kubernetes

Hetzner k3s Cost Calculator

Calculate the monthly cost of running a k3s cluster on Hetzner Cloud. k3s uses 3× less RAM than full Kubernetes — smaller servers mean lower costs.

k3s on Hetzner: Cost-Optimized Kubernetes

k3s is the best choice for most Hetzner deployments. Its lower resource overhead means you can start with smaller (cheaper) servers and grow as needed.

Cost Comparison: k3s vs kubeadm on Hetzner

Setup	k3s cost	kubeadm cost	Saving
Minimal single-node	€3.99/mo (cx23)	€6.49/mo (cx33)	38%
3-server HA	3× €3.99 = €11.97	3× €6.49 = €19.47	38%
With 3 agents (cx33)	+ €19.47	+ €19.47	Same workers

k3s saves on control plane costs — workers are the same regardless.

k3s HA Without External LB

k3s embedded etcd mode (3+ servers) gives you:

›Quorum-based leader election
›Automatic failover if a server node fails
›No HAProxy VMs needed

You still need a stable endpoint for kubectl — use a Hetzner Floating IP assigned to the current leader via a Keepalived-like script.

Recommended Hetzner k3s Setup

Single node (dev):

›1× cx23 (server + agent combined) = €3.99/mo

Small production:

›1× cx23 k3s server
›2–3× cx33 k3s agents
›Total: ~€17–24/mo

HA production:

›3× cx23 k3s servers (embedded etcd)
›3× cx43 k3s agents
›Total: ~€48/mo

See the [k3s Resource Calculator](/calculators/k3s-resource-calculator) for RAM/CPU planning.

Key Terms

Full glossary →

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.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a k3s cluster on Hetzner cost?

A minimal single-server k3s setup (1× cx23 server node + 2× cx33 agent nodes) costs €16.97/mo on Hetzner. A 3-server HA k3s cluster (3× cx23 + 3× cx33 agents) costs €35.94/mo — with no external LB needed since k3s handles HA internally via embedded etcd.

Why use k3s instead of kubeadm on Hetzner?

k3s installs in under 5 minutes (vs 30–60 for kubeadm), uses 512 MB RAM for the server vs 1.5 GB for kubeadm, and handles embedded etcd HA without external etcd nodes. On Hetzner, this means you can run an HA control plane on cx23 (€3.99/mo) instead of cx33 or cx43.

Does k3s HA require external load balancers on Hetzner?

No. k3s embedded etcd HA uses a cluster VIP or you can point to any server IP — if that server fails, clients retry other servers. For a stable endpoint, you can use a Hetzner Floating IP assigned to the active server via a simple script, without needing HAProxy VMs.

Can I run production workloads on k3s on Hetzner?

Yes. Many companies run production k3s on Hetzner. k3s is CNCF-certified, supports Helm charts, Longhorn storage, Traefik ingress, and the full Kubernetes API. The main constraint: k3s uses SQLite by default for single-server setups, but embedded etcd for multi-server HA — both are production-capable.

Related Tools

K8s Cluster Cost

Calculate the monthly cost of running a Kubernetes cluster on Hetzner Cloud. Choose server types for control planes, workers, and load balancers with HA mode.

k3s Resources

Calculate RAM and CPU requirements for a k3s cluster. k3s has 5–10× lower overhead than full Kubernetes — see exactly how much your server and agent nodes need.

Hetzner K8s Cost

Calculate the exact monthly cost of a Kubernetes cluster on Hetzner Cloud using verified server pricing — cx23, cx33, cx43, cax21, cax31, ccx23.

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