Self-hosting with Hetzner and Coolify

After years of using various cloud providers and PaaS solutions, I’ve finally settled on a setup that gives me the perfect balance of control, cost, and ease of use: Hetzner Cloud for infrastructure and Coolify for deployment and management.

Why Self-Host?

While platforms like Vercel and Netlify are fantastic for many use cases, there are several compelling reasons to consider self-hosting:

Cost-effectiveness: For multiple projects, self-hosting can be significantly cheaper
Control: Full control over your infrastructure and data
Privacy: Your data stays on your servers
Learning: Great way to understand infrastructure and DevOps

Why Hetzner?

Hetzner offers some of the most competitive prices in the market while maintaining excellent quality:

Servers starting at €4.15/month
Locations in Germany, Finland, and the USA
Great network performance
Simple but powerful API
Excellent documentation

I’m currently using their CPX21 instance (4 vCPU, 8GB RAM) which costs around €10.84/month and handles multiple projects with ease.

Enter Coolify

Coolify is an open-source, self-hosted Heroku/Netlify alternative that makes deploying and managing applications a breeze. It supports:

One-click deployments
Automatic SSL certificates
Docker container management
Database management
Service monitoring
And much more!

Setting Up Your Server

Here’s a step-by-step guide to getting started:

Create a Hetzner Account
- Sign up at hetzner.com
- Add a payment method
- Create a new project
Create a Server
- Choose a location (I recommend Germany for EU users)
- Select an instance type (CPX21 is a good starting point)
- Choose Ubuntu as your OS
- Add your SSH key
- Create the server

Initial Server Setup

# Update system packages
apt update && apt upgrade -y

# Install basic utilities
apt install -y curl wget git ufw

# Configure firewall
ufw allow 22
ufw allow 80
ufw allow 443
ufw enable

Install Coolify

# Run the installation script
wget -q https://get.coolify.io -O install.sh
sudo bash ./install.sh

# Follow the prompts and save your credentials

Configure Domain
- Point your domain to your server’s IP
- Add A records for wildcard subdomains
```
A     @     YOUR_SERVER_IP
A     *     YOUR_SERVER_IP
```

Deploying Your First App

Once Coolify is set up, deploying applications is straightforward:

Connect your Git repository
Choose your deployment settings
Add any environment variables
Click deploy!

Monitoring and Maintenance

Coolify provides built-in monitoring, but here are some additional tips:

Regular Backups

# Create a backup script
mkdir -p /root/backups
coolify backup create --destination /root/backups

Update Regularly

# Update Coolify
coolify update

# Update system packages
apt update && apt upgrade -y

Monitor Resources
- Use Coolify’s built-in monitoring
- Consider adding Netdata for more detailed metrics
- Set up email alerts for critical events

Cost Breakdown

Here’s what I’m paying monthly:

Hetzner CPX21: €10.84
Domain: ~€1
Total: ~€12/month

This setup hosts:

Multiple Node.js applications
Several static sites
PostgreSQL databases
Redis instances
Monitoring tools

Security Considerations

Always use SSH keys - disable password authentication
Keep everything updated - both the OS and Coolify
Use strong passwords for Coolify admin
Enable automatic backups
Regularly check logs for suspicious activity

Conclusion

Self-hosting with Hetzner and Coolify has been a game-changer for my projects. It provides the perfect balance of control and convenience, all while keeping costs low. The initial setup might take a bit of time, but the long-term benefits are worth it.

Remember, while this setup works great for many use cases, it might not be suitable for everyone. Consider your specific needs, technical expertise, and maintenance capacity before making the switch.

Feel free to reach out if you have questions about this setup!

Abdallah Othman's Complete Guide to Self-Hosting with Hetzner and Coolify