Hetzner Online
A German server location as the standard — not as a special request.
Hetzner Online is a German hosting provider with data centres in Nuremberg and Falkenstein, among others. The company operates its infrastructure itself, is subject to German and European law, and bills at clear, published prices. For businesses that want to know where their website and their data actually sit, that is a short, verifiable answer: in Germany.
What we use it for
Hetzner is our standard server location: websites, databases and the systems behind them run on servers in Nuremberg — as the default, not as a paid extra. Delivery to visitors is handled separately by a worldwide network so that pages load fast everywhere. Which service providers are involved in a project is named in the respective privacy policy.
What we use it for
What you get out of it
The server location decides which law applies in case of doubt and how short the chain between you and your data is. A German provider with a German data centre is subject to the GDPR and German law without detours through third-country constructions — which makes the privacy policy, data processing agreements and information requests simpler and more honest. Add to that a sober advantage: clear, published prices instead of cloud billing with surprises.
In practice
A business has its website with an enquiry form rebuilt. The form writes to a database on the server in Nuremberg, the notification goes to the business by email — both without detours through third countries. Visitors receive the pages via the worldwide delivery network so they load fast abroad too. The business's privacy policy names all parties involved, with the legal basis.
When we do not use it
For a purely static website without its own data storage, delivery can run directly through the worldwide network without a dedicated server in between — in that case we do not put one there just so that “server” appears on the invoice. And if a project requires a specific managed service that only exists at a large cloud provider, we name that openly instead of rebuilding it on a server.
Frequently asked questions
Why Hetzner and not a US hyperscaler?
Because the task rarely demands it. Websites, databases and automations of small and medium-sized businesses do not need a hyperscaler — they need a reliable server under European law at clear cost. Hetzner delivers exactly that, with data centres in Germany. Where a project genuinely requires a specific managed service, we say so openly and name the provider.
Does “servers in Germany” mean no US services are involved?
No, and we do not claim that either. The server is located in Germany; for delivery and attack protection, Cloudflare is involved — a US company with European data centres, named in the privacy policy and secured through a data processing agreement and EU standard contractual clauses. We spell out the chain honestly instead of promising “100% Germany”.
Is a server in Germany automatically GDPR-compliant?
The location is an important foundation, but it does not replace correct configuration and contractual arrangements. Encryption, access control, data processing agreements and a complete privacy policy decide the outcome — the location creates the precondition.