Single-Node Kubernetes for Devs and Small Projects: Hetzner + Cluster API = ❤️

#hetzner #kubernetes #infrastructureascode #syself

If you need a simple, small, and cost-efficient Kubernetes all-in-one-node solution for development, testing, or small cloud-native projects, my open-source tool cluster-api-hetzner-k8s-one-node is here to help. It automates setting up a fully functional Kubernetes cluster on a single Hetzner Cloud node using Makefiles and kubeadm, built on top of the Cluster API Provider for Hetzner (CAPH). This setup is ideal for lightweight, reproducible environments. It includes everything you need: control plane, workloads, MetalLB for local load balancing, Flannel for networking, Hetzner CSI for storage, and Traefik as the ingress controller — all running efficiently on one node.

🧱 Infrastructure Overview

Everything runs on a single node, including the control plane, workloads, and all supporting components. No external load balancer is needed, which saves both cost and complexity. The stack includes:

MetalLB — local load balancing (enables LoadBalancer services without cloud provider integration)
Flannel — simple, reliable CNI networking
Hetzner CSI — seamless storage integration with Hetzner Cloud
Traefik — an ingress controller for easy access to your services

This delivers a fully functional, production-like Kubernetes environment in a compact, efficient package — perfect for experimentation, demos, or small internal projects. Especially useful for solo developers or small teams looking to save time and money.

⚙️ About CAPH and Syself

This tool is powered by the Cluster API Provider for Hetzner (CAPH), developed and maintained by Syself. Syself is dedicated to making Kubernetes management easy and accessible. CAPH brings declarative, Kubernetes-native cluster management to Hetzner, enabling powerful automation and infrastructure-as-code workflows.

🚀 Key Features

Single-node simplicity — perfect for dev, test, or small projects
No external load balancer — MetalLB reduces costs and complexity
Automated setup — streamlined with Makefiles, no manual configs
Hetzner Cloud integration — cost-effective, powerful infrastructure
Kubernetes-native — built with Cluster API and kubeadm for compatibility
Complete stack — networking, storage, and ingress included

☁️ Need Production-Ready Kubernetes?

For a more robust, fully-managed Kubernetes experience on Hetzner, Syself offers a production-grade managed service that handles lifecycle, scaling, security, and more — so you can focus on shipping code instead of infrastructure. When your project grows, upgrading is seamless.