Shutting down a server properly.
BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE
Take a final full backup and verify it opens Download it somewhere permanent Note DNS records, cron jobs, and any configuration you may want later
MOVE WHAT DEPENDS ON IT
Domains pointing at the server Third-party integrations referencing its IP address Mail, if it handled mail Scheduled jobs that affected other systems Monitoring configured against it
CHECK FOR DATA YOU FORGOT
Databases beyond the obvious ones Files outside the web root Mail spool Logs, if you need them for records SSL private keys, if manually installed
TIMING
Keep the server running for a period after moving everything. A week catches the things nobody remembered.
Power it off rather than deleting it first, if the provider allows. That confirms nothing depends on it while remaining recoverable.
THEN CANCEL
Once you are confident, cancel through the Client Area so billing stops.
AFTERWARDS
Keep the final backup for longer than feels necessary. It costs almost nothing and occasionally saves you.
