# How to Migrate From Heroku Without Breaking Your App > Follow a complete Heroku migration plan covering application deployment, database transfer, workers, add-ons, testing, and rollback to move without downtime. - **Author**: suyash-tiwari - **Published**: 2026-05-15 - **Modified**: 2026-08-14 - **Category**: Deployment Guides - **URL**: https://kuberns.com/blogs/migrate-from-heroku/ --- Migrating from Heroku means more than redeploying source code. You must also account for process types, environment variables, databases, add-ons, background workers, scheduled jobs, domains and external integrations. The safest approach is to build and test the replacement environment while the Heroku application remains live. You can then transfer data, verify the application and change traffic only when the new deployment is ready. This guide explains that process and shows how Kuberns reduces the manual deployment configuration involved. ## TL;DR: Heroku Migration Checklist - Inventory every Heroku application, dyno, process type, buildpack, config variable and add-on. - Choose the destination and map each Heroku component to its replacement. - Deploy the application in a separate environment before changing production traffic. - Migrate Heroku Postgres and any other stateful services using a method appropriate for their size and write activity. - Test web requests, workers, scheduled jobs, email, storage, webhooks and monitoring. - Lower DNS TTL, perform the final data cutover and direct traffic to the new deployment. - Monitor the new environment and keep Heroku available during the rollback window. - Remove the Heroku application and add-ons only after the migration has been verified. Kuberns is an Agentic AI platform for deployment that removes much of the configuration work from this process. Connect a GitHub repository, and Kuberns analyzes the application and prepares its deployment configuration without requiring developers to manage Docker or Kubernetes. ## What Changed for Heroku in 2026? On February 6, 2026, Heroku announced that it was moving to a **sustaining engineering model** focused on stability, security, reliability and support. Heroku also said that existing services, applications, pipelines, teams and add-ons would continue to operate, while new Enterprise Account contracts would no longer be offered to new customers. This is a roadmap change, not a shutdown announcement. You can read the details in [Heroku's official 2026 update](https://www.heroku.com/blog/an-update-on-heroku/). The announcement gave development teams a reason to review whether Heroku still fits their long-term application roadmap. It also generated substantial public interest. A [developer discussion about the announcement](https://www.reddit.com/r/webdev/comments/1qxtcvl/did_heroku_just_die/) received more than 560 votes, with developers discussing roadmap risk, migration planning and possible replacements. These engagement numbers show migration interest, not a verified number of customers leaving Heroku. No authoritative public dataset currently reports how many Heroku applications have migrated since the announcement. Third-party technology tracking also varies significantly: [BuiltWith currently identifies about 16,800 live websites using Heroku and more than 92,000 websites that used it historically](https://trends.builtwith.com/hosting/Heroku), while other providers use different detection methods and report different totals. Teams are therefore reassessing Heroku for practical reasons: - Whether a sustaining roadmap aligns with their future requirements - How application and database costs change as usage grows - Whether they need more control over scaling and infrastructure - How much migration and ongoing DevOps work a replacement would introduce For a broader evaluation of the available platforms, see the [top Heroku alternatives for 2026](https://kuberns.com/blogs/heroku-alternatives/). If cost is the primary concern, the [Heroku pricing guide](https://kuberns.com/blogs/heroku-pricing-explained/) provides a separate breakdown. ## Should You Migrate Away from Heroku? The 2026 update does not mean every Heroku application needs an emergency migration. A stable application can continue running on the supported platform. Migration becomes worth evaluating when Heroku's roadmap, cost, scaling model or service constraints no longer match what the application needs. Before choosing a destination, compare: - The current monthly cost of dynos, databases and add-ons - Expected traffic, storage and background-processing growth - Required deployment controls and rollback behavior - Database availability and recovery requirements - Security, networking and compliance needs - The engineering time required to operate the replacement Moving to a lower-priced virtual machine can reduce infrastructure cost but increase operational work. Moving to Kubernetes can provide control but also introduces cluster configuration and maintenance. A managed deployment platform can preserve a simpler developer workflow, provided that it supports the application's processes and services. ## What to Audit Before You Migrate from Heroku ![Heroku migration audit checklist](https://kuberns-blogs-media.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/audit-before-migrate-from-heroku.png) Create a written inventory before deploying anywhere else. This inventory becomes both the migration plan and the final verification checklist. ### Application Source and Deployment Confirm that the current source is available in GitHub or another accessible repository. If Heroku contains the only copy, follow [Heroku's guidance for cloning application source](https://help.heroku.com/E0EE22L3/how-do-i-move-my-source-code-from-heroku-to-an-external-provider). Record the connected branch, buildpacks, stack, runtime version, build command and release command. Note whether the application relies on a `Procfile`, `app.json`, Heroku Pipelines or Review Apps. ### Dynos and Process Types List every web, worker, release and clock process, including the command, dyno size, dyno count and concurrency settings. Background workers and scheduled tasks can be missed because they are not visible through normal web-application testing. ### Config Variables and Secrets Export the names of all Heroku config variables, then classify them as: - Application settings - Build-time variables - Database and cache connection strings - API keys and credentials - Environment-specific values Do not copy obsolete Heroku-generated values blindly. Provision the corresponding destination service first and use its new credentials or endpoint. ### Databases, Add-ons and Persistent Data Record every Heroku Postgres database, Key-Value Store instance and marketplace add-on. Include database size, PostgreSQL version, enabled extensions, connection count, backup policy and recovery requirements. Also check for uploaded files. Heroku's dyno filesystem is ephemeral, so applications commonly use an external object-storage service. Confirm that the same storage service and credentials will remain accessible after migration. ### Domains and External Integrations Inventory custom domains, DNS records, SSL requirements, inbound webhooks, outbound webhooks, email providers, monitoring tools and third-party allowlists. A new outbound IP address or callback URL may require changes outside the deployment platform. ## How to Migrate from Heroku to Kuberns ![Kuberns deployment dashboard](https://kuberns-blogs-media.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/kuberns-home-page-new.png) Kuberns simplifies the application deployment portion of a Heroku migration. It analyzes a connected repository and prepares the deployment configuration, so developers do not have to create and maintain Docker, Kubernetes or infrastructure configuration. ### 1. Connect the GitHub Repository Open the [Kuberns dashboard](https://dashboard.kuberns.com) and connect the GitHub repository and branch you want to deploy. Kuberns analyzes the repository to identify its language, framework and build requirements. Review the detected configuration before proceeding. Compare it with the runtime, build command and process inventory collected from Heroku. ### 2. Add Environment Variables Add the application settings and secrets needed by the new environment. Replace Heroku-provisioned database, cache or add-on URLs with the credentials for the corresponding destination services. Do not commit secrets to the repository or copy every Heroku config variable without checking its purpose. ### 3. Configure Application Processes Confirm the web process and recreate any workers, release commands or scheduled tasks the application requires. Test each process independently and make sure a scheduler or queue consumer cannot run simultaneously in both environments unless duplicate execution is safe. ### 4. Deploy a Staging Version Deploy the application while production traffic continues to reach Heroku. At this point, the new environment should be treated as a migration candidate, not as production. Verify the build logs, health checks, application startup, runtime version and connection to every external service. A successful build alone does not prove that the application is ready for traffic. ## How to Migrate Heroku Postgres Database migration is separate from application deployment. Choose the method based on database size, acceptable downtime and how frequently the application writes data. ### Option 1: Backup and Restore Backup and restore is the simplest option for a moderately loaded database up to 20 GB when the application can tolerate a controlled write window. Heroku provides separate logical-backup guidance for larger or heavily loaded databases. 1. Confirm that the target PostgreSQL version and required extensions are compatible. 2. Capture a fresh Heroku Postgres backup. 3. Download the backup and restore it to the target database. 4. Update `DATABASE_URL` in the new application environment. 5. Compare row counts and test critical reads and writes. 6. Perform a final backup and restore after stopping production writes. Heroku documents the backup workflow in its [Heroku Postgres backup and restore guide](https://devcenter.heroku.com/articles/heroku-postgres-backups). ### Option 2: Continuous Synchronization For a larger or write-heavy production database, a full backup and restore may create too much downtime. Logical replication or another continuous synchronization method can copy existing data while new writes continue, followed by a shorter final cutover. This method requires more planning. Confirm PostgreSQL version compatibility, extension support, sequence synchronization, replication lag and how writes will be paused during the final switch. Test the procedure with a recent production-sized copy before scheduling the live migration. ### Validate the Migrated Database Do not rely on a completed restore message alone. Validate: - Table and row counts - Required PostgreSQL extensions - Indexes and constraints - Sequence values - Application reads and writes - Background jobs that use the database - Backup and recovery settings on the target Application deployment can be performed without interrupting the live Heroku application, but the database may still require a brief write freeze or replication-based cutover. Describe the migration as **minimal downtime** unless the complete data path has been tested to remain continuously available. ## Test the Application Before Cutover Run the same checks against the new deployment that you would run after a production release: - Sign-in, authorization and session behavior - Critical application journeys - Database reads, writes and transactions - Background workers and queues - Scheduled jobs - Email and notification delivery - File uploads and object storage - Webhooks and third-party APIs - Logs, alerts and health checks - Response time under representative load Keep the new environment isolated from production side effects where necessary. For example, prevent a staging worker from sending real emails or consuming production queue messages. ## Switch DNS with Minimal Downtime Lower the DNS TTL before the planned migration so resolvers can adopt the new record more quickly. Do this far enough in advance for the previous TTL to expire. During the final cutover: 1. Confirm the Kuberns deployment and target database are healthy. 2. Pause writes or complete the final synchronization step. 3. Update the production database credentials where required. 4. Change the relevant DNS record to the new deployment. 5. Verify HTTPS, application routes and production data. 6. Monitor both environments while cached DNS records expire. Keep the Heroku application available during this period. If a critical problem appears and the database state still permits it, restore the previous DNS configuration and investigate before attempting another cutover. ## Post-Migration Checklist After traffic reaches the new deployment: - Watch error rates, latency, logs and resource consumption. - Confirm web, worker and scheduled processes are running once. - Verify new database backups and perform a recovery test. - Confirm email, storage, payments, webhooks and monitoring. - Remove old credentials from external services. - Keep the rollback environment for an agreed observation period. - Remove Heroku add-ons before the application to avoid losing required data. - Export final records and then decommission the Heroku application. ## How Kuberns Reduces Heroku Migration Work Kuberns does not make application data or third-party services move automatically. Those components still require inventory, transfer and validation. What it removes is much of the manual deployment configuration that developers encounter when moving from Heroku to raw cloud infrastructure. Kuberns is an Agentic AI platform for deployment that: - Analyzes the connected GitHub repository - Prepares the application deployment configuration - Provides a managed deployment workflow - Avoids requiring developers to manage Docker or Kubernetes - Supports automatic deployments from the connected repository This makes Kuberns particularly suitable for full-stack and complex backend projects whose developers want to leave Heroku without replacing it with a manually managed container or infrastructure toolchain. Kuberns starts at $7, offers bundle packs for additional savings and has a Trial Option available. For a direct platform comparison, see [Heroku vs Kuberns](https://kuberns.com/competitors/heroku). You can also review how Heroku compares with [Render](https://kuberns.com/blogs/heroku-vs-render-vs-kuberns/), [Railway](https://kuberns.com/blogs/heroku-vs-railway-vs-kuberns/) and [AWS](https://kuberns.com/blogs/heroku-vs-aws/). ### Watch: The Best Heroku Alternative of 2026 Before you start the migration steps above, this video walks through the top Heroku alternative for 2026 and why teams are choosing it.