*Introduction *
Migrating web applications between cloud platforms can be challenging but rewarding. In this post, I’ll share how I successfully migrated a web application from AWS to Google Cloud Platform (GCP). I’ll cover everything from planning, setting up infrastructure, migrating static content, databases, and DNS, to ensuring functionality and performance optimization.

Project Overview
Objective: To migrate a production-ready web application from AWS to GCP.
Motivation: The migration aimed to leverage GCP’s cost-efficiency, scalability, and integration capabilities.
Challenges:
Ensuring zero downtime during the migration.
Maintaining data integrity and performance.
Updating DNS configurations without affecting users.

Architecture Before and After
AWS Setup:
Web Server: EC2 instance running Apache.
Database: Amazon RDS (MySQL).
Static Files: S3 bucket.
DNS: Amazon Route 53.
GCP Setup:
Web Server: Compute Engine with NGINX.
Database: Cloud SQL (MySQL).
Static Files: Google Cloud Storage (GCS).
DNS: Google Cloud DNS.

**Step-by-Step Migration Process

1. Planning the Migration** Before migrating, I assessed the existing AWS infrastructure and mapped equivalent GCP services:

EC2 (AWS) → Compute Engine (GCP)
RDS (AWS) → Cloud SQL (GCP)
S3 (AWS) → Cloud Storage (GCP)
Route 53 (AWS) → Cloud DNS (GCP)

*2. Setting Up GCP Infrastructure
Compute Engine:
*
Created a Compute Engine VM instance with the necessary configurations (vCPU, memory, storage).
Installed NGINX and configured it as the web server.
Cloud SQL:

Set up a MySQL instance on Cloud SQL with the same schema as the original RDS database.
Cloud Storage:

Created a bucket for static files and set the appropriate permissions.
DNS Configuration:

Prepared Cloud DNS for domain management post-migration.

Migrating the Web Server
Task: Recreate the EC2 instance on GCP using Compute Engine.
Steps:
Configured a Compute Engine instance to run NGINX.
Transferred the application code to the instance using SCP:

Testing and Validation
Performed rigorous testing to ensure the application was working as expected:
Load Testing: Verified the application’s performance on GCP.
Functionality Testing: Ensured all features (login, file uploads, database queries) worked.
DNS Propagation Check: Used tools like dig and whatsmydns.net to confirm DNS changes.

Post-Migration Optimization
Enabled GCP-specific features for better performance:
Cloud CDN for caching and reducing latency.
Cloud Monitoring for performance insights.
IAM Policies for secure access control.

Lessons Learned
Thorough Planning is Key: Mapping AWS services to GCP equivalents upfront saved time.
Data Integrity: Regular database backups ensured no data loss.
Testing: Early testing avoided surprises during the migration.

Conclusion
Migrating from AWS to GCP is achievable with careful planning and execution. This project taught me the importance of aligning cloud services with business goals while ensuring minimal disruption to users.

Have you undertaken a cloud migration project? Share your experiences in the comments!