Hetzner is a go-to choice for developers who want high-performance infrastructure without the cost or complexity of managed platforms. With full root access, great pricing, and reliable hardware, it’s perfect for self-hosted applications.
Docker makes it easy to package and run applications across environments. But deploying and managing containers manually on a Hetzner server quickly becomes repetitive. You’re handling SSH access, writing deployment scripts, configuring firewalls. Then there’s reverse proxies, SSL certificates, and uptime monitoring, the list goes on.
Serversinc simplifies that process. It adds a lightweight PaaS-like layer on top of your own servers. You get both an API and a dashboard to manage deployments, environment variables, logs, HTTPS, and more, without sacrificing control or paying for features you don’t use.
In this guide, we’ll walk through how to deploy a Docker container to a Hetzner server using Serversinc. We’ll cover adding your server, configuring an application, and getting it online with minimal setup.
What You Need Before You Start
Before deploying a container to Hetzner with Serversinc, here’s what you’ll need:
✅ A Serversinc Account
Sign up at dash.serversinc.io to access the dashboard and API. From here, you’ll manage your servers, containers, and deployments.
✅ A Hetzner API Key
Serversinc can provision new Hetzner cloud servers directly from your dashboard. Just generate a read/write API key from your Hetzner Cloud Console and paste it into Serversinc. This allows you to launch fully configured servers—Docker, firewall rules, SSH setup, and all—without leaving the platform.
Prefer to bring your own server? You can also connect an existing Hetzner instance by adding it manually via SSH. Serversinc will install everything it needs during setup.
✅ A Docker Image
Have your image ready, either on Docker Hub, GitHub Container Registry, or a private registry. Serversinc supports pulling from any public or private image source and lets you pass environment variables, set ports, and more during deployment.
Step-by-Step: Deploying Docker Containers with Serversinc
Once you’ve connected your Hetzner account to Serversinc, you can deploy containers in just a few steps—no manual setup or scripts required.
1. Provision a Hetzner Server
From the Serversinc dashboard, click “Add Server”, choose Hetzner, and select your server type and region. Serversinc automatically provisions the server using Ubuntu 24.04 and handles everything else:
- Generates and installs SSH keys
- Installs Docker
- Installs our Agent, Tugboat
- Opens required ports (e.g. for HTTP/S and app traffic)
- Connects the server to your Serversinc account
This typically takes a few minutes depending on hardware and internet speeds. Once the server is ready, you'll be redirected to its overview page.
2. Create and Deploy an Application
Once your server is online, head to the Applications tab and click “New Application.”
You’ll configure:
- Name – A readable label for your app
- Domain – (optional) If your server is already running Traefik
- Internal port – The port your container listens on (e.g.
3000,8080) - Docker image – e.g.
nginx,username/api:latest, or a private registry image - Environment variables (optional) – e.g. API keys, app config
- Container Labels – e.g for your own organisation
- Volume mounts (optional) – For persistent storage
- Server – Choose the Hetzner server you just added
Click Deploy, and Serversinc takes care of the rest: pulling the image, creating the container, and making it visible in your dashboard.
While Serversinc supports reverse proxy setups like Traefik, it's not enabled by default. If your app needs a public domain and HTTPS, you can install and configure Traefik right from the dashboard
3. Access and Manage Your App
Once deployed, you can:
- Access the container via the public IP and exposed port
- View container logs from the dashboard
- Redeploy with updated images or environment variables
- Stop, restart, or remove containers with one click or via the API
Why Use Serversinc Instead of Doing It Manually
You can absolutely deploy Docker containers to Hetzner on your own, and many developers do. But that usually involves:
- Provisioning servers manually
- Installing and configuring Docker
- Managing SSH keys and firewall rules
- Writing scripts to pull images and restart containers
- Setting up logging, monitoring, and reverse proxies
- Troubleshooting when things drift or break
That process works, but it quickly becomes repetitive, fragile, and hard to scale as your projects grow.
Serversinc simplifies all of this without locking you into a closed system. It's built for developers who want full control over their infrastructure without getting bogged down in setup and maintenance.
With Serversinc, you get:
- Easy provisioning. New servers come ready with Docker, secure SSH access, open ports, and everything configured.
- Application-first deployment. Manage and redeploy by app, not by container ID or raw image.
- Unified UI and API. Deploy, update, and monitor apps from the dashboard or through simple API calls.
- Built-in management tools. View logs, restart containers, and manage environment variables without touching the command line.
- Full control. You're still running on your own Hetzner servers. Serversinc just makes them easier to work with.
You get the convenience of a platform-as-a-service without giving up the flexibility of self-hosting.
Get Started with One-Click Docker Deployments on Hetzner
Hetzner gives you raw performance and pricing that’s hard to beat—but until now, deploying Docker containers on it meant doing everything yourself. Serversinc removes that friction.
Whether you’re spinning up a personal project, running multiple production apps, or managing client workloads, Serversinc gives you the tools to:
- Provision and configure Hetzner servers automatically
- Deploy Docker containers in seconds
- Manage apps with a clean, unified dashboard
- Maintain full control over your infrastructure without sacrificing usability
It’s fast, reliable, and built with developers in mind.
Ready to deploy your first container? Sign up for free and launch your first app in under 10 minutes.