How can I tell when a website changed providers?¶

A provider change is a process, not always one moment. The new account may be created days before DNS moves, while the old service remains active afterwards.

Identify the stages of migration¶

Provider account dates, invoices and support tickets can show preparation. Backups, copied files and migration tools may show transfer. DNS and nameserver history indicate when users began being directed elsewhere. Certificates and server logs can show when the new service started answering.

It is like moving house: signing the new lease, carrying possessions, redirecting post and returning the old keys occur at different times.

An IP change alone does not prove a provider change. CDNs rotate addresses, cloud services replace resources and one provider may use several networks. Conversely, a provider can change behind an unchanged CDN address.

Record the earliest confirmed use of the new service, the last confirmed use of the old one and the uncertainty between them. Compare content, administrator accounts, analytics identifiers and payment systems to test continuity of operation.

A change may also coincide with sale, takeover or compromise, so do not assume the same operator migrated the site.