Migration guide
Hetzner → PipeHost. Without the downtime.
Hetzner is a good host — affordable, solid hardware, generally reliable. But when European routing, formal SLAs, DDoS protection, or direct-to-engineering support matter more than the very lowest price, customers come to us. Here's an honest comparison and a step-by-step migration plan.
Why people switch
Direct line to engineering
No tiered support filters, no scripted responses. When you open a ticket about routing or hardware, you reach the people who own that system.
More peering, shorter paths
We run two ASNs with direct ports at major European exchanges (ERA-IX, GNM-IX). Predictable latency to the networks that matter, not whatever transit is cheapest this quarter.
DDoS protection by default
Always-on scrubbing at our network edge — no opt-in, no extra SKU, no surprise filtering of legitimate traffic.
60-second VPS, hours-not-days for bare metal
VPS provisioning is sub-minute. Dedicated server delivery is measured in hours, not the multi-day windows that have become common.
Side by side
— Honest comparison, public-info only
| Dimension | Hetzner | PipeHost |
|---|---|---|
| Network ownership | Own AS (AS24940) | Own AS49592 + AS64457 |
| European PoPs | DE / FI / US | AT / DE / NL / SI (+ STO) |
| DDoS protection | Included, basic | Included, always-on |
| Bare-metal delivery | Hours – days | Hours, single-digit |
| Network SLA | No formal SLA | 99.99% with credits |
| Support model | Email, tiered | Direct to engineering, 24/7 |
| Looking glass | Limited | Per-PoP (VIE / AMS / MB) |
| VPS entry price | ~€4 / mo | From €5.90 / mo |
| EU jurisdiction | Yes | Yes (Austria HQ) |
Comparison reflects publicly available information at time of writing. Hetzner's pricing and feature set change frequently — verify the current state before deciding.
The migration, step by step
- 01
Inventory & plan
List the Hetzner instances you're moving: cores, RAM, disk, public IPs, attached storage, DNS records pointing at them. Pick the matching PipeHost SKU for each one (we'll help on a call if the spec doesn't map 1:1).
- 02
Provision the target
Spin up the PipeHost VPS, dedicated or storage instance in the closest PoP. VPS provisioning is sub-minute; dedicated arrives within hours. Same OS, same kernel where possible.
- 03
Move the data
For VPS: rsync over SSH with hard-link snapshots (rsync -aHAX --delete --link-dest …), or restic / borg if you already use them. For dedicated: an OS-level dd over SSH or a clean reinstall plus restic restore. We give you a maintenance-mode IP for the cutover.
- 04
Cut over DNS
Reduce DNS TTLs 24h ahead. On cutover, point A/AAAA records at the new PipeHost IPs, keep both sides running for 24h to drain in-flight clients, then decommission Hetzner.
Ready to move?
We'll size your replacement plan and walk through the cutover with you — no pressure, no obligation, no "sales engineer" reading from a script.