An association launches a site: .org domain, @association mail, light WordPress. Gandi matches values — independent, historic registrar, simple hosting in France. Two years later, photo gallery and newsletters weigh the site down. Shared hosting struggles. Must you "leave Gandi"? Not necessarily: change plan — perhaps still at Gandi.
What Gandi brings to small projects
Gandi excels at reliable registrar and DNS, simple web hosting (PHP, limited databases), ethical positioning without aggressive data resale, and French-speaking support with clear docs. Our directory places it mid-range, simplicity 8/10 — suited to projects without dedicated admin.
| Project phase | Typical Gandi offer | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Launch | Web hosting S/M | Shared CPU |
| Content growth | M/L | Disk, inodes |
| Shop / app | Gandi VPS | Admin required |
| Scale | Gandi cloud | Budget, skills |
A small project stays at Gandi while shared fair use holds. Beyond that, it is not betraying values — it is maturity.
Concrete migration signals
WordPress admin pages above five seconds consistently. Disk space above eighty percent with no upload margin. Cron need more frequent than shared allows. Extensions requiring PHP modules or versions unavailable. Traffic beyond reasonable-use terms.
Before external migration, compare Gandi VPS vs OVHcloud or Hetzner on same scenario via compare tool.
Mistakes to avoid
Stacking cache plugins to mask saturated shared hosting. Forgetting domain renewal in overall budget. Migrating to VPS without hardening (see VPS security guides). Changing host for ethics when only technical tier was missing.
The climax: ethics ≠ technical stagnation
Decide and move forward without blind spots
Measure performance and disk over a full month. Open the Gandi profile and compare higher Gandi tier vs VPS. Test staging on VPS before DNS cutover. Document migration in a runbook — small project or not.
Frequently asked questions
Gandi for brochure or blog?
Yes for modest traffic and standard PHP; not heavy shop or demanding custom app.
Signals to change plans?
CPU throttling, full disk, SSH need, cron, fair use exceeded.
VPS at Gandi?
Yes — migration means DNS and redeploy, sometimes pipeline rework.
Ethics vs staying on entry tier?
Ethics do not compensate slowness — upgrade when business requires.
A mature small project at Gandi changes tier — it does not suffer growth from blind loyalty.