platform-migration

name platform-migration description Guides infrastructure and platform migration including cloud-to-cloud migration (AWS to GCP, Azure to AWS), Kubernetes cluster migration, CI/CD platform changes, monitoring stack migration, identity provider migration, and network infrastructure transformation. Covers IaC migration, container orchestration, service mesh, observability tools, and multi-cloud strategies. Use when migrating infrastructure, changing cloud providers, moving Kubernetes clusters, or when users mention "cloud migration", "platform switch", "infrastructure migration", "K8s migration", "multi-cloud", or "cloud provider change". Platform Migration Overview This skill provides comprehensive guidance for migrating infrastructure platforms, cloud providers, container orchestration systems, CI/CD pipelines, and observability stacks. Focus is on infrastructure-level migrations that complement application modernization efforts. Platform migrations are infrastructure-focused and should be paired with application migration strategies. Use cloud-neutral design patterns to reduce future migration effort, though multi-cloud strategies increase complexity while reducing vendor lock-in. Core Migration Principles Key Practices: Test everything in non-production first Automate using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Migrate incrementally rather than "big bang" Maintain both platforms during stabilization Budget 20-30% more time than estimated Document architecture decisions and rationale Avoid These Pitfalls: Migrating everything at once without phased approach Skipping non-production validation Ignoring cost estimation for target platform Failing to optimize during migration (pure lift-and-shift) Inadequate monitoring during transition Leaving resources running on both platforms post-migration Migration Workflow Step 1: Assessment and Planning Identify Migration Type: Cloud-to-cloud (AWS↔GCP↔Azure) Kubernetes cluster migration (EKS→GKE→AKS) CI/CD platform change (Jenkins→GitLab→GitHub Actions) Monitoring stack migration (Prometheus→Datadog→New Relic) Container registry migration (Docker Hub→ECR→GCR→ACR) Network infrastructure transformation Infrastructure as Code migration (Terraform→CloudFormation→Bicep) For detailed migration type workflows: See migration-types.md Step 2: Inventory and Dependencies Document all resources in source platform Map dependencies between components Identify proprietary services without direct equivalents Estimate costs in target platform Assess technical constraints and requirements Step 3: Design Target Architecture Map source services to target equivalents Design network topology and connectivity Plan IAM and security model Define migration approach (phased, parallel, cutover) Create rollback procedures For IaC-specific migrations: See infrastructure-as-code-migration.md Step 4: Risk Assessment and Mitigation Identify critical dependencies and single points of failure Plan for downtime windows Establish success criteria and validation tests Define rollback triggers and procedures For comprehensive risk planning: See risk-management.md Step 5: Pilot Migration Select non-critical workload for pilot Execute migration following documented procedure Validate functionality and performance Measure costs and resource utilization Document lessons learned and adjust plan Step 6: Production Migration Migrate in planned waves/phases Implement data replication and synchronization Execute DNS cutover per service Monitor performance and errors continuously Validate each wave before proceeding For validation procedures: See post-migration-validation.md Step 7: Optimization and Cleanup Right-size resources based on actual usage Optimize costs using platform-native features Improve performance with platform capabilities Decommission source resources systematically Document final architecture For cost optimization strategies: See cost-optimization-during-migration.md Common Migration Scenarios Cloud-to-Cloud Migration Migrating between AWS, GCP, Azure, or moving from on-premise to cloud. Requires service mapping, network connectivity, and data transfer strategy. Load: migration-types.md - Section 1: Cloud-to-Cloud Migration Kubernetes Platform Migration Moving clusters between EKS, GKE, AKS, or to self-managed Kubernetes. Involves workload migration, persistent storage, service meshes, and ingress controllers. Load: migration-types.md - Section 2: Kubernetes Platform Migration CI/CD Platform Changes Transitioning between Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions, CircleCI, or other platforms. Requires pipeline translation and secrets migration. Load: migration-types.md - Section 3: CI/CD Platform Migration Monitoring Stack Migration Changing observability tools like Prometheus→Datadog, CloudWatch→New Relic. Includes metrics, logs, traces, and alerting. Load: migration-types.md - Section 4: Monitoring Stack Migration Container Registry Migration Moving container images between Docker Hub, ECR, GCR, ACR, Harbor, or private registries. Load: container-registry-migration.md Network Infrastructure Migration Transforming VPC configuration, VPN connections, DNS, load balancers, and CDN infrastructure. Load: network-infrastructure-migration.md Database Platform Migration Migrating databases to different cloud providers or managed services. Load: database-platform-migration.md Migration Tools and Utilities For platform-specific migration tools, automation scripts, and utilities: Load: migration-tools.md Includes cloud provider migration tools (AWS MGN, Azure Migrate, Google Cloud Migrate), Kubernetes tools (Velero, Kustomize), IaC tools (Terraformer, CDK), and data transfer utilities. Reference Documentation Migration Principles Load: migration-principles.md Complete best practices, anti-patterns, and key considerations for any platform migration. Risk Management Load: risk-management.md Risk identification, mitigation strategies, contingency planning, and rollback procedures. Post-Migration Validation Load: post-migration-validation.md Validation checklists, testing procedures, performance benchmarking, and cutover verification. Cost Optimization Load: cost-optimization-during-migration.md Cost analysis, optimization strategies, and budget management during migration. Output Formats When generating migration artifacts, produce: Migration Plan : Detailed phases, timelines, dependencies, resources Architecture Diagrams : Source and target architecture with transition states Service Mapping : Complete mapping between source and target services Runbooks : Step-by-step execution procedures with rollback steps Validation Checklists : Acceptance criteria and testing procedures Risk Register : Identified risks, impact, probability, mitigation Cost Analysis : Comparative cost breakdown with optimization opportunities