How I Self-Host 20+ Services on a Single €15/month Hetzner Server

Most people think you need AWS or a Kubernetes cluster to run production services. I run 20+ services — including client projects — on a single Hetzner server for €15/month.

Here's the full breakdown.

The Server

• Hetzner CX22: 2 vCPU, 4GB RAM, 40GB SSD
• OS: Ubuntu 24.04
• Monthly cost: ~€15 (with backups)

What's Running

Service	Port	Purpose
Nginx	80/443	Reverse proxy, SSL termination
PM2	-	Node.js process manager
PostgreSQL	5432	Multi-tenant databases
Docker	-	Isolated services
Gitea	3000	Self-hosted Git
Next.js apps	3001-3010	Client websites
CV Builder	3011	AI resume tool
Review Manager	3012	Google review tool
DSGVO Scanner	3013	Website compliance scanner
Monitoring	3014	Uptime checks
n8n	3015	Workflow automation

Key Architecture Decisions

1. Nginx + Cloudflare, Not Kubernetes

Every service runs behind Nginx with Cloudflare in front. SSL is handled by Cloudflare (Origin Certificate) + Certbot for non-Cloudflare domains.

User → Cloudflare (CDN/DDoS/SSL) → Nginx → PM2/Docker → App

2. PM2 for Node.js, Docker Only When Needed

Node.js apps run directly via PM2. Docker is reserved for databases (PostgreSQL) and services that need isolation. This saves ~1GB RAM vs. containerizing everything.

3. Multi-Tenant PostgreSQL

One PostgreSQL instance, multiple schemas:

CREATE SCHEMA client_a;
CREATE SCHEMA client_b;

Each client gets their own schema with separate app users. One DB server, zero overhead.

4. RAM Management (Critical with 4GB)

RAM Budget (4GB total):
- OS + system: 500MB
- PostgreSQL: 800MB  
- Nginx: 100MB
- PM2 apps (12 processes): 2GB
- Docker: 400MB
- Buffer: 200MB

The key: no swap on SSD (kills disk lifetime). Instead, I aggressively monitor and restart leaky processes.

5. Automated Backups

Daily pg_dumpall + file backup to /root/backups/ with 7-day retention. Offsite sync to Hetzner Storage Box (€3.29/month for 100GB).

Security

• UFW + Docker iptables rules (Docker bypasses UFW — watch out!)
• Cloudflare Access for internal tools
• SSH key-only authentication
• Automated security audits via cron
• ss -tlnp checked weekly for accidental public ports

Monitoring

• Custom health-check cron that pings every service every 2 hours
• PM2 metrics for memory/CPU
• nginx-watchdog for config drift
• Automated Telegram alerts when something breaks

The Honest Truth

Would this work for a high-traffic SaaS? No. But for small business websites (500-5000 visitors/month each), it's more than enough. Total cost for hosting 20+ services: €18.29/month.

What I'd Do Differently

1. Start with 8GB RAM — 4GB is tight when multiple Next.js apps build simultaneously
2. Use Docker for everything from day one (easier migration)
3. Set up proper log aggregation earlier

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I write about self-hosting, infrastructure, and running lean. Follow me on Dev.to for more.