Migrating Azure Virtual Machines to AnubizHost

From the Azure portal or via az vm show -g RG -n VM, capture VM size (B2s, D2s_v3, etc.), region, attached disks (OS, data), NSG rules, public IP, and managed identity associations.

Map Azure VM sizes to AnubizHost: B2s (2 vCPU, 4GB) to VPS II; D4s_v3 (4 vCPU, 16GB) to VPS V. For larger workloads, dedicated server is more cost-effective than continuing to scale VPS tiers.

Order offshore VPS. Replicate NSG rules as ufw or nftables: each NSG inbound rule becomes a ufw allow line with the same source CIDR and destination port.

For VMs using Azure Managed Identity to access other Azure services, plan replacement: download service principal credentials or static API keys and store them on the AnubizHost target.

Standard rsync from running Azure VM:

rsync -aHAXv --numeric-ids --delete \
  --exclude={"/dev","/proc","/sys","/tmp","/run","/mnt","/media","/lost+found"} \
  / root@NEW_IP:/

For each attached data disk, mount on source and rsync to equivalent location on target. Azure egress is ~$0.087/GB to the public internet - budget accordingly.

If you use Azure DNS or Traffic Manager, update records to point at the AnubizHost IP. Re-issue Let's Encrypt. Update any IP-whitelisted services. Verify application functionality before decommissioning Azure.

Azure VM cancellation: deallocate first (stops billing on compute), then delete the VM, then delete attached disks (billed separately).

Azure with disks, bandwidth, and IP charges can easily run $50-150/month for what looks like a small VM. AnubizHost offshore VPS at flat-rate $17.90-$74.90/mo is predictable and often cheaper. Jurisdiction moves to Romania, Iceland, or Netherlands. Related reading: offshore VPS, switching from Azure, Azure Blob migration.