On this page, you will learn about the most important differences between our managed servers and bare metal servers.
This will help you decide which server solution is best suited to your needs.
Overview
| Category | Managed servers | Bare metal servers |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware access | No direct access at the hardware level | Direct access at the hardware level |
| Root access | Not available | Fully available |
| Operating system | Managed by Hetzner and based on Debian Linux | Freely selectable (e.g., Ubuntu, Debian, AlmaLinux, Windows, BSD derivatives) |
| Virtualization | Not possible | Supported (e.g., Docker, KVM, Proxmox, VMware) |
| Software installation | Software stack is pre-installed by Hetzner. Some additional software can be installed using Software Installer | Free via SSH and package manager |
| System updates | Managed by Hetzner | Must be managed independently |
| Firewall | Managed by Hetzner; partial port forwarding possible via konsoleH | Individually configurable (iptables, ufw, nftables) |
| Monitoring | Proactive monitoring by Hetzner | Optional via own tools (e.g., Prometheus, Zabbix) |
| Backup system | Daily automatic backups; storage in another Hetzner data center in Germany | Own backup solutions or Hetzner Storage Box |
| Network access | Public IPv4 + IPv6 / No VLAN access | Public IPv4 + IPv6 / VLAN optional |
| IPMI / Remote Console | Not available | Full access via KVM/IPMI |
| Rescue system | You don't need to worry about it | Full access via Hetzner Rescue System |
| Reboot / Hardware control | Can be requested via support | Can be controlled via Robot or Hetzner Console |
| Package management | Software Installer | Manually via apt, dnf, yum, or zypper |
| TLS / Certificates | Automatic Let's Encrypt integration | Freely configurable |
| Email services | Included (Exim, Dovecot spam filter) | Can be set up manually |
| Databases | MySQL/MariaDB, PostgreSQL, Redis via konsoleH | Freely installable and selectable (PostgreSQL, MariaDB, MongoDB, etc.) |
| Web server | Apache (managed) | Freely selectable and configurable |
| PHP versions | Selection via konsoleH (multiple versions in parallel) | Freely installable |
| SSH access | Via normal user (no root, no sudo) | Full access |
| Support & maintenance | System updates, service monitoring, security fixes by Hetzner | Hardware and network support only |
Managed servers
Managed servers are the right choice if you don't want to take care of server administration yourself.
Hetzner takes care of:
- Setting up and ongoing maintenance of the system
- Installation and maintenance of security updates
- Monitoring of server services
- Configuration and support of web, mail, and database services
- Daily automatic backups
We offer managed servers with a pre-installed LAMP environment (Linux, Apache, PHP, and MySQL). In most cases, it is not possible to install additional (or other) software, as we deliver our managed servers with a preconfigured software stack that we only adapt to customer requirements to a limited extent. This is how we want to ensure maintainability, stability, and security in the long term. Nevertheless, as a customer, you can “install” many programs yourself at the user level—you can find instructions for many common programs here.
Managed servers – Technical Details
Managed servers are systems that are fully managed by Hetzner. They are based on dedicated hardware but are operated in a controlled environment.
Features
- Operating system: Linux (customized Hetzner Managed Distribution)
- Control panel: konsoleH (web administration for domains, email, databases, SSL)
- Services (preconfigured):
- Apache as web server
- PHP (multiple versions selectable)
- MySQL / MariaDB
- Exim & Dovecot for email
- SpamAssassin & ClamAV
- Cron jobs, FTP, SSH (restricted)
- Security features:
- Automatic security updates
- Managed firewall with standard rules
- Regular system hardening
- DDoS protection (network-side)
- Backups:
- Daily automatic backups
- Restoration via konsoleH
- Monitoring & maintenance:
- 24/7 monitoring of server services
- Proactive intervention in the event of malfunctions
- Restrictions:
- No root access
- No installation of own kernels or virtualization systems
- No customization of system partitions
Bare metal servers
Bare metal servers are physical systems that you manage entirely yourself. They are suitable for individual setups, virtualization, or high performance requirements.
Features
- Operating system: Freely selectable (e.g., Ubuntu, Debian, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, Windows, BSD derivatives)
- Access: Full root access via SSH or console
- Virtualization:
- Supports KVM, Proxmox VE, Docker, VMware, etc.
- Nested virtualization possible depending on CPU
- Hardware access:
- IPMI with remote console and power control
- Access to rescue system (boot via network)
- Network:
- Public IPv4 and IPv6
- Private networks (VLAN) optional
- Configurable firewall via Robot or Hetzner Console
- Storage & Backup:
- Free partitioning
- Own backup strategies (e.g., Hetzner Storage Box, rsync, Borg, Restic)
- Monitoring:
- Own solutions (Prometheus, Zabbix, Netdata)
- No automatic Hetzner monitoring
- Security management:
- Responsible for updates, firewalls, user management
- Access to kernel parameters and modules
- Flexibility:
- Installation of any software or services
- Use as hypervisor, mail server, web server, or database server
- Customizable network configurations (bonding, VLANs, bridges)
Comparison in practice
| Use case | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Virtualization or container orchestration (Proxmox, VMware, KVM, Docker Swarm, Kubernetes) | Bare metal server |
| Company website with CMS (WordPress, Joomla, etc.) | Managed server |
| High availability and failover setups (e.g., redundant clusters, automatic failover between systems) | Bare metal server |
| Development or test environment for web projects without root access | Managed server |