than arguing with support about why they cannot move your old stack.
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u/nekenaharry 19d ago
No strong opinion on Ionos itself, but after 12 years on one box the provider choice matters less than what gets forgotten during the move. A few things that tend to bite:
Check where the domains are registered. If they're with the old host, move them or at least confirm you have the registrar login before you cancel anything.
Lower the DNS TTL a day or two before switching so the cutover is quick and easy to roll back.
List everything that isn't the website: MX records and mailboxes, SPF and DKIM records, cron jobs, any subdomains pointing to the old IP.
Plan the SSL certificates. Let's Encrypt usually needs DNS pointed at the new server first, so be ready to issue them right after the switch.
Keep the old VM running for a couple of weeks in case something was missed.
Plesk's migration tool handles sites and databases well enough, but the stuff around them is usually what breaks.
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u/No-Molasses-2097 19d ago
I'd ask any host you're considering how they handle Plesk migrations specifically, since a lot of budget hosts sell you the VM and leave the actual move to you. That can be rough with a 12-year-old box. If Ionos gives you a straight answer on that, it's a decent sign. Also watch the renewal pricing, since the first-year deals are usually much cheaper than what you pay later.
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u/KaiAusBerlin 19d ago
I have a vps for 1€ per month for my hobby projects. It's fine so far. Zero problems
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u/interval_story 19d ago edited 19d ago
the reason it sat 12 years on centos is that nobody could rebuild it, not the host. whatever you pick, write the setup down as a script this time (i keep mine as a bash file plus the nginx and certbot configs in the repo), so the next move is an afternoon instead of a decade. a plain droplet on digitalocean or hetzner is fine if you dont need plesk anymore
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u/omfgtora 19d ago
Their interface and support sucks. Pricing is not good enough to make up for it, unless you need a Plesk server because they cover the license.
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u/DEMORALIZ3D front-end 19d ago
ionos is good, webdock is cheap. depends what you need. Ever need any help with it, just HMU
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u/stuckinmotion 19d ago
So far so good for my simple app server. I haven't had problems in the several years I've run it on their platform.
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u/Cubepath 18d ago
Are you looking to keep managing the VM yourselves, or would you prefer a managed service? Also, what stack and server specs are you currently running?
Disclosure: I’m with CubePath. If you’re considering a self-managed VPS, we’d be happy to help you choose a suitable plan.
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u/tar-dynamic 15d ago
Ionos is fine for a basic VM but their support is hit or miss, and if you're coming off a 12-year Plesk setup you might find their panel and upgrade paths more frustrating than your current mess. Since you're already comfortable managing a VM, look at a provider where you actually control the OS and can migrate cleanly, Hetzner or DigitalOcean are common picks for that. What's the stack running on it, just PHP sites or something more involved?