# Lift-and-Shift vs Refactor Migration > Chapter 49 of the Courseiva AZ-900 curriculum — https://courseiva.com/learn/az-900/lift-and-shift **Official objective:** 1.1 — Cloud Concepts ## Introduction This chapter covers lift-and-shift versus refactor migration approaches, the two ends of a common migration spectrum. AZ-900 tests this under objective 1.1, building on the migration overview from the previous chapter. ## Moving Furniture As-Is vs. Buying New, Better-Fitting Pieces When moving to a new house, you could bring your existing furniture exactly as it is, even if it doesn't perfectly fit the new layout — quick and simple, but not optimized for the new space. Or you could redesign and replace furniture specifically to fit the new house better — more effort, but a better long-term fit. Lift-and-shift migration is like moving furniture as-is: applications are moved to the cloud largely unchanged. Refactoring is like redesigning for the new space: applications are modified to take fuller advantage of cloud-native capabilities. ## Core explanation ### Lift-and-shift (rehosting) Lift-and-shift, also called rehosting, means moving an application to the cloud largely as-is, with minimal changes to its architecture. It's generally faster and lower-risk to execute, but doesn't take full advantage of cloud-native capabilities like autoscaling or managed services, since the application's underlying design remains essentially unchanged. ### Refactoring Refactoring means modifying an application, to a greater or lesser degree, to better take advantage of cloud-native capabilities — for example, moving from a self-managed database on a VM to a managed database service, or redesigning parts of the application to use serverless components. This generally takes more time and effort than lift-and-shift, but can result in a more cost-efficient, scalable end state. ### Choosing between them There's no universally "correct" choice — lift-and-shift suits situations where speed and lower risk matter most, or where an application isn't expected to benefit significantly from deeper cloud-native redesign. Refactoring suits situations where the additional investment is justified by longer-term efficiency or scalability gains. ### A migration project may use both A single migration effort often uses lift-and-shift for some applications and refactoring for others, based on each application's specific characteristics and business priority, rather than committing to one approach uniformly across everything. ## Real-world context An organization migrates a legacy application it plans to retire in the near future using lift-and-shift, since investing heavily in refactoring an application with a limited remaining lifespan wouldn't be worthwhile. The same organization refactors a core, long-term business application during its migration, redesigning it to use managed cloud services instead of the self-managed infrastructure it previously relied on — accepting the additional upfront effort in exchange for better long-term efficiency and scalability for an application expected to remain important for years. ## Exam focus Objective 1.1 expects candidates to distinguish lift-and-shift (rehosting largely as-is) from refactoring (modifying to better use cloud-native capabilities), and to understand that the right choice depends on the specific application and situation. A common wrong answer is assuming refactoring is always the "better" choice — it requires more time and effort, and isn't automatically justified for every application, especially ones nearing retirement or with limited expected lifespan. Stable terms: **lift-and-shift**, **rehosting**, **refactoring**. Memory trick: lift-and-shift = move as-is, quickly. Refactor = redesign to better fit the cloud, taking more effort for potentially better long-term results. ## Step by step 1. **Assess whether the application needs redesign** — Consider whether the application would meaningfully benefit from cloud-native redesign, or whether moving it largely as-is is sufficient for its needs. 2. **Choose lift-and-shift for speed and lower risk** — If moving quickly with minimal disruption is the priority, lift-and-shift generally offers a faster, lower-risk path to the cloud. 3. **Choose refactoring for longer-term efficiency** — If the application would significantly benefit from cloud-native capabilities, and the additional investment is justified, refactoring can lead to a more efficient, scalable end state. 4. **Mix approaches across a broader migration effort** — A migration project often applies different approaches to different applications, rather than choosing one method for everything. ## Comparisons ### Lift-and-Shift vs Refactoring **Lift-and-Shift:** - Moves the application largely as-is - Generally faster and lower-risk - Doesn't fully leverage cloud-native capabilities **Refactoring:** - Modifies the application for cloud-native fit - Generally takes more time and effort - Can result in better long-term efficiency and scalability ## Common misconceptions - **Misconception:** Refactoring is always the better migration approach. **Reality:** It requires more time and effort than lift-and-shift, and isn't automatically justified for every application — the right choice depends on the specific application's expected lifespan and potential benefit from redesign. - **Misconception:** A migration project must use only one approach for every application. **Reality:** A single migration effort often mixes lift-and-shift and refactoring across different applications, based on each one's specific characteristics and priority. ## Key takeaways - Lift-and-shift (rehosting) moves an application to the cloud largely unchanged, prioritizing speed and lower risk. - Refactoring modifies an application to better use cloud-native capabilities, taking more effort for potentially better long-term results. - The right approach depends on the specific application's needs, expected lifespan, and business priority. - A single migration project often uses both approaches across different applications. ## FAQ **What's the difference between lift-and-shift and refactoring?** Lift-and-shift (rehosting) moves an application to the cloud largely as-is, with minimal changes — faster and lower-risk, but not fully taking advantage of cloud-native capabilities. Refactoring modifies the application to better use those capabilities, requiring more effort but potentially yielding better long-term efficiency. **Which approach should an organization choose?** It depends on the specific application — lift-and-shift suits situations prioritizing speed and lower risk, or applications with limited expected lifespan. Refactoring suits applications where the additional investment is justified by longer-term efficiency or scalability gains. --- Interactive version with quiz and diagrams: https://courseiva.com/learn/az-900/lift-and-shift