[202508042147]

Last week I migrated our db away from AWS RDS to a European cloud provider. Everything runs fine and we also have it cheaper!

One of our domains is due for renewal in a couple of months. I'm setting up the transfer to a EU registrar for it next week.

This all takes time and it's not the most important thing for the bottom line, but on the long run I'm sure I'll look back and say it was a great investment.

[andsoitis]

> Last week I migrated our db away from AWS RDS to a European cloud provider. Everything runs fine and we also have it cheaper!

If I may ask, why didn't you choose the cheaper option before? What do you think you're trading off, if anything?

[202508042147]

Going with the default, we were already using other services from them.

[np_tedious]

So you still have other stuff with AWS?

[_fizz_buzz_]

I think they meant it the other way around. They mostly used AWS and had already some stuff on Hetzner, which made switching over to Hetzner easier.

[embedding-shape]

> to a EU registrar

Which one? I've been using DNSimple for so long, been trying to find something equally developer friendly who is based in Europe but haven't had much success. Used to use Gandi before DNSimple but it's obviously down the drain today.

[nozzlegear]

I've been using DNSimple for ages and I'm looking to switch; not because of geopolitical reasons (I'm American), but they're just damn expensive for the simple dns and domain management stuff I use them for.

[aeden]

Sorry to hear that you're considering leaving. Is there a specific part of our pricing that you consider expensive? From the DNS side we've aligned pricing with what AWS, Google, and MSFT are charging, and for domains we've tried to stay competitive as well without completing removing our margins. Do you use specific features that are not available on our base plan?

[manmal]

Are there other good ones with such a nice API?

[nozzlegear]

Good question! Ironically I want to use their API to migrate somewhere else, but it'd need to have a good API to complete the migration :P

[lillecarl]

I use Scaleway as my registrar, I don't know if i can automate domain registration but I don't have to. They have APIs for managing records if you choose to host DNS there too.

[new23d]

netim.com has been reliable over the years for me

[hk__2]

What about OVH?

[procaryote]

OVH is awful. The UI is slow and buggy, operations often fail and you need slow contact with support.

Worse, closing an OVH account is very hard. Every domain you host there they sign you up to several services, and you need to manually disable each one before they let you close the account. This then often gets stuck, because of the broken UI, and you end up needing to badger support over and over until they'll fix it

Never again

[matteocontrini]

They're working on a new manager UI that should solve most pain points:

https://x.com/i/status/2002765582073274826

https://x.com/i/status/2015829450764513753

[rendaw]

They have Fido 2FA too!

But their web UI looks and feels like it was pieced together by hamsters. It doesn't leave me feeling confident in their technical abilities in any way.

[202508042147]

Best would be to research a local one where you live. Support your community while you're at it!

[embedding-shape]

I live in a town with 10K other folks, I feel like I'd know if there was a local DNS registrar here :)

But maybe I should be the change I wanna see!

[fdgfikgfv]

This is happening in the US firms too. Yesterday, our CTO asked us to look into multi-cloud solutions. We know it is politically motivated decision with no cost savings or benefit.

[rookonaut]

Can you disclose which European cloud provider you chose?

[202508042147]

We went with Hetzner as we already had good experiences with their VPSes. For this particular db migration, a resonably sized VPS with volumes does the job for us. We don't have planet scale operations so the lowish IOPS is not an issue atm. Also, with this experience at hand, I am confident that we'll manage another migration if need be.

[esskay]

Did the exact same thing for a client who's ops we managed on AWS. I was pretty against ditching RDS and a load balanced setup for hetzners load balancer and 3 instances (2 web, 1 db) but honestly, it's been pretty smooth sailing. The sites faster, and costs dropped massively, saving the client approx €900/mo for a better service.

[gregman1]

Afaik Hetzner has a couple of server locations in the USA. Is it correct to say that Hetzner has to comply to US CLOUD Act and therefore give away any data requested?

[MonkeyClub]

Depends on which data center you're hosted.

The one under US jurisdiction operated by Hetzner US LLC must comply, while the German ones are operating under the GDPR, which has extraterritorial clauses can can deny or challenge the request.

[rvnx]

It's not that guaranteed.

The reality is that if you have any interest, company or employees in the US you can be coerced to do anything the US government wants.

Either legally through courts, or through business influence, or through harassment (e.g. hardcore checks from the IRS).

Sorry, Stripe rejects you now because you are high-risk (you have to explain why you refuse to help in criminal cases, though there is a court requesting you).

You don't like to comply to US requests and protect terrorists ?

https://support.stripe.com/questions/how-to-resolve-blocks-o...

Still don't comply ?

You are added to sanctions list, end of the game.

https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0185

Even Microsoft acknowledges that these cross-border requests cannot be avoided.

https://www.convotis.com/es/en/news/microsoft-access-eu-data

The same way that EU can force fetching data from the US entity.

Now on the EU side:

GDPR fine of 4% of your worldwide income. Well, too bad, your US entity refused, we will have to punish your EU entity very strongly.

If small provider, oh right you refuse ? Well, we will notify your bank that you do not respect the court orders, etc.

The law is one of the way of enforcement, but there are multiple stages of pressure.

Still refuse ? Well, let's come to you at 6am then.

https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2020/07/10/57...

[kaveh_h]

Any company opting for building digital sovereign systems should build a redundant and decentralized organization so that in worst case the company can split up its operations geographically to avoid being in the crosshairs of any host countries government.

[mk89]

There are EU alternatives to Stripe.

I know what you meant, but I think that there are alternatives, even if they are maybe not as good as the ones made in US.

Also, if the goal is to go all in on data sovereignty, so be it - put the companies in the sanctions list. It will only grow.

[mvelbaum]

do you use FDE on your hetzner instances? I couldn't find a guarantee that they properly dispose of block storage so I ended up developing a utility for this https://github.com/mvelbaum/hetzner-fde-toolkit

[dopidopHN2]

OVH in my case