Migrate to Containers Complete Guide (2026)

Migrate to Containers (M2C) is a modernization tool that automatically containerizes apps running on legacy VMs and deploys them to GKE / Cloud Run / Anthos. It delivers a more advanced "app replatform" than VM migration (M2VM), letting you cut operational costs, increase deployment frequency, and become cloud-native all at once.

M2VM vs M2C Comparison

Item	M2VM (VM Migration)	M2C (Containerization)
Conversion	VM → GCE VM	VM → Container + K8s/Cloud Run
Modernization	Lift & Shift	Replatform
Operational burden	Continued VM management	Managed K8s/Run
Migration difficulty	Low	Medium
Long-term impact	Limited	Substantial (Auto Scale / DevOps)

Supported Platforms

Sources

VMware vSphere
Hyper-V
Physical servers (Linux)
AWS EC2
Azure VM
Existing GCE VMs

Targets

GKE Standard / Autopilot
Cloud Run
Anthos GKE on-prem / AWS / Azure

Supported App Stacks

Linux: Java (Tomcat / WildFly / WebSphere / JBoss), Python (Flask / Django), Node.js, .NET Core, Ruby, PHP
Windows: IIS .NET Framework 4.x, ASP.NET, and Windows containerization

Migration Phases

Discovery: Scan source environments and select target apps
Assessment: Use the Fit Assessment Tool to judge containerization feasibility
Extract: Extract app files and dependency libraries
Generate Artifacts: Auto-generate Dockerfile + Kubernetes manifests / Cloud Run YAML
Customize: Apply manual adjustments as needed
Build & Deploy: Cloud Build → Artifact Registry → GKE / Cloud Run
Test & Cutover: Validate behavior, then cut over to production

Fit Assessment Tool

Before migrating, each app's containerization fit is rated on a 5-level scale:

Fit: Containerizes without issues
Minor Issues: Minor adjustments needed
Major Issues: Significant fixes required
Not Fit: Difficult to containerize (e.g. kernel dependencies, physical device requirements)

Typical Success Stories

Case 1: Financial Institution (500 Java Apps)

Migration period: 6 months
Scope: 500 Tomcat / WildFly apps running on VMware
Target: GKE Autopilot
Results: 40% lower operational costs, 10x deployment frequency, 80% lower Mean Time To Recovery (MTTR)

Case 2: SaaS Startup (100 Microservices)

Migration period: 3 months
Scope: Node.js / Python microservices running on AWS EC2
Target: Cloud Run
Results: 50% lower infrastructure costs (cold starts acceptable), 60% lower operational labor costs

Phased Modernization Strategy

Phase 0: Assess — Select targets using Fit Assessment
Phase 1: Quick Wins — Move simple stateless apps to Cloud Run
Phase 2: Standardize — Move mid-size apps to GKE and put CI/CD in place
Phase 3: Cloud Native — Rearchitect into microservices where it makes sense
Phase 4: Optimize — GitOps + Service Mesh + Observability

Post-Migration Optimization

Auto-scale with HPA / VPA
Externalize databases to Cloud SQL / AlloyDB
Externalize state to GCS / Filestore
Harden security with Workload Identity
Cloud Monitoring + SLO design
Canary releases via Cloud Deploy
mTLS via Anthos Service Mesh

What is Migrate to Containers (M2C)?

A tool that automatically containerizes Linux / Windows apps running on VMware, physical servers, AWS, or Azure and deploys them to GKE / Cloud Run (formerly known as Migrate for Anthos).

How does it differ from VM migration (M2VM)?

M2VM moves VMs as-is to GCE, while M2C containerizes apps and deploys them to K8s / Cloud Run. M2C delivers far greater modernization benefits.

Which source apps are supported?

Java / Python / Node.js / .NET Core on Linux, plus IIS .NET Framework apps on Windows. Tomcat / WildFly / WebSphere and other stacks are also supported.

How does the containerize process work?

The M2C agent analyzes the source VM → extracts the required files → generates a Dockerfile + Kubernetes manifests → pushes the image to Artifact Registry.

Can stateful apps be migrated?

Yes. PVCs (Persistent Volume Claims) are generated automatically, and it is recommended to externalize data to GCS / Cloud SQL or similar managed services.

How much does it cost?

M2C itself is free; you only pay for the target GKE / Cloud Run resources.

How does this relate to Anthos migration?

M2C can deploy to GKE / Cloud Run / Anthos. With Anthos, you can even target on-premises Kubernetes.

What are some success stories?

A financial institution containerized 500+ Java apps and migrated them to GKE in 6 months, cutting operational costs by 40% and increasing deployment frequency 10x.

Related Articles: Migration / Modernization

Migrate to Virtual Machines Complete Guide (2026)

Migrate to Virtual Machines (formerly Migrate for Compute Engine) — workflow, migration patterns.

Anthos / GKE Enterprise Complete Guide (2026)

GKE Enterprise (Anthos) features — fleets, Config Sync, multi-cluster, common hybrid patterns.

On-Prem to GCP Migration Strategy (2026)

On-prem to GCP migration — lift-and-shift, replatform, refactor. The 7-R framework applied to GCP.

Professional Cloud Developer (PCD): Complete Guide (2026)

Pass the PCD exam — Cloud Run, GKE, App Engine, Cloud SQL/Spanner. The developer-focused Professional cert.

* Google Cloud is a trademark of Google LLC. For the latest details, check the official M2C docs.

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Author

NicheeLab Editorial Team

NicheeLab editorial team focused on data engineering and cloud certification learning. Content is structured around practical study needs and official exam domains.

Migrate to Containers (M2C) Complete Guide: VM → GKE/Cloud Run Modernization