How to migrate a seedbox to a server you own
Moves your files and torrents in from your old server. Cresdock runs it on a server you own, from a catalogue, with no Docker and no reverse proxy to configure.
What Cresdock does for you with Migration Tool
Its configuration is written before the container ever starts — including the web address it lives at, so Migration Tool generates correct links from the first page load instead of half-working behind a prefix.
Reached through your panel login. There is no second password to invent for Migration Tool and no port to open on your firewall.
Your Downloads and Media folders are already mounted, and they are the SAME folders your other apps see — so files land where the rest of your setup expects them, with no path mapping to work out.
Because it can fill a disk, it is metered against your storage limit and paused if you run out — instead of silently filling the server.
If your library lives on cloud storage rather than the server's own disk, this app can read it from there.
Give it a login for the old server and it works out the rest itself: which software is there, which torrent programs are in use, how much data, and whether it will fit — all checked before anything moves.
Files move first, then the torrents. For qBittorrent, Transmission and ruTorrent the torrent state is rewritten for its new home, so seeding carries on within minutes instead of downloading everything again. Deluge torrents are re-added against the copied files and checked — slower to start, but the safe way to do it.
The old server is only ever read from — nothing there is changed or deleted, so a failed move costs time and nothing else. Your old login stays inside this app and is wiped when the job ends.
If the old server only offers a web page of your files, it can move in from that too. That path copies files only — re-adding the torrents stays with you — and it says so before you commit.
It is meant to be temporary: install it to move in, remove it when the move is done, and the stored login goes with it.
Why run Migration Tool yourself
Cloud storage is rented, priced per month forever, and readable by whoever runs it. The same files on a server you own cost what the disk cost.
What kind of server Migration Tool needs
Light on power, heavy on disk — sizing is really a question of how much you want to keep. If your library outgrows the server, Cresdock can put it on cloud storage and keep it looking like a normal folder.
Cresdock itself is undemanding — it runs on a small rented server, an old desktop or a mini PC, on Ubuntu or Debian. Everything it installs shares that machine, so the honest question is not "will this app run" but "how much am I going to put on here in total".
Where to run Migration Tool
Migration Tool runs wherever Cresdock runs, and the choice is about the machine, not the app:
- At home, on hardware you already own. A mini PC, an old desktop or a NAS that can run Debian. Cresdock works behind a home router with no port forwarding and no domain, so Migration Tool is reachable on your own network first and from outside only if you choose.
- On a rented server. A small VPS is enough for most apps and is the usual answer when Migration Tool should be reachable from anywhere. The setup guide covers the specs and the one-command install.
- Through a provider that runs Cresdock. Hosting companies deploy Cresdock workspaces for their customers, so Migration Tool can come with a server you rent rather than one you set up — ask your provider, or see how providers offer it.
Installing Migration Tool
- Put Cresdock on a server
One line on any Ubuntu or Debian machine — a rented VPS, a spare PC, a home server. It sets itself up.
- Pick Migration Tool from the catalogue
Click Install. The panel pulls the image, writes the configuration, gets a certificate and starts it.
- Open it from your dashboard
Its address and any login details are on its card. Start, stop, update, roll back or remove it from the same place, any time.
Common questions
Do I need to know Docker to run Migration Tool?
No. Cresdock installs Migration Tool in one click from its catalogue: it pulls the image, writes the configuration, gets an HTTPS certificate and starts it. Migration Tool's configuration is written before it first starts, so it opens already set up.
What happens to my files when Migration Tool updates?
Cresdock changes Migration Tool's own configuration only. Your downloads and your media are never touched by an update, a rebuild or a reinstall — that is a rule the software enforces, not a promise in a document.
What happens if I run out of space?
Downloading pauses instead of the disk filling up. You keep your files, your other apps keep running, and you get told what happened in plain words.
Who can see the files I put in Migration Tool?
Only you. Your folders belong to your account, other people on the server have their own, and each account's apps run on a private network of their own. Updates and reinstalls never touch what you have stored.
Can I run Migration Tool at home instead of on a VPS?
Yes. Cresdock runs on a mini PC, an old desktop or anything that boots Debian, behind a normal home router with no port forwarding, and Migration Tool is reachable on your own network first. A rented server is only needed when Migration Tool must be reachable from anywhere without a VPN.
Can I remove Migration Tool later?
Yes. Cresdock removes Migration Tool in one click, and asks whether to keep its configuration for a future reinstall. Nothing else you have installed is affected.
Pairs well with: Nextcloud · File Browser Quantum · IT-Tools
Before you start: where to rent a server · what it needs to run · Cresdock vs CasaOS