Hetzner vs Hetzner Object Storage

Vergelijk Hetzner en Hetzner Object Storage op mogelijkheden, rechtsgebied, waarborgen en geschiktheid voor Europese kopers.

Logo: Hetzner

Hetzner

Germany· Cloud Computing

Needs review

Shortlist for German-owned IaaS/bare metal in DE/FI parks, API cloud VMs, inclusive-traffic EU economics, ISO 27001 + BSI C5 Type 2. Skip for hyperscaler PaaS depth, SOC 2-first audits, or zero US-group footprint (optional US Ashburn/Hillsboro + Singapore via subsidiaries/colocation). Prefer OVHcloud/Scaleway for broader EU portfolios; STACKIT for DE public-sector framing.

EU-operated (DE HQ)Owned DE/FI parksISO 27001:2022BSI C5 Type 2Bare metal + auctionOptional US/SG cloud
Logo: Hetzner Object Storage

Hetzner Object Storage

Germany· Cloud Computing

Needs review

Shortlist when you want S3-compatible buckets in Falkenstein, Nuremberg, or Helsinki under Hetzner Online GmbH, especially if you already run Hetzner compute. Skip when you need AWS-parity features, flash tiers, a CDN, or default KMS at-rest encryption. Prefer Amazon S3 for full feature depth; prefer Scaleway or OVHcloud if you want another European S3 SKU without a Hetzner compute relationship.

S3-compatible APIEU-only locationsSingle-DC residencyObject lock + versioningSSE-C (opt-in)ISO 27001 (company)
Hetzner vs Hetzner Object Storage: Overzicht
KenmerkLogo: HetznerHetznerLogo: Hetzner Object StorageHetzner Object Storage
Land van herkomstGermanyGermany
CategorieCloud ComputingCloud Computing
Open sourceNeeNee
Self-hostedNeeNee
HoofdkantoorGermanyGermany
Juridische entiteitHetzner Online GmbH, Industriestr. 25, 91710 Gunzenhausen (HRB 6089 Ansbach)Hetzner Online GmbH, Industriestr. 25, 91710 Gunzenhausen (HRB 6089 Ansbach)
VS-moeder / zeggenschapGeen bekende VS-moederGeen bekende VS-moeder
CLOUD Act-blootstelling (indicatief)MiddelLaag
Hosting / residentieOwned parks: Nuremberg, Falkenstein (DE), Helsinki (FI). Non-cloud EU-only. Cloud optional US (Ashburn, Hillsboro) and Singapore on 3rd-party colocation. AV subprocessors: Hetzner Finland Oy; US: Hetzner US LLC, NTT Americas, QTS Hillsboro; SG: Hetzner Singapore, NTT SG1. Master data stays EU.Object Storage only in Falkenstein, Nuremberg (company-operated DE parks) and Helsinki (Hetzner Finland Oy for building rental and technical support). Entire bucket stays in the selected single data center on Hetzner Ceph. No US or Singapore object-storage region. Group still has Hetzner US LLC, Hetzner Singapore Pte. Ltd., and US/SG colocation partners for other Cloud server products. Customer master data stays in the EU per Hetzner docs.
Samenvatting

German data center operator (Gunzenhausen): dedicated servers, Hetzner Cloud VPS, storage, and owned parks in Germany and Finland, with optional US and Singapore cloud locations.

German S3-compatible object storage from Hetzner Online GmbH: buckets in Falkenstein, Nuremberg, and Helsinki with location-specific endpoints.

Tags
In één oogopslag: Hetzner vs Hetzner Object Storage
In één oogopslagLogo: HetznerHetznerLogo: Hetzner Object StorageHetzner Object Storage
HQGunzenhausen, GermanyGunzenhausen, Germany
Legal entityHetzner Online GmbH (HRB 6089 Ansbach)Hetzner Online GmbH (HRB 6089 Ansbach)
EU parksNuremberg, Falkenstein (DE); Helsinki (FI)Niet vermeld
Optional cloud regionsAshburn and Hillsboro (US); SingaporeNiet vermeld
ModelIaaS / dedicated / hosting (unmanaged cloud and root)Niet vermeld
Open sourceNo (commercial infrastructure)Niet vermeld
LocationsNiet vermeldFSN1 Falkenstein, NBG1 Nuremberg, HEL1 Helsinki
APINiet vermeldS3-compatible, AWS Signature Version 4
Storage backendNiet vermeldCeph on HDD (standard tier only)
EncryptionNiet vermeldNo default at-rest; optional SSE-C
Commercial modelNiet vermeldHourly base fee with included storage and egress quota, then pay-as-you-go
Key capabilities: Hetzner vs Hetzner Object Storage
Key capabilitiesLogo: HetznerHetznerLogo: Hetzner Object StorageHetzner Object Storage
EU-operated (DE HQ)JaNiet vermeld
Owned DE/FI parksJaNiet vermeld
ISO 27001:2022JaJa
BSI C5 Type 2JaNiet vermeld
Bare metal + auctionJaNiet vermeld
Optional US/SG cloudJaNiet vermeld
S3-compatible APINiet vermeldJa
EU-only locationsNiet vermeldJa
Single-DC residencyNiet vermeldJa
Object lock + versioningNiet vermeldJa
SSE-C (opt-in)Niet vermeldJa

Hetzner

  • Dedicated root servers and Server Auction

    Bare-metal root servers with full hardware isolation for predictable I/O and custom OS installs. The Server Auction lists surplus or end-of-primary-use machines at declining prices for labs, secondary environments, and cost-sensitive dedicated capacity.

  • Hetzner Cloud with API, networks, and apps

    VMs with shared or dedicated vCPU classes, managed via Console, REST API, and CLI. Private networks, stateful firewalls, load balancers, Linux images, Terraform/Ansible/Kubernetes integrations, and one-click apps (Docker, Nextcloud, GitLab CE, WireGuard, and more) for self-hosted stacks.

  • Owned EU data center parks plus optional US/Singapore cloud

    Company-operated parks in Nuremberg, Falkenstein (Germany), and Helsinki (Finland). Cloud also in Ashburn, Hillsboro (USA), and Singapore on third-party colocation. Non-cloud products and EU-selected cloud locations keep server data in the EU per Hetzner docs; master data stays in the EU.

  • ISO 27001, BSI C5 Type 2, and console DPA

    Public ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certificate for DE/FI park scope; BSI C5 Type 2 for cloud; Art. 28 DPA accept-in-console with published TOMs and annual external TOM review available to DPA customers. Not a SOC 2-first vendor.

  • Inclusive traffic-oriented European cloud pricing model

    Pay-as-you-go cloud (hourly or monthly) and list-based dedicated servers, with marketing emphasis on high inclusive traffic on European plans versus hyperscaler egress bills. Confirm current allowances and rates only on the official calculator—figures change by region and over time.

Hetzner Object Storage

  • S3 API with FSN1, NBG1, and HEL1 endpoints

    Amazon S3 compatible API using AWS Signature Version 4. Location endpoints are fsn1.your-objectstorage.com, nbg1.your-objectstorage.com, and hel1.your-objectstorage.com. AWS CLI and common SDKs work when pointed at the Hetzner endpoint. Console covers bucket create and credentials; almost all object operations go through the S3 API.

  • Single-location EU bucket residency on Ceph

    A bucket is stored entirely in the location you pick (Falkenstein, Nuremberg, or Helsinki), in one data center. Docs describe a Ceph cluster with erasure coding that can keep data intact if up to three storage servers fail. There is no US or Singapore object-storage region and no built-in cross-location replication.

  • Object lock, versioning, and lifecycle expiry

    Object Lock can be enabled at bucket create (legal hold and retention). Versioning and lifecycle rules are documented, including NoncurrentDays expiry. Pre-signed URLs give time-limited access. Object lock cannot be turned on later for a bucket created without it.

  • SSE-C encryption (no default at-rest, no SSE-KMS)

    There is no default data-at-rest encryption. Optional SSE-C encrypts object bytes with a customer-provided key that Hetzner says it discards after use. Metadata is not encrypted. Losing the key means losing access. SSE-C object copy is listed as unsupported.

  • Project-wide keys, documented S3 gaps, and hard limits

    By default each key pair can read and write every bucket in the same project unless you add bucket policies or split projects. Account limits include 100 buckets, 100 TB and 50 million objects per bucket, 5 TB max object, 5 GB per single PUT, 750 requests per second per bucket, and 10 Gbit/s per bucket. Notifications, website hosting, inventory, replication, and custom domains are not supported.

Assurance & compliance: Hetzner vs Hetzner Object Storage
Assurance & complianceLogo: HetznerHetznerLogo: Hetzner Object StorageHetzner Object Storage
Independent security / no-logs audit
Not applicable

Hosting/IaaS, not a no-logs VPN. Public ISO 27001, BSI C5 Type 2, and annual TOM review (TUV Rheinland) instead.

Not applicable

IaaS object store, not a no-logs VPN. Company publishes ISO 27001, BSI C5 Type 2, and annual TOM review instead.

ISO 27001
Verified

ISO/IEC 27001:2022; public SOCOTEC certificate. Scope: infrastructure, operation, support of Nuremberg, Falkenstein, Helsinki parks.

Verified

Public ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certificate (SOCOTEC) for the ISMS covering Nuremberg, Falkenstein, and Helsinki parks. Confirm attested scope includes this SKU with your auditor.

SOC 2 / SOC 3
Not found

Hetzner states focus on ISO 27001 rather than SOC 2 for international market.

Not found

Hetzner states it focuses on ISO 27001 rather than SOC 2.

GDPR / EU data protection
Vendor claimed

German entity; public privacy policy, Art. 28 DPA, TOMs, subprocessor list. Customer remains controller for data on rented systems.

Vendor claimed

German entity; public privacy policy, Art. 28 DPA, TOMs, subprocessor list. Customer remains controller for data stored in buckets.

US CLOUD Act exposure (indicative)
Partial

EU entity / no known US parent, but optional US cloud uses Hetzner US LLC and US colocation (NTT, QTS); Singapore similarly. EU placements keep server data in EU per docs. Not legal advice.

Partial

EU entity, no known US parent, Object Storage has no US region and no US-group storage backend. Group still includes Hetzner US LLC for other products. Not legal advice.

Data processing agreement (B2B)
Vendor claimed

Standard DPA accept-in-console; sample PDF published; no custom wet-ink DPAs per vendor docs.

Vendor claimed

Standard DPA accept-in-console; sample PDF published; no custom wet-ink DPAs per vendor docs.

EU AI Act
Not applicable

Infrastructure hosting, not an AI system product.

Not applicable

Object storage infrastructure, not an AI system product.

BSI C5 (cloud)
Verified

Vendor publishes BSI C5 Type 2 attestation PDF for cloud services (German BSI catalogue).

Verified

Vendor publishes a BSI C5 Type 2 attestation PDF for cloud services. Confirm whether Object Storage is inside the attested cloud-service scope.

KRITIS / section 8a BSIG
Vendor claimed

Hetzner states BSI classification as operator of critical services and certification under section 8a BSIG.

Niet vermeld
Considerations & known limitations: Hetzner vs Hetzner Object Storage
Considerations & known limitationsLogo: HetznerHetznerLogo: Hetzner Object StorageHetzner Object Storage
Optional US and Singapore cloud regions
Medium

Ashburn, Hillsboro, and Singapore use third-party colocation and local subsidiaries; server content placed there leaves the EU. Zero-US-footprint policies may still reject the vendor even for EU-only workloads.

Niet vermeld
Unmanaged cloud and dedicated servers
Medium

You own OS patching, app security, and backups. Platform firewalls help but do not replace customer ops. Poor fit if you need managed DBaaS and full-stack ops.

Niet vermeld
Narrower managed-service catalog vs hyperscalers
Low

Strong IaaS and bare metal; weak match if procurement assumes AWS-parity managed services. Plan hybrid architecture early.

Niet vermeld
ISO scope is DE/FI parks
Low

Published ISO 27001 scope centers on German and Finnish parks. Do not assume identical coverage for every US/Singapore deployment without reading current certificates.

Niet vermeld
Partial S3 compatibilityNiet vermeld
Medium

Supported-actions list omits website hosting, notifications, inventory, replication, custom domains, SSE-KMS, and more. CopyObject may fail even in one location. Apps that assume full AWS S3 will break.

HDD tier, not a CDNNiet vermeld
Medium

Standard HDD only, no archive or flash classes. Hetzner says it is a poor fit for high-frequency small objects, low-latency apps, and large-scale public HTTP. Plan a CDN or different storage for those cases.

No default at-rest encryptionNiet vermeld
Medium

Objects are not encrypted at rest unless you use SSE-C and keep the key. Lost keys are unrecoverable. SSE-C copy is unsupported.

Single data center, no built-in replicationNiet vermeld
Medium

A bucket lives in one DC. There is no first-party cross-location replication. You must build DR yourself if one park outage is unacceptable.

Shared-cluster load and 503sNiet vermeld
Medium

Vendor docs describe cluster growth, bucket migrations, and temporary concurrency or upload limits (including 503 in Nuremberg under load). Shared tenancy can affect latency.

Group US and Singapore entitiesNiet vermeld
Low

This SKU is EU-only, but Hetzner Online GmbH has US and Singapore subsidiaries for other Cloud locations. Zero-US-footprint procurement may still reject the vendor.

Geschiktheid

Hetzner

Best fit when

  • Teams that want German-jurisdiction hosting with owned parks in Germany and Finland
  • Workloads that need bare-metal root servers or cost-effective dedicated via Server Auction
  • Ops-heavy orgs comfortable with unmanaged IaaS (Console/API/CLI, Terraform, apps)
  • Buyers optimizing for EU residency plus inclusive traffic economics versus hyperscaler egress
  • German/EU checklists asking for ISO 27001, BSI C5, and an Art. 28 DPA in-console

Poor fit when

  • Orgs that need a full AWS/Azure-style managed services catalog (PaaS, serverless, AI)
  • Policies that forbid any US subsidiary, US colocation, or optional US region at group level
  • Buyers requiring SOC 2 as the primary assurance artifact (Hetzner focuses on ISO/C5)
  • Teams expecting fully managed OS patching, databases, and DR without operating the stack

Consider instead when

  • When: You need a broader European cloud portfolio or more managed service surface

    Consider: OVHcloud or Scaleway

    Still European operators; compare regions, bare-metal depth, and support models.

  • When: German public-sector sovereign cloud framing is the primary procurement driver

    Consider: STACKIT

    Different product and governance story; verify current certifications and residency.

  • When: You need hyperscaler managed depth more than EU-owned IaaS

    Consider: AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud (accept US-group CLOUD Act posture)

    Trade EU operator control for catalog breadth.

  • When: You want a smaller EU regional cloud with a different feature/region mix

    Consider: Exoscale or UpCloud

    Compare locations, SLAs, and managed options against Hetzner's park scale.

Hetzner Object Storage

Best fit when

  • Teams already on Hetzner Cloud or dedicated servers that want an S3 endpoint under the same German contract
  • Backups, archives, dumps, and warm or cold blobs that fit write-once, read-many access
  • Workloads that can pin a bucket to Falkenstein, Nuremberg, or Helsinki and accept a single data center
  • Backup tools and apps that speak generic S3 (AWS CLI, rclone, MinIO client, Synology Hyper Backup)
  • Buyers who need object lock, versioning, or lifecycle expiry without US object-storage regions

Poor fit when

  • Apps that need Amazon S3 feature parity (events, website hosting, inventory, KMS, replication, storage classes)
  • CDN-style public delivery or high-frequency tiny-object / low-latency database use
  • Policies that require default provider-managed at-rest encryption (SSE-S3 or SSE-KMS)
  • Orgs that forbid any US subsidiary at group level even when this SKU stays in the EU
  • Buyers who need more than 100 buckets or first-party cross-location DR

Consider instead when

  • When: You need the full Amazon S3 feature set, storage classes, KMS, events, or global regions

    Consider: Amazon S3

    Accept US-group jurisdiction in exchange for catalog depth.

  • When: You want another European S3-compatible cloud without a Hetzner compute relationship

    Consider: Scaleway or OVHcloud

    Compare their object-storage regions, S3 gaps, and contract entities separately.

  • When: You are evaluating Hetzner VMs, bare metal, or the company as a whole

    Consider: Hetzner

    The company page covers IaaS and parks; this page is the bucket SKU only.

  • When: You want a smaller EU cloud with S3-oriented positioning

    Consider: Cyso Cloud

    Verify current regions and S3 compatibility on that product page.

Open questions for due diligence

Hetzner

  • Does your policy allow a German provider that also offers US/Singapore regions if you only deploy in DE/FI?
  • Is BSI C5 Type 2 + ISO 27001 sufficient, or is SOC 2 mandatory for your auditors?
  • Which SKUs (cloud vs dedicated vs managed web hosting) match your backup and support needs?
  • Will you need regions or managed services Hetzner does not offer natively (CDN, managed DB, AI APIs)?

Hetzner Object Storage

  • Does your auditor accept Hetzner's park-level ISO 27001 and cloud C5 Type 2 for this object-storage SKU without a SKU-specific statement of applicability?
  • Can your application live with the documented S3 gaps (no events, website, KMS, replication, custom domain)?
  • Is a single data center per bucket acceptable, or do you need first-party multi-site replication?
  • Will you operate SSE-C key management yourself, or do you require provider-managed at-rest encryption?
  • Does group presence of Hetzner US LLC block you even if buckets stay in DE/FI?