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What “Migrating to Monk” Means

Migrating to Monk doesn’t mean moving your existing infrastructure. Instead, it means rebuilding your application deployment with Monk — and fortunately, Monk does all the work.

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Monk Doesn’t Touch Your Existing Infrastructure

Your current setup stays exactly as it is:
  • Existing Kubernetes clusters keep running
  • Current cloud resources remain untouched
  • Production traffic continues flowing
  • No disruption to your live services

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How Migration Actually Works

Monk analyzes your codebase and existing configurations, then autonomously rebuilds your application in a new deployment managed by Monk:
  1. Code analysis — Monk reads your source code to understand your stack
  2. Config understanding — Uses your existing Dockerfiles, docker-compose.yml, Helm charts, or Terraform files
  3. Autonomous rebuild — Creates a fresh deployment with all components properly configured
  4. Your infrastructure — Everything runs on cloud accounts you control (BYOI)
Think of it like this: Monk reads your recipe (code + configs), understands what you’re cooking (application architecture), and prepares a fresh dish (new deployment) — without touching your current meal.

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Why Migrate to Monk?

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Eliminate DevOps Complexity

Current pain points Monk solves:
  • No more YAML engineering — Stop writing Kubernetes manifests, Helm charts, and Terraform files
  • No Kubernetes expertise needed — Monk uses its own orchestrator, not K8s
  • No manual configuration — Monk auto-generates configs from your code
  • No infrastructure-as-code — Describe what you want in chat, Monk handles it

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Faster Deployments

  • Minutes, not hours — Deploy complex applications in 15-30 minutes
  • Autonomous operations — No manual infrastructure setup or debugging
  • One-command deploys — deploy this app in chat is all you need

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Multi-Cloud Freedom

  • No vendor lock-in — Deploy to any cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure, DigitalOcean, etc.)
  • Easy cloud switching — Migrate between providers with one command
  • Cost optimization — Save 30-60% by choosing the best provider for each workload

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Better Developer Experience

  • Natural language interface — Chat with Monk instead of memorizing CLI commands
  • IDE-native — Everything in VS Code, Cursor, or Windsurf
  • Autonomous troubleshooting — Monk debugs and fixes issues automatically
  • Real-time cost tracking — Know exactly what you’re spending

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What Monk Uses from Your Existing Setup

Monk is smart about leveraging your existing work:

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Existing Configurations Monk Understands

Configuration TypeWhat Monk Does
DockerfilesUses them directly or optimizes/fixes them
docker-compose.ymlReads service definitions and relationships
Helm chartsUnderstands Kubernetes configurations
Terraform filesIdentifies infrastructure requirements
CI/CD configsLearns build and deployment steps
READMEsReads setup instructions and architecture notes
You don’t need these files — Monk works perfectly with raw code. But if you have them, Monk uses them to better understand your application.

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What Gets Analyzed

Monk examines:
  • Source code — Detects languages, frameworks, dependencies
  • Package files — package.json, requirements.txt, go.mod, Cargo.toml, pom.xml, etc.
  • Environment variables — Discovers what configs your app needs
  • Service dependencies — Identifies databases, caches, queues, APIs
  • Entry points — Finds how to start each service
  • Port bindings — Detects network requirements
See Code Analysis for details on how Monk understands your application.

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Migration Process Overview

1

Install Monk in Your IDE

Install the Monk extension for VS Code, Cursor, or Windsurf.→ Installation Guide
2

Open Your Project

Open the codebase you want to migrate in your IDE.
3

Tell Monk to Deploy

In the Monk chat: deploy this application to AWS (or your preferred cloud)
4

Monk Analyzes Your App

Monk reads your code, detects components, identifies dependencies, and asks clarifying questions if needed.
5

Provide Cloud Credentials

Give Monk credentials to provision resources in your cloud account. These stay on your machine, never sent to Monk servers. → Security
6

Review & Approve

Monk shows you what it plans to deploy. Approve or adjust as needed.
7

Monk Builds & Deploys

Monk autonomously: - Containerizes your services (or uses your Dockerfiles) - Provisions cloud infrastructure - Configures networking and security - Deploys all components - Wires everything together
8

Test the New Deployment

Monk gives you URLs to access your application. Test thoroughly while your old system continues running.
9

Switch Traffic

When ready, update DNS or load balancer to point to the new Monk-managed deployment.
10

Decommission Old Infrastructure

Once confident in the new deployment, shut down your old infrastructure. Monk never touches it — you’re in full control.

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Common Migration Scenarios

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From Streamlined Hosting Platforms

Migrating from Heroku, Render, Fly.io, Railway, or similar? → Migrating from Streamlined Hosting

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From Kubernetes or DIY Cloud

Migrating from Kubernetes, Docker Swarm, or custom cloud setups? → Migrating from Kubernetes & Cloud Setups

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What You Get After Migration

Modern DevOps without the complexity:
  • ✅ Autonomous deployment — No manual DevOps work
  • ✅ Multi-cloud support — Deploy anywhere, switch anytime
  • ✅ Natural language operations — Manage infrastructure via chat
  • ✅ Automatic scaling — Resources adjust to demand
  • ✅ Built-in monitoring — Logs, metrics, cost tracking from your IDE
  • ✅ Zero configuration — No YAML, no IaC, no Kubernetes
  • ✅ Your infrastructure — Everything on clouds you control

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Migration Safety

Monk’s migration is zero-risk:
  • No downtime required — Test new deployment while old one runs
  • No data loss — Your databases and storage stay untouched
  • Rollback anytime — Keep old infrastructure until confident
  • Parallel testing — Run both deployments simultaneously
  • Gradual cutover — Switch traffic at your own pace

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Limitations to Know

Database data migration: Monk currently doesn’t migrate database data automatically. You’ll need to:
  • Keep databases on original infrastructure initially
  • Use manual export/import for data migration
  • Or use managed database services that persist across deployments
Automatic database data migration is coming soon!

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Need Help?

Talk to Monk directly:
  • Ask in the chat (Cmd+Shift+M): “How do I migrate my application?”
  • Monk understands your specific setup and provides tailored guidance
Documentation: Support:

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Ready to Migrate?

Choose your migration path:

From Hosting Platforms

Heroku, Render, Fly.io, Railway, Netlify, Vercel

From Kubernetes

K8s clusters, Docker Swarm, custom cloud setups