kubernetes
Hetzner Kubernetes Cost Calculator
Calculate the exact monthly cost of a Kubernetes cluster on Hetzner Cloud using verified server pricing — cx23, cx33, cx43, cax21, cax31, ccx23.
Hetzner Cloud Server Types for Kubernetes
Hetzner offers two main CPU architectures for cloud servers: Intel/AMD (cpx, cx) and ARM (cax). Both are fully supported by Kubernetes.
ARM vs x86 for Kubernetes
At current Hetzner pricing, ARM (cax) servers actually cost 10–30% more than the equivalent-spec x86 (cx) tier — verify live prices before assuming ARM is the cheaper pick. The case for ARM now rests on performance-per-core, not price. The other tradeoff: not all container images are published as multi-arch. Most popular images (NGINX, Prometheus, Grafana, etc.) are multi-arch and work fine on ARM. Check before deploying proprietary or niche workloads.
Dedicated vs Shared CPU
- ›cx / cax = shared vCPUs (burst workloads, cost-optimized)
- ›ccx = dedicated vCPUs (consistent performance, higher cost)
For Kubernetes control planes, shared vCPU (cx33) is typically sufficient — etcd and the API server don't need dedicated cores. For worker nodes handling CPU-intensive workloads, consider ccx23/ccx33 (dedicated vCPU).
Key Terms
Full glossary →kubeadm
A tool for bootstrapping Kubernetes clusters. It automates the setup of control plane components and joining worker nodes, following Kubernetes best practices.
etcd
A distributed key-value store used by Kubernetes to store all cluster state and configuration. etcd is the single source of truth for the entire cluster.
k3s
A lightweight Kubernetes distribution by Rancher. k3s packages the entire Kubernetes control plane into a single binary under 100MB, ideal for edge, IoT, and small VPS deployments.
Helm
A package manager for Kubernetes. Helm charts bundle Kubernetes manifests into reusable packages with configurable values, versioned and published to chart repositories.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest Hetzner Kubernetes setup?
A single-node k3s or kubeadm cluster on a cx23 (€5.49/mo) is the absolute minimum. For a multi-node dev cluster: 1× control plane (cx33 €8.49) + 2× workers (cx33 €8.49 each) costs ~€25.50/mo.
Is Hetzner Cloud reliable for production Kubernetes?
Yes. Hetzner is used in production by many companies for internal workloads. Their SLA is 99.9% uptime. For critical public-facing services, use the HA setup with 3 control planes and 2 LB nodes.
Related Tools
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Calculate the right number and size of Kubernetes worker nodes for your workloads. Supports Hetzner Cloud and Vultr with verified pricing.
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