Migrate from Hetzner to Elestio
Keep Hetzner's excellent EU infrastructure. Add the management layer you have been building yourself: automated backups, updates, monitoring, and 400+ one-click services.
Why migrate
Why teams are leaving Hetzner
Great Servers, No Management
Hetzner offers excellent price/performance but zero management. Every deployment needs manual setup, configuration, and maintenance.
No Automated Operations
No automated backups, no software updates, no monitoring out of the box. You build and maintain every operational layer yourself.
DevOps Required
From Docker setup to firewall rules to SSL certificates, you need DevOps expertise. Elestio automates all of this on Hetzner infrastructure.
Before vs After Migration
What changes when you move from bare Hetzner to Elestio on Hetzner.
Step-by-Step Migration Guide
Move from bare Hetzner to fully managed Elestio on Hetzner in under an hour.
Inventory Your Hetzner Setup
List all services running on your Hetzner VPS: databases, web servers, caches, background workers. Note configurations, data volumes, and cron jobs. Document your current resource usage.
Deploy on Elestio with Hetzner Provider
Sign up on Elestio and select Hetzner as your cloud provider. Deploy your services from the 400+ catalog. Your VMs stay on Hetzner infrastructure -- Elestio adds the management layer on top.
Migrate Data via SSH
Elestio provides built-in migration tools in the dashboard for most databases. You also have full root SSH access for manual transfers. Follow our migration guides for detailed instructions. Our support team can assist you directly.
Verify Automated Management
Confirm that automated backups are running, monitoring dashboards show your metrics, SSL certificates are provisioned, and CI/CD pipelines are connected to your repository.
Switch DNS and Decommission Old VPS
Update your DNS records to point to your new Elestio-managed VM. Once verified, decommission your old bare Hetzner VPS and reclaim those hours of weekly maintenance.
What You Get After Migration
Same Hetzner infrastructure, completely different management experience.
Hours Reclaimed Weekly
No more manual updates, backup scripts, monitoring setup, or security patching. Redirect that engineering time to building your product.
400+ One-Click Services
Deploy databases, applications, dev tools, and AI/GPU tools from a catalog instead of manual installation.
Multi-Cloud Option
Start on Hetzner, expand to AWS, GCP, Vultr, or any of Elestio's 9 providers. No vendor lock-in, seamless multi-cloud deployments.
Full Access Preserved
Root SSH, custom packages, direct database access -- everything you had with bare Hetzner, plus automated management on top. See our security approach.
Cost Savings Breakdown
The real cost of Hetzner includes DIY management labor. See how teams reduce DevOps costs.
Reviews
Trusted by 10,000+ Developers Worldwide
Real reviews from real users on Trustpilot.
"I'm in the IT industry for over 25 years and Elestio stands out in many ways. The managed services are top-notch, support is incredibly fast, and the platform just works. Couldn't be better!"
Other Migration Guides
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
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Can I keep using Hetzner infrastructure with Elestio?
Yes. Hetzner is one of Elestio's 9 supported cloud providers. When you deploy on Elestio, you can select Hetzner as your infrastructure provider and keep benefiting from their excellent EU pricing and data center locations.
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How does Elestio on Hetzner compare to bare Hetzner VPS?
With bare Hetzner you get a VPS and nothing else -- you must handle all updates, backups, monitoring, security patches, and application deployment yourself. With Elestio on Hetzner, you get the same Hetzner infrastructure plus automated management, 400+ one-click services, CI/CD, and 24/7 monitoring.
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What about Hetzner's April 2026 price increase?
Hetzner announced a roughly 40% price hike effective April 2026. Even with the increase, Elestio on Hetzner remains highly cost-effective because you eliminate the hidden cost of DIY management labor, which typically runs $500-1500/mo in engineering time.
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Do I get root SSH access to my Hetzner VMs through Elestio?
Yes. You get full root SSH access to your dedicated VMs on Hetzner, just as you would with a bare Hetzner VPS. The difference is Elestio adds the management layer on top without restricting your access.
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How long does migration take?
Most migrations from bare Hetzner to Elestio on Hetzner take 30-60 minutes. You deploy your services on Elestio, migrate your data using Elestio's built-in migration tools and our guides at docs.elest.io, and switch DNS. Your data stays on Hetzner infrastructure throughout.
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Can I migrate to Elestio on a different cloud provider instead?
Absolutely. While Hetzner is a great option, Elestio supports 9 cloud providers including AWS, GCP, Azure, Vultr, DigitalOcean, and more. You can choose the provider that best fits your latency, compliance, and budget needs.