Cluster C · Migrate to AWS
Migrate to AWS, with a partner who can file MAP funding
Build-grade guides for moving to AWS from Heroku, GCP, Azure, on-prem, Oracle, or SAP: the strategy (the 7 Rs), the tools (MGN, DMS, SCT), the realistic cost and timeline, and the database + container cutovers that actually trip teams up. New to it? Start with the AWS migration guide: the 7 Rs, the MAP phases and the tools, end to end. Ready to plan the move? See how to migrate to AWS in six phases, and who does each one.
The AWS Migration Acceleration Program (MAP) can fund part of the assessment and the move. CloudRoute matches you with a vetted AWS partner who runs the migration. Your matched partner files MAP when the migration qualifies. For startups the range is $50K to $150K. Depends on the workload; AWS approves. See how that works →
Start here
- AWS migration: the complete 2026 guideThe 2026 guide to AWS migration: the 7 Rs, the MAP phases (Assess, Mobilize, Migrate), current tools, timeline and cost drivers, and how MAP funding works.
- Migrate to AWS: the partner-led pathHow to migrate to AWS: the six phases, rehost vs replatform, realistic timelines, who does what, and when a partner can file MAP funding for the move.
- AWS migration services and consulting partnersAWS migration services and AWS migration consulting: what a partner does, how to pick one, who files MAP funding, and the AWS tools (MGN, DMS, Transform).
- AWS migration cost: the 2026 breakdownWhat an AWS migration costs: the seven cost components, how strategy changes them, the running cost after, a worksheet, and what MAP funding can offset.
- AWS migration strategy: the 7 Rs per applicationThe 7 Rs of AWS migration (Retire, Retain, Rehost, Relocate, Repurchase, Replatform, Refactor), how to pick one per app, and when to modernize.
Funding: MAP, filed by your partner
- AWS Migration Acceleration Program (MAP)The AWS MAP program explained: three phases, who files MAP funding, what it pays for, how a startup qualifies and the tagging rules. Checked against AWS.
- AWS migration funding: who files whatHow AWS funds migrations: MAP phases, partner-filed funding ($50K to $150K for startups when AWS approves), OLA, and why Activate is founder-applied.
Migrate off your platform
- Heroku to AWSHeroku to AWS in 2026: what AWS funds through MAP and who files it, what it never pays, the Postgres cutover Heroku allows, and where each piece lands.
- GCP to AWS: the service-by-service migrationMigrate from Google Cloud to AWS: the service map, BigQuery and Firestore, IAM and networking, Google's free exit transfer, and the cutover plan.
- Azure to AWS: the 2026 migration guideMigrate from Azure to AWS: the service map (AKS, Azure SQL, Blob, Cosmos DB, Entra ID), networking gotchas, free egress when leaving, and the cutover plan.
- On-premise to AWS: the data-center exitMoving from on-premise to AWS: discovery, MGN rehost vs Amazon EVS vs Outposts, Direct Connect, DataSync, TCO, DR, the cutover and MAP funding.
- DigitalOcean to AWS: the migration playbookMove from DigitalOcean to AWS: Droplets to EC2, App Platform to ECS, Managed Databases to RDS, Spaces to S3, DOKS to EKS, the cutover and honest cost.
- Vercel to AWS: the Next.js migration pathMove a Next.js app from Vercel to AWS: Amplify vs OpenNext/SST vs Fargate, how ISR, middleware and images map, the DNS cutover and when it pays off.
- Oracle to AWS: RDS, Oracle Database@AWS or AuroraMove Oracle to AWS three ways: RDS for Oracle, Oracle Database@AWS for Exadata and RAC, or Aurora PostgreSQL to drop the license. SCT, DMS, cutover, MAP.
- SAP to AWS: the partner-led migrationMove SAP to AWS: SAP-certified HANA instances up to 24 TiB, lift vs S/4HANA vs RISE with SAP, DMO tooling, HA/DR, downtime, and how MAP works.
Database migrations
- Oracle to Aurora PostgreSQL — the heterogeneous migration done rightOracle to Aurora PostgreSQL: what AWS SCT converts vs the hard PL/SQL, DMS full load plus CDC, app changes, validation, cutover, rollback and MAP.
- SQL Server to AWS — RDS, Babelfish, or EC2Move SQL Server to AWS three ways: RDS for SQL Server, Aurora with Babelfish to drop the license bill, or EC2 for full Always On. Plus the OLA and MAP.
- MySQL to Aurora — the homogeneous migration guide (2026)Migrate MySQL to Aurora MySQL, the homogeneous low-risk move: the 3 methods, compatibility, cutover, cost vs RDS MySQL, and when to stay on RDS.
- PostgreSQL → Aurora PostgreSQL — the homogeneous migrationPostgres to Aurora PostgreSQL with no schema conversion: the four migration methods, extension and version gotchas, the cutover, and cost vs RDS.
- MongoDB to AWS — DocumentDB vs Atlas vs self-managedMoving MongoDB to AWS: Amazon DocumentDB vs MongoDB Atlas on AWS vs self-managed EC2, the DMS path, DocumentDB compatibility gaps and the cutover.
- Heroku Postgres to RDS: the database cutoverMove Heroku Postgres to Amazon RDS or Aurora: which cutover methods your Heroku plan allows, the Heroku gotchas, the DATABASE_URL swap and the rollback.
- Cloud SQL to RDS or Aurora: the engine-by-engine migrationMigrate Google Cloud SQL to Amazon RDS or Aurora by engine (MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server) with DMS or native replication for a near-zero-downtime cutover.
Containers & Kubernetes
- GKE to EKS: the cluster-boundary migrationGKE to EKS: what carries over (manifests, Helm, images) and what you re-author: Workload Identity to IRSA, Ingress to ALB, disks to EBS, Karpenter.
- AKS to EKS: the 2026 Kubernetes migration playbookThe AKS to EKS playbook: manifests and Helm carry over; the five edges that change (identity, ingress, storage, registry, Karpenter) and how MAP applies.
- Kubernetes to EKS: the self-managed K8s migration pathMigrate self-managed Kubernetes (kubeadm, Rancher, OpenShift) to Amazon EKS: the remap (CSI, ALB, IRSA, ECR, Karpenter), a Velero cutover and rollback.
Tools & process
- AWS DMS: the Database Migration Service guide (2026)AWS DMS explained: full load + CDC for short cutovers, homogeneous vs heterogeneous moves, schema conversion, DMS Serverless, pitfalls and cost.
- AWS Transform MGN (formerly Application Migration Service): the rehost engineHow AWS Transform MGN (formerly Application Migration Service) works: block-level replication, test and cutover, MGN vs DMS, VMware fleets, and cost.
- The AWS migration checklist: every phase, start to finishA printable AWS migration checklist: the pre-migration foundation, the nine-step loop for every wave, and post-migration cleanup, each with exit criteria.
- AWS migration assessment: the MAP Assess deep diveThe AWS migration assessment (MAP Assess): discovery, a 7 Rs decision per app, dependency mapping, a readiness review, a TCO business case and a wave plan.
- AWS migration timeline: how long a move takesHow long an AWS migration takes, by estate size: the four phases, what speeds a move up or slows it down, and a sample wave schedule for a mid-size estate.
Migrate your app
- Rails to AWS: the migration playbookMigrate Ruby on Rails to AWS: Puma and Sidekiq on ECS Fargate, RDS or Aurora Postgres, ElastiCache, S3 for Active Storage, scheduled jobs and the cutover.
- Django to AWS: the migration playbookMigrate Django to AWS: gunicorn or uvicorn on ECS Fargate, RDS or Aurora Postgres, ElastiCache or SQS for Celery, S3 and CloudFront, and the cutover.
- Node.js to AWS: the migration playbookMigrate Node.js to AWS: ECS Fargate vs Lambda, RDS or Aurora vs DynamoDB, ElastiCache, WebSockets, RDS Proxy, Dockerizing, CI/CD and the database cutover.
- Migrate WordPress to AWS — the full 2026 playbookMigrate WordPress to AWS: Lightsail vs EC2 vs ECS/Fargate, Aurora or RDS, S3 and CloudFront for media, ElastiCache, and a low-downtime cutover.
- Migrate .NET to AWS: the 2026 guideMigrate .NET and ASP.NET to AWS: modern .NET on ECS or Lambda, .NET Framework on Windows or ported with AWS Transform, SQL Server to RDS or Babelfish.
- Laravel to AWS: the migration playbookMigrate Laravel to AWS: nginx and PHP-FPM on ECS Fargate, RDS or Aurora MySQL, ElastiCache for Horizon, EventBridge for the scheduler, and the cutover.
Why AWS
- Heroku vs AWS: the neutral comparisonHeroku vs AWS on cost, developer experience, scale and ops. Published list prices, the break-even math, and when to stay on Heroku or move.
- Why migrate to AWS — the business caseWhy migrate to AWS: eight real benefits (TCO at scale, ~240 services, 36 Regions, compliance, elastic scale, Bedrock), the honest "when not to," and MAP.
- Lift-and-shift vs replatform vs refactor: the decisionRehost vs replatform vs refactor for AWS migration: cost, effort, risk, time-to-value and payoff of each, when to choose which, and the common mistakes.
- On-premise vs cloud cost — the honest AWS TCO comparisonOn-premise vs cloud cost: the full on-prem TCO (hardware, power, staff, over-provisioning, refresh) vs AWS opex, when each wins, and MAP funding.