Hetzner is incredibly cheap, the hardware is good, and availability is also high. However, the UI is outdated, user-friendliness is lacking, service is “okay,” and internal documentation is incomplete. BUT the advantages clearly outweigh the disadvantages! Starting from EUR 2.09/month (with a monthly plan), you get a domain, SSL, email, backup, etc. Since the initial setup can be difficult, I’ll give a rough overview.

Steps to Set Up

1. Open an Account

  • Open an account via hetzner.com
  • Log in to KonsoleH
  • New Order
  • Scroll to Webhosting and select Level 1

2. Select Domain

  • Select a domain (.de, .com, .org, etc. are included in the price)
  • Choose “I want to register a domain”
  • Enter domain owner and domain admin details

3. Access Files

  • Access files in the browser via “Extras” and “WebFTP”

4. Install WordPress

  • Install WordPress via “Extras” and “WP”
  • Select “Install WP”
  • Ignore the warning about overwriting files and click “Continue”
  • WordPress will be installed by Hetzner
  • Message: “WP was successfully installed…”
  • Continue to “Set up WP”

5. Set Up WP

  • Enter title (meineseite.de), notification email (existing, personal email address), username (for logging into WP backend, e.g., “admin_john”), and generate a password to note down (e.g., in a password manager)
  • Message: “WP was successfully set up…” and the username and password are displayed

6. Add SSL Certificate

  • Continue to “Extras” and “SSL Manager”
  • Add “Lets encrypt” for free
  • “Issue a new certificate for” – the new domain should already be selected
  • Proceed without a subdomain and click “Request”
  • The request may take some time
  • Message: “Certificate was successfully created…”
  • In “SSL Manager” under “SSL Accounts,” assign the certificate to the new domain (install the certificate - drop-down menu - bottom entry (lets encrypt))
  • Activate HTTPS forwarding

7. Test Website

  • Call up the page in the browser “https://meineseite.de”
  • The default WP theme should be visible, and a closed lock symbol should appear to the left of the address bar
  • Append “wp-admin” to the domain (https://meineseite.de/wp-admin)
  • Enter the username and password from step 5
  • Settings - General - WP address: correct to https (only http is entered)
  • WP website address: correct to https (only http is entered)
  • Save changes

8. Set Up Email

  • Back to Hetzner KonsoleH
  • Email - Email Addresses - Mailboxes - “New Mailbox”
  • Enter the name of the mailbox, e.g., “info” for “info@meineseite.de”
  • Create and note down a password
  • Access emails via Webmail