Migrate Hadoop data to Amazon S3 by using WANdisco

The Migrate Hadoop data to Amazon S3 by using WANdisco template isn’t just another lift-and-shift solution. It’s a structured migration framework that uses WANdisco Live Data Migrator to move your Hadoop data in real time, without stopping business operations. 
 

The system integrates your on-prem HDFS cluster with Amazon S3 using a secure network route (via AWS Direct Connect and a Virtual Private Gateway), making the entire process fast, reliable, and secure. It keeps metadata intact, ensures data consistency, and lets you test before you commit. 
 

So, whether you're dealing with petabytes of data or just want a more future-proof setup, this is the kind of migration approach that won’t keep you up at night. 
 

Why This Setup Makes Your Life Easier ?

• No Downtime Needed : The migration happens while your systems stay online. Your teams can keep working, and operations don’t have to pause. 

• Keep Data in Sync in Real Time : WANdisco doesn’t just move files — it syncs and changes continuously. This means no last-minute data gaps or missed updates. 

• Secure and Direct Network Path : With AWS Direct Connect and a Virtual Private Gateway in place, your data takes a safe, high-speed route from your servers to AWS. 

• Preserves Metadata and Structure : Your data doesn’t arrive in S3 as a messy dump. File hierarchy, permissions, and other key info come along for the ride. 

• Built for Scale : Whether you're moving a few terabytes or several petabytes, this setup doesn’t buckle under pressure. 
   

Who Should Use This (And When It’s the Right Time) ?

This setup is perfect for data engineers, cloud architects, IT teams, or system administrators in companies that are either: 

• Moving off Hadoop completely 

• Modernizing legacy systems 

• Starting a cloud data lake in S3 

• Preparing for analytics or ML workloads in AWS 

If your business still relies on a large Hadoop deployment and you're starting to feel its limitations — expensive hardware, scaling issues, storage overhead — then this migration plan is worth looking into. 
 

What You Get Inside This Setup ?

Here’s a breakdown of what this template includes — and what role each part plays in making the migration work: 

• Amazon S3 – This is your new storage home for Hadoop data. It’s scalable, reliable, and integrates with most AWS services. 

• Amazon Glacier – If you need to keep some of your data long term but don’t need to access it often, this helps lower costs. 

• AWS Direct Connect – A dedicated network line between your on-prem data center and AWS. This makes transfers faster and more secure than over the internet. 

• Virtual Private Gateway – Establishes a secure path between AWS and your internal network. 

• Customer Partner Router + Firewall – Keeps your network traffic secure and properly routed during the migration. 

• Amazon EC2 Instances – These run tasks and processes needed during the migration, including management and orchestration. 

• HDFS Cluster – Your current Hadoop storage system — the source of all the data being migrated. 

• WANdisco Live Data Migrator – The core tool that syncs your HDFS data with Amazon S3. It handles live replication, data integrity, and conflict management. 

• IAM Roles and Security Groups – Define who and what resources can access and run migration operations securely. 

• VPC and Subnets – Provide network isolation and define the architecture layout inside AWS. 
   

How to Use This (Step-by-Step) ?

You don’t have to start from scratch. Here’s how to get going with this pre-built template in Cloudairy: 

1. Log in to Cloudairy – Open the dashboard using your team credentials. 

2. Navigate to Templates – Head over to the template library. 

3. Search for “Migrate Hadoop Data to Amazon S3” – You’ll find the migration-ready design there. 

4. Click on the Preview – Review the architectural components and design structure. 

5. Open in Designer – This lets you adjust the setup based on your environment and network design. 

6. Configure WANdisco Settings – Add your source HDFS and target S3 paths. Set replication rules. 

7. Connect Networking Components – Set up Direct Connect, VPN, or gateway links between on-prem and AWS. 

8. Set IAM Permissions and Security – Make sure only the right roles have access to read/write data. 

9. Test the Sync – Start with a pilot run to validate everything works as expected. 

10. Begin Full Migration – Once tested, let WANdisco do the rest — without stopping your operations. 

11. Monitor Logs – Use CloudWatch or built-in tools to track data movement and sync performance. 

12. Verify S3 Contents – After migration, confirm that all data is present, intact, and correctly structured. 
     

Summary 

Migrating Hadoop data used to be a painful, high-risk project. But with WANdisco LiveData Migrator and a solid AWS foundation, it doesn’t have to be. 
 

This template makes the entire process predictable and safe — no surprise downtimes, no broken pipelines, no “Did we lose data?” Moments. It’s built to help teams transition smoothly from on-prem HDFS to Amazon S3, all while your systems stay live and your users stay productive. 
 

If you’re serious about modernizing your data platform and want a setup that just works — this is the way to go.