Frank
02883d3ed2
Copy of the legacy ~/.pi/agent/docs tree rebuilt as the command-center knowledge base: concept files promoted to path identity, index listings stripped of frontmatter, all wikilinks/relative links resolved, every checkable claim verified against the live fleet (Dankserver = Ryzen 7 7700X + RTX 3090; Strix Halo is Dankclaw), unverifiable claims tagged. kb-lint exits 0.
81 lines
2.7 KiB
Markdown
81 lines
2.7 KiB
Markdown
---
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type: reference
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title: Cloud Providers - AWS, DigitalOcean, Hetzner
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description: Current best practices for AWS, DigitalOcean, and Hetzner - bootstrapping, IaC, cost, and lifecycle.
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tags:
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- aws
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- digitalocean
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- hetzner
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- cloud
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- infrastructure
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- engineering
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timestamp: 2026-08-11
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verified: 2026-08-28
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---
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# Cloud Providers
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This page compares current (2025/2026) practices for AWS, DigitalOcean, and Hetzner.
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## AWS
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Use infrastructure as code with Terraform or OpenTofu. Build a landing zone with AWS Control Tower or a `aws-landing-zone` module.
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Use these services as the baseline:
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* EC2 for compute.
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* RDS for managed databases.
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* EKS for managed Kubernetes.
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* VPC for networking.
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* S3 for object storage.
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* IAM for access control.
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Optimize cost with Savings Plans, Spot instances for stateless work, and Reserved instances for databases.
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Set a security baseline with organization SCPs, GuardDuty, Security Hub, and KMS for encryption.
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## DigitalOcean
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Use Droplets for simple virtual servers. Use the App Platform as a PaaS for containerized applications. Use managed databases for PostgreSQL, MySQL, and Redis.
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Use `doctl` as the command-line tool. Use the Terraform provider for infrastructure as code.
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Droplets start around $4 per month. DigitalOcean costs more per compute unit than Hetzner but gives a better developer experience.
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## Hetzner
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Hetzner Cloud offers a strong cost advantage. Compute costs are roughly half or less than DigitalOcean and AWS.
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Use the `hcloud` CLI or the official `hashicorp/hcloud` Terraform provider. Manage servers, networks, firewalls, load balancers, and volumes.
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Hetzner has fewer regions. It has no managed Kubernetes service and no managed databases. Run k3s, k0s, or Talos for Kubernetes.
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Hetzner suits cost-sensitive homelabs, European workloads, and k3s or k0s clusters.
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## Provider Decision
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| Factor | AWS | DigitalOcean | Hetzner |
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|--------|-----|--------------|---------|
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| Cost | High | Medium | Low |
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| Services | Enterprise | Managed databases | Limited |
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| Regions | Many | Several | Few |
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| Best for | Enterprise | Developer experience | Cost-sensitive clusters |
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## Related Tools
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* cloud-init for first-boot configuration.
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* Ansible for configuration management.
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* WireGuard or Tailscale for private networking.
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* Cloudflare Tunnels to expose services without open ports.
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## Citations
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* [AWS documentation](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/)
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* [DigitalOcean](https://www.digitalocean.com/)
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* [Hetzner Cloud](https://www.hetzner.com/cloud/)
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* [Terraform hcloud provider](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/hetznercloud/hcloud/latest/docs)
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## See Also
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* [Terraform and OpenTofu](terraform.md)
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* [Kubernetes](kubernetes.md)
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