I recently built a website for my dad's print brokerage business at deliops.com (which is still a work in progress). Currently, it's hosted on Amazon EC2 using NodeJS. My plan is to move it to archr.ca when everything's ready, but I'm feeling really lost on how to actually make that transition. I'm not too familiar with networking, DNS, or port setup, and the tutorials I've found online seem outdated. I'd appreciate any guidance on the transfer process, and I'm also open to tips on HTML and styling, especially for mobile devices!
5 Answers
Honestly, I think you're a bit out of your depth with this. EC2 might not be the best choice for your needs—consider something simpler and cheaper like a VPS. Also, you might not even need NodeJS for this; a static site could do the job just fine for what you’re describing. If you stick with EC2, you’ll need to get an Elastic IP and point it to your new domain. Plus, I noticed your site structure could be a bit better for user experience. One way to handle it is to keep the existing site live until you feel more confident to take over entirely.
Your site flickers a lot, especially on mobile. You might want to reevaluate that pop-up menu—it’s affecting user experience.
Yeah, I noticed that too. It's because of the menu, but I'm planning to fix it up soon.
Make sure you know which DNS nameserver you’re using—whether it’s AWS or the registrar. From there, just point the new site’s IP to the correct location, and you should be good. Just a tip: Does transferring the domain also move over the SSL certificates?
If I change the IP, will all my SSL certs transfer along with it?
The first thing you'll need to get a handle on is DNS. What registrar did you use for your domain? That’ll determine how you set everything up for the transfer.
I used grape.ca for the domain, but my dad has the access. I can check with him for any details if that helps.
Consider using Cloudflare; it could simplify a lot of your setup. While it’s great to dive into AWS and understand the devops side, focusing first on the UI/UX will make a huge difference for you and your customers. Starting with platforms that have a simpler setup might help you learn faster without getting overwhelmed.
Thanks for the insight! I actually set up my server using a tutorial, and while I've had some help from ChatGPT, I'd just like to solidify my understanding. I'm still pretty new to responsive design, and this is my first real project.
I do need accounts for certain clients, so I might stick with my current setup. But I will definitely look into upgrading the UX after gathering some feedback!