The €107 Infrastructure That Runs an Entire Consultancy
The €107 Infrastructure That Runs an Entire Consultancy
€100 for a Claude Pro subscription. €7 for a VPS. That's the entire monthly cost of the infrastructure behind ImparLabs.
Here's what runs on that single server.
The Stack
| Service | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Coolify | Deployment platform (replaces Vercel/Heroku) |
| n8n | Workflow automation — 45+ active workflows |
| PostgreSQL | Multiple databases for different services |
| Listmonk | Newsletter management for 644 subscribers |
| Traefik | Reverse proxy with automatic SSL |
| Multiple Next.js apps | Client websites, internal tools |
| Vikunja | Project and task management |
| Umami | Privacy-focused web analytics |
Everything open-source except the hosting provider and email delivery (Resend). Everything self-hosted on a single VPS.
What This Stack Produces
In two months of operation, this infrastructure supported:
| Output | Numbers |
|---|---|
| Automation workflows | 45 active |
| LinkedIn posts published | 91 total |
| Newsletter subscribers | 644 |
| Cold outreach leads discovered | 638 |
| GitHub repositories managed | 23 |
| Client deliverables | Websites, reports, automations |
Why Self-Host?
1. GDPR Simplicity
When your data never leaves your server, compliance becomes dramatically simpler. No Data Processing Agreements with American companies, no Standard Contractual Clauses, no Schrems II concerns.
2. Cost Control at Scale
SaaS pricing scales with usage. Self-hosting pricing scales with hardware. When you run 45+ automation workflows, the difference between self-hosted n8n (€0/month) and the Zapier equivalent (hundreds of euros/month) accumulates fast.
3. Full Control
When something breaks at 2 AM, I can SSH into the server and fix it. No waiting for support tickets, no waiting for the vendor's status page to update.
The Honest Downsides
Self-hosting is not free — it costs time.
The first month was rough: Docker networking issues, SSL certificate problems, database migrations that went wrong. 19 incidents documented in total over two months.
But after the initial setup, maintenance is minimal. The key insight: self-hosting is an investment, not an expense. The knowledge you build compounds. Each problem you solve makes you faster at solving the next one.
When NOT to Self-Host
Be honest with yourself:
- If you don't enjoy debugging infrastructure, use managed services
- If uptime is critical and you can't respond within hours, use managed services
- If your team has no Linux experience, the learning curve may not be worth it
Self-hosting is a trade-off: lower cost and more control, in exchange for more responsibility.
The complete stack behind ImparLabs. All open-source except Hostinger, Cloudflare, and Resend.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the €107/month cover?
A single Hostinger VPS running Coolify, n8n (45+ workflows), PostgreSQL, Listmonk, Traefik, multiple Next.js apps, Vikunja, and Umami. €100 goes to the Claude Pro subscription, €7 to the VPS.
Why self-host instead of using SaaS tools?
Three reasons: GDPR compliance is simpler when data stays on your server, costs don't scale with usage like SaaS pricing does, and you have full control for debugging at 2 AM without waiting for support tickets.
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