Skip to main content

Introduction

This guide provides a fully automated and opinionated approach to deploying and managing your self-hosted services on Hetzner using Docker Compose and Terraform. This setup is ideal for individuals who:

  • Prefer to host their self-managed services on a VPS rather than a home server, ensuring secure access via VPN.
  • Are interested in using self-hosted services as a means to learn Infrastructure as Code (IaC) with Terraform and Terragrunt.

Overview​

This project demonstrates how to leverage the Cloudstack Terraform module to deploy your self-hosted services efficiently. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you will set up a Hetzner instance that automatically clones your code from a GitHub repository, manages secrets using Infisical, and utilizes Docker Compose for application deployment.

Example banner

Services Used​

The entire setup utilizes various services, each serving a specific purpose:

  1. Hetzner is used to deploy the Virtual Private Server inside a Virtual Private Network.
  2. AWS S3 is used to save the terraform state.
  3. Tailscale is used as VPN between your devices and the Hetzner Private Network.
  4. Github is used to deploy emphemeral runner inside your Hetzner Private Network, but also used as Identity Provider to login to tailscale.
  5. Traefik is used for reverse proxy.
  6. LetsEncrypt is used for Automatic Certificate Renewal.
  7. Cloudflare is used for DNS configuration.

This guide not only helps you learn about these technologies but also walks you through the necessary steps to set up your environment effectively.