cloud hosting

How to Migrate from AWS to Hetzner

AWS Hetzner
Difficulty: Advanced Estimated time: 1-2 weeks

Step-by-step guide to move your cloud infrastructure from Amazon Web Services to Hetzner, the cost-effective German hosting provider.

Prerequisites

  • An AWS account with documented infrastructure
  • A Hetzner Cloud account
  • SSH access to both environments
  • Basic server administration skills

Steps

  1. Audit AWS resources

    Inventory all EC2 instances, databases, storage buckets, and networking configurations in your AWS account.

  2. Provision Hetzner servers

    Create equivalent cloud servers or dedicated machines in Hetzner Cloud matching your workload requirements.

  3. Migrate databases

    Export databases from RDS or self-managed instances and import them into your new Hetzner database servers.

  4. Transfer applications

    Deploy your application code and configurations to the new Hetzner infrastructure using your CI/CD pipeline.

  5. Update DNS

    Point your domain DNS records to the new Hetzner server IP addresses with reduced TTL for quick rollback.

  6. Testing and cutover

    Run full integration tests on Hetzner, then perform the final cutover and decommission AWS resources.

Why Migrate from AWS to Hetzner?

AWS is a US company, so the data it hosts — even in its EU regions — is exposed to the CLOUD Act. Hetzner is a German company with its own data centres in Germany and Finland, fully within the EU and GDPR framework. (Hetzner also offers cloud locations in the US and Singapore; choose Nuremberg, Falkenstein or Helsinki to keep your data in the EU.) Beyond data sovereignty, Hetzner is dramatically more cost-effective: comparable cloud servers often cost a fraction of their AWS equivalents, with transparent pricing and no hidden egress fees.

Hetzner also runs its data centres on renewable energy and has a strong commitment to sustainability, making it a responsible infrastructure choice.

Detailed Migration Steps

Step 1: Audit AWS Resources

Before migrating, create a complete inventory:

  1. List all EC2 instances with their specs (CPU, RAM, storage)
  2. Document RDS databases (engine, version, size)
  3. Catalog S3 buckets and their total storage usage
  4. Map VPC networking, security groups, and load balancers
  5. Note any AWS-specific services (Lambda, SQS, etc.) that need alternatives

Use aws cli or the AWS Console to export this information. Services tightly coupled to AWS (like Lambda) will require refactoring.

Step 2: Provision Hetzner Servers

Using the Hetzner Cloud Console or the hcloud CLI:

  1. Create cloud servers matching your EC2 instance specifications
  2. Select the data centre location (Falkenstein, Nuremberg, or Helsinki)
  3. Set up firewalls equivalent to your AWS security groups
  4. Configure private networks for inter-server communication
  5. Attach volumes for persistent storage needs

Step 3: Migrate Databases

For PostgreSQL or MySQL databases:

  1. Create a database dump on AWS: pg_dump or mysqldump
  2. Transfer the dump file to Hetzner via scp or rsync
  3. Import on the Hetzner server: psql or mysql < dump.sql
  4. Verify row counts and data integrity
  5. Set up replication temporarily if you need zero-downtime migration

Step 4: Transfer Applications

Deploy your application stack on Hetzner:

  • Use your existing CI/CD pipeline (GitLab CI, GitHub Actions) pointed at Hetzner
  • Install dependencies and configure environment variables
  • Set up reverse proxy (nginx/Caddy) and TLS certificates (Let’s Encrypt)
  • For S3 replacement, consider Hetzner Object Storage or a self-hosted MinIO instance

Step 5: Update DNS

Prepare for the switchover:

  1. Lower DNS TTL to 60 seconds at least 24 hours before cutover
  2. Update A/AAAA records to point to Hetzner IPs
  3. Update any CNAME records for subdomains
  4. Monitor DNS propagation with tools like dig or whatsmydns.net

Step 6: Testing and Cutover

  1. Run full integration and load tests against the Hetzner environment
  2. Perform a final database sync if using replication
  3. Switch DNS and verify traffic flows to Hetzner
  4. Monitor application logs and metrics closely for 48 hours
  5. Decommission AWS resources only after confirming stability

Tips for a Smooth Migration

  • Use Hetzner’s Terraform provider for infrastructure-as-code deployments
  • Consider a parallel-run period where both environments handle traffic
  • Set up monitoring early (Prometheus, Grafana) on Hetzner before cutover
  • Keep AWS resources for 30 days post-migration as a rollback safety net
  • Budget for potential egress charges from AWS during the data transfer phase

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