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A Practical Guide to Container Orchestration","\u002Fen\u002Fblog\u002Fwhat-is-kubernetes","en\u002F3.blog\u002F6.what-is-kubernetes",{"title":177,"path":178,"stem":179},"The Cloud Illusion: Why a Server Location in Germany Doesn’t Guarantee Digital Sovereignty","\u002Fen\u002Fblog\u002Fcloud-illusion-digital-sovereignty","en\u002F3.blog\u002F7.cloud-illusion-digital-sovereignty",{"title":181,"path":182,"stem":183},"S3-Compatible Object Storage: The Best Solutions at a Glance","\u002Fen\u002Fblog\u002Fs3-compatible-object-storage","en\u002F3.blog\u002F8.s3-compatible-object-storage",{"title":185,"path":186,"stem":187},"Deployment as a Bottleneck: When AI Codes Faster Than You Can Deploy","\u002Fen\u002Fblog\u002Fdeployment-bottleneck","en\u002F3.blog\u002F9.deployment-bottleneck",{"title":189,"path":190,"stem":191,"children":192,"icon":206},"Getting 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PostgreSQL","\u002Fen\u002Fdocs\u002Fhelm-releases\u002Fdeploy-postgresql","en\u002F1.docs\u002F4.helm-releases\u002F2.deploy-postgresql","i-lucide-database",{"title":263,"path":264,"stem":265,"icon":266},"Deploy Redis","\u002Fen\u002Fdocs\u002Fhelm-releases\u002Fdeploy-redis","en\u002F1.docs\u002F4.helm-releases\u002F3.deploy-redis","i-lucide-zap",{"title":268,"path":269,"stem":270,"icon":271},"Deploy n8n","\u002Fen\u002Fdocs\u002Fhelm-releases\u002Fdeploy-n8n","en\u002F1.docs\u002F4.helm-releases\u002F4.deploy-n8n","i-lucide-workflow",{"title":273,"path":274,"stem":275,"icon":276},"Deploy RustFS","\u002Fen\u002Fdocs\u002Fhelm-releases\u002Fdeploy-rustfs","en\u002F1.docs\u002F4.helm-releases\u002F5.deploy-rustfs","i-lucide-hard-drive",{"title":278,"path":279,"stem":280,"icon":281},"Deploy OpenSearch","\u002Fen\u002Fdocs\u002Fhelm-releases\u002Fdeploy-opensearch","en\u002F1.docs\u002F4.helm-releases\u002F6.deploy-opensearch","i-lucide-search",{"title":283,"path":284,"stem":285,"icon":286},"Deploy Keycloak","\u002Fen\u002Fdocs\u002Fhelm-releases\u002Fdeploy-keycloak","en\u002F1.docs\u002F4.helm-releases\u002F7.deploy-keycloak","i-lucide-shield-check",{"title":288,"path":289,"stem":290,"children":291,"icon":206},"Glossary","\u002Fen\u002Fdocs\u002Fglossary","en\u002F1.docs\u002F5.glossary\u002F1.index",[292],{"title":288,"path":289,"stem":290,"icon":293},"i-lucide-book-a",{"id":295,"title":73,"authors":296,"badge":302,"body":303,"date":753,"description":754,"extension":755,"image":756,"lastUpdated":302,"meta":758,"navigation":759,"path":74,"published":759,"seo":760,"stem":75,"tags":302,"__hash__":761},"posts\u002Fen\u002F3.blog\u002F26.self-hosted-eu-alternatives.md",[297],{"name":298,"to":299,"avatar":300},"Thomas Ens","\u002Fabout\u002Fthomasens",{"src":301},"\u002Fimages\u002Fblog\u002Fauthors\u002Fthomas.jpeg",null,{"type":304,"value":305,"toc":737},"minimark",[306,311,315,320,331,341,348,351,355,358,363,372,380,388,391,395,403,406,425,428,432,435,482,485,489,492,495,519,522,526,529,532,564,567,570,574,687,691,694,700,706,716,719,723,726,729],[307,308,310],"h1",{"id":309},"self-hosted-eu-alternatives-how-to-easily-host-libreoffice-co-with-lowcloud","Self-Hosted EU Alternatives: How to Easily Host LibreOffice & Co. with lowcloud",[312,313,314],"p",{},"If you want to break free from Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, you're in a good position today. The open-source productivity stack has matured. The real challenge is no longer the software itself — it's the operations. This article covers which EU-compliant self-hosted alternatives exist and how to run them productively without infrastructure overhead.",[316,317,319],"h2",{"id":318},"why-self-hosted-eu-alternatives-make-sense-again","Why Self-Hosted EU Alternatives Make Sense Again",[312,321,322,323,330],{},"After the ",[324,325,329],"a",{"href":326,"rel":327},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.bfdi.bund.de\u002FDE\u002FFachthemen\u002FInhalte\u002FEuropa-Internationales\u002FAuswirkungen-Schrems-II-Urteil.html",[328],"nofollow","Schrems II ruling"," by the CJEU in 2020, there was a brief moment of panic — then most companies just carried on as before. That was understandable, because alternatives were still clunkier back then. That has changed.",[312,332,333,334,340],{},"US cloud services fall under the ",[335,336,337],"strong",{},[324,338,339],{"href":62},"Cloud Act",", which fundamentally grants US authorities access to stored data — even when servers are located in Europe. This is no longer a theoretical risk but a concrete compliance problem for companies handling personal data or sensitive business information.",[312,342,343,344,347],{},"On top of that, the political uncertainty around transatlantic data agreements persists. Investing in ",[324,345,346],{"href":178},"sovereign IT infrastructure"," now is a strategic decision, not a reactive one.",[312,349,350],{},"Self-hosting doesn't necessarily mean running your own server room. It means retaining control over your data and software. What infrastructure it runs on is a separate question.",[316,352,354],{"id":353},"key-self-hosted-eu-alternatives-at-a-glance","Key Self-Hosted EU Alternatives at a Glance",[312,356,357],{},"The market for open-source productivity software has matured significantly in recent years. For most use cases, there are robust alternatives ready for production use.",[359,360,362],"h3",{"id":361},"libreoffice-the-classic-reimagined","LibreOffice — The Classic, Reimagined",[312,364,365,366,371],{},"Most people know ",[324,367,370],{"href":368,"rel":369},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.libreoffice.org\u002F",[328],"LibreOffice"," as a desktop application. What many don't realize: there are server-based variants that enable collaborative work directly in the browser.",[312,373,374,379],{},[324,375,378],{"href":376,"rel":377},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.collaboraonline.com\u002F",[328],"Collabora Online"," is the commercially supported, enterprise-grade version of LibreOffice as a web editor. It integrates directly with Nextcloud and offers real-time collaboration on documents, spreadsheets, and presentations — functionally comparable to Google Docs, but on your own infrastructure.",[312,381,382,387],{},[324,383,386],{"href":384,"rel":385},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.onlyoffice.com\u002F",[328],"ONLYOFFICE"," is another server-based office solution with a similar feature set. ONLYOFFICE sometimes offers better compatibility with Microsoft Office formats, which can matter for mixed teams.",[312,389,390],{},"Both solutions run as container applications and integrate well with existing platforms.",[359,392,394],{"id":393},"nextcloud-more-than-just-file-storage","Nextcloud — More Than Just File Storage",[312,396,397,402],{},[324,398,401],{"href":399,"rel":400},"https:\u002F\u002Fnextcloud.com\u002F",[328],"Nextcloud"," is the backbone of many self-hosted setups. The platform started as a Dropbox alternative but has evolved into a full collaboration platform.",[312,404,405],{},"Key features for enterprise use:",[407,408,409,413,416,419,422],"ul",{},[410,411,412],"li",{},"File sync and sharing with access controls",[410,414,415],{},"Integration with Collabora Online or ONLYOFFICE for browser-based document editing",[410,417,418],{},"Calendar, contacts, and tasks (CalDAV\u002FCardDAV compatible)",[410,420,421],{},"Video calls via Nextcloud Talk",[410,423,424],{},"User management with LDAP\u002FAD integration",[312,426,427],{},"Nextcloud runs as a PHP application, requires a database (MySQL\u002FPostgreSQL), and needs object storage for production environments. Running it on Kubernetes is possible but requires configuration effort, especially around persistent storage and session handling.",[359,429,431],{"id":430},"more-tools-jitsi-mailcow-gitea","More Tools: Jitsi, Mailcow, Gitea",[312,433,434],{},"A complete self-hosted stack goes beyond office tools:",[407,436,437,447,465],{},[410,438,439,446],{},[324,440,443],{"href":441,"rel":442},"https:\u002F\u002Fjitsi.org\u002F",[328],[335,444,445],{},"Jitsi Meet"," for video conferencing — open source, no account required, GDPR-compliant when self-hosted",[410,448,449,456,457,464],{},[324,450,453],{"href":451,"rel":452},"https:\u002F\u002Fmailcow.email\u002F",[328],[335,454,455],{},"Mailcow"," or ",[324,458,461],{"href":459,"rel":460},"https:\u002F\u002Fstalw.art\u002F",[328],[335,462,463],{},"Stalwart"," as a full email server solution with web interface",[410,466,467,456,474,481],{},[324,468,471],{"href":469,"rel":470},"https:\u002F\u002Fabout.gitea.com\u002F",[328],[335,472,473],{},"Gitea",[324,475,478],{"href":476,"rel":477},"https:\u002F\u002Fforgejo.org\u002F",[328],[335,479,480],{},"Forgejo"," as self-hosted alternatives to GitHub. Ideal for teams that don't want their code on US services",[312,483,484],{},"Each of these solutions runs containerized and can be deployed in modern Kubernetes environments.",[316,486,488],{"id":487},"the-real-problem-with-self-hosting","The Real Problem with Self-Hosting",[312,490,491],{},"The software isn't the problem. Operations is.",[312,493,494],{},"Running Nextcloud or Collabora yourself requires:",[407,496,497,504,507,510,513,516],{},[410,498,499,500,503],{},"A ",[324,501,502],{"href":174},"Kubernetes"," or Docker environment with sufficient resources",[410,505,506],{},"Persistent storage that survives restarts",[410,508,509],{},"TLS certificates with automatic renewal",[410,511,512],{},"Regular backups that actually work",[410,514,515],{},"Update processes that don't cause downtime",[410,517,518],{},"Monitoring and alerting",[312,520,521],{},"This is manageable if someone on the team knows these topics and has time. In many small and medium-sized businesses, neither is consistently guaranteed. And that's exactly where the dilemma arises: self-hosting sounds like control but quickly becomes a maintenance burden.",[316,523,525],{"id":524},"running-self-hosted-eu-alternatives-with-lowcloud","Running Self-Hosted EU Alternatives with lowcloud",[312,527,528],{},"lowcloud is a Kubernetes DaaS platform that runs on EU infrastructure and simplifies the operation of open-source applications. Instead of setting up and maintaining your own Kubernetes environment, you use a managed platform that handles the infrastructure layer.",[312,530,531],{},"For the self-hosted scenario, this means:",[407,533,534,540,546,552,558],{},[410,535,536,539],{},[335,537,538],{},"Deployment"," of Nextcloud, Collabora Online, or ONLYOFFICE via standardized Helm charts or container images",[410,541,542,545],{},[335,543,544],{},"Persistent storage"," through the platform, without needing to configure your own storage classes",[410,547,548,551],{},[335,549,550],{},"TLS and ingress"," provided by the platform",[410,553,554,557],{},[335,555,556],{},"Backups"," included as part of the platform",[410,559,560,563],{},[335,561,562],{},"EU data center"," — data never leaves Europe",[312,565,566],{},"The difference from a VPS where you configure everything yourself: you get a platform layer that abstracts Kubernetes complexity while preserving full container flexibility.",[312,568,569],{},"For teams that want to run open-source applications in production without building in-house Kubernetes expertise, this is a pragmatic path.",[316,571,573],{"id":572},"self-hosting-on-your-own-infrastructure-vs-lowcloud-vs-us-saas","Self-Hosting on Your Own Infrastructure vs. lowcloud vs. US SaaS",[575,576,577,604],"table",{},[578,579,580],"thead",{},[581,582,583,589,594,599],"tr",{},[584,585,586],"th",{},[335,587,588],{},"Criterion",[584,590,591],{},[335,592,593],{},"Own Infrastructure",[584,595,596],{},[335,597,598],{},"lowcloud",[584,600,601],{},[335,602,603],{},"US SaaS",[605,606,607,622,636,649,661,675],"tbody",{},[581,608,609,613,616,619],{},[610,611,612],"td",{},"Data sovereignty",[610,614,615],{},"Full",[610,617,618],{},"Full (EU)",[610,620,621],{},"Limited (Cloud Act)",[581,623,624,627,630,633],{},[610,625,626],{},"Operational overhead",[610,628,629],{},"High",[610,631,632],{},"Low",[610,634,635],{},"Minimal",[581,637,638,641,644,646],{},[610,639,640],{},"GDPR compliance",[610,642,643],{},"Achievable",[610,645,643],{},[610,647,648],{},"Difficult",[581,650,651,654,657,659],{},[610,652,653],{},"Flexibility",[610,655,656],{},"Maximum",[610,658,629],{},[610,660,632],{},[581,662,663,666,669,672],{},[610,664,665],{},"Cost",[610,667,668],{},"Variable \u002F high",[610,670,671],{},"Predictable",[610,673,674],{},"Per user, scales steeply",[581,676,677,680,682,684],{},[610,678,679],{},"Onboarding effort",[610,681,629],{},[610,683,632],{},[610,685,686],{},"Very low",[316,688,690],{"id":689},"compliance-benefits-what-changes-legally","Compliance Benefits: What Changes Legally",[312,692,693],{},"Running open-source tools on EU infrastructure gives you clear advantages over US SaaS providers:",[312,695,696,699],{},[335,697,698],{},"No third-country transfer."," Data stored on servers in Germany or the EU, operated by an EU company, is not subject to third-country data transfers under GDPR. Standard contractual clauses or adequacy decisions — which can be invalidated at any time — are not a concern.",[312,701,702,705],{},[335,703,704],{},"Clear data processing agreements."," With an EU platform provider, a data processing agreement under Art. 28 GDPR can be concluded straightforwardly, without legal uncertainties.",[312,707,708,711,712,715],{},[335,709,710],{},"No Cloud Act risk."," US authorities cannot compel the handover of data on EU infrastructure from EU providers — at least not through the US Cloud Act. The EU's ",[324,713,714],{"href":14},"Cloud Sovereignty Framework"," now provides a formal standard for verifying these protections.",[312,717,718],{},"This doesn't mean that self-hosting is automatically GDPR-compliant. Technical and organizational measures (TOMs) still need to be implemented and documented. But the structural compliance risks that come with US services are eliminated.",[316,720,722],{"id":721},"lowcloud-as-the-foundation-for-your-eu-stack","lowcloud as the Foundation for Your EU Stack",[312,724,725],{},"Self-hosting with open-source software is no longer a workaround. LibreOffice-based web editors, Nextcloud, and the surrounding tools are production-ready. The question is no longer whether, but how to run them.",[312,727,728],{},"If you don't want to maintain infrastructure yourself but also don't want to move to a US hyperscaler, lowcloud offers a third path: a Kubernetes DaaS platform on EU infrastructure that simplifies running open-source applications without giving up control over your data and software.",[312,730,731,732,736],{},"If you're planning to get started or want to put an existing self-hosted environment on a more stable foundation, take a look at ",[324,733,598],{"href":734,"rel":735},"https:\u002F\u002Flowcloud.de",[328],".",{"title":738,"searchDepth":739,"depth":739,"links":740},"",2,[741,742,748,749,750,751,752],{"id":318,"depth":739,"text":319},{"id":353,"depth":739,"text":354,"children":743},[744,746,747],{"id":361,"depth":745,"text":362},3,{"id":393,"depth":745,"text":394},{"id":430,"depth":745,"text":431},{"id":487,"depth":739,"text":488},{"id":524,"depth":739,"text":525},{"id":572,"depth":739,"text":573},{"id":689,"depth":739,"text":690},{"id":721,"depth":739,"text":722},"2026-03-17","Run Nextcloud, Collabora, and other open-source tools on EU infrastructure without the ops overhead. A practical guide to sovereign self-hosting.","md",{"src":757},"\u002Fimages\u002Fblog\u002Fself-hosted-eu-alternatives.jpg",{},true,{"title":73,"description":754},"iRY70Y30F-6yGYkXmYld3wBBvrMjArs3tj6XRixftcY",[763,765],{"title":69,"path":70,"stem":71,"description":764,"children":-1},"NIS2 sets concrete technical requirements for DevOps teams. Learn what the directive demands and why legacy data centers are under pressure.",{"title":77,"path":78,"stem":79,"description":766,"children":-1},"DORA has been mandatory since January 2025. What the EU regulation changes for CI\u002FCD pipelines, cloud strategies, and DevOps teams in the financial sector.",1775388341445]