Cloud infrastructure / Hetzner Dedicated AX / EX alternative

Hetzner dedicated AX alternative for Linux agents

Hetzner’s AX and EX lines rent an entire physical server, including local system disks and full root access. Installed tools and configuration already persist on that machine. For returning agents, compare a reserved physical host with a managed runtime that can release compute and keep its durable filesystem.

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Reviewed 2026-10-19 · Published by the Sandbox0 team

When Hetzner Dedicated AX / EX fits

Choose Hetzner dedicated servers for exclusive physical hardware, full kernel control and workloads requiring sustained machine capacity. AX, EX, Cloud VMs and Server Auction offers have different hardware, availability and terms.

When to consider Sandbox0

Consider Sandbox0 for compatible Linux workers with online automatic whole-RootFS growth and supported file operations while guest compute is paused. Retain physical-host, custom-kernel and device-dependent stages on an appropriate server.

Capabilities

Hetzner Dedicated AX / EX and Sandbox0: what persists?

Feature comparison with documentation and verification status
Environment and runtime lifetimeHetzner Dedicated AX / EXNot established in this reviewSandbox0ttl and hard_ttl default to 0 (disabled). Configure idle pause and deletion policies for the same persistent sandbox identity; an idle running sandbox still accrues compute charges.Read documentation →
Persistent filesHetzner Dedicated AX / EXThe dedicated server has retained local system/storage drives and full root control.View evidence ↗Sandbox0The writable RootFS survives successful checkpoints, including software, system configuration, dependencies, and user data.Read documentation →
Whole RootFSHetzner Dedicated AX / EXThe installed OS and all writable system paths live on the server disks.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Persistence extends beyond /workspace to paths such as /usr/local, /etc, and /home. Runtime tmpfs and virtual filesystems are excluded.Read documentation →
Release compute, keep stateHetzner Dedicated AX / EXTurning off retains a billable physical allocation; arbitrary memory-preserving release is unestablished.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Pause compute between tasks; resume on available capacity. Default resume starts fresh processes from the saved filesystem.Read documentation →
Memory and process stateHetzner Dedicated AX / EXDedicated disks and remote power controls do not establish arbitrary RAM checkpoint recovery.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Experimental memory checkpoints can preserve compatible process state. Use memory: true on both pause and resume on a compatible deployment. A filesystem checkpoint alone does not preserve running processes.Read documentation →

Online RootFS growth

On growth-enabled images, Sandbox0 automatically expands the writable RootFS as free space runs low, within a configured sparse logical ceiling up to 64 TiB. Agent processes keep running. Growth is enabled in the qualified Cloud region; confirm activation for other regions. Existing images and snapshots retain their captured storage geometry. The ceiling is logical capacity, not preallocated host disk.

Hetzner already retains complete installed system disks on dedicated hardware. Disk/model capacity changes and guest storage management differ from an integrated low-free-space policy that grows an agent’s complete durable RootFS online.

Files while compute is paused

Sandbox0's Files API reads persistent files without resuming compute. Filesystem-only pauses also permit edits; retained-memory pauses are read-only and reject mutations with 409. SSH, SFTP, file watching, and runtime-only mounts require running compute.

Rescue, remote console and file tools use the physical server or another running environment. A reserved disk’s persistence does not establish native reads/mutations throughout a paused RootFS while guest compute stays stopped.

See paused file operations →

A retained physical server stays billable

Hetzner bills products present on the account even when turned off. Applicable usage rounds partial hours up and is capped at the product’s monthly price; licenses and add-ons can have other billing periods. Cancelling a server is a different retention workflow from pausing one durable agent computer.

Source 1 ↗

Local system disks are already persistent

The AX42 includes full root access and two local NVMe drives. They retain the installed OS and user files during the server’s retained lifecycle. Capacity is a hardware/model choice, with any larger-machine, disk and filesystem work needing its own plan rather than automatic low-space-triggered runtime growth.

Source 1 ↗

Current-order pricing differs from an old hardware quote

Hetzner standardized dedicated product lines and changed selected new-order prices in June 2026. Setup, primary IP, region and tax conditions belong in the quote. Compare the current configured product rather than substituting a historical AX/EX or auction price.

Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗

Pricing

Compare billing models, then price your workload

CPU allocation, memory, billing minimums, disk, plan fees, and supported workload differ. These meters are not equal-performance machine quotes. Confirm region, resource units, and included allowances before estimating a total.

Hetzner Dedicated AX / EX

Pricing reviewed 2026-10-19

AX42 displayed configured EUR reference
€0.1586/hour; €99 monthly price
Rendered product reference with one dedicated IPv4, before VAT; confirm current location/configuration.
Rate source ↗
AX42 once-off setup reference
€49 setup
Separate from recurring server usage.
Rate source ↗
Powered-off retained server
Product charges continue
Hourly/monthly and add-on billing rules depend on the actual product.
Rate source ↗

The AX42 reference is an entire physical server, not a small per-agent VM quote. Check region, hardware, IP, setup, traffic/uplink, software and VAT. No equal-performance or universal savings claim follows from comparing it with an isolated runtime.

Check current Hetzner Dedicated AX / EX pricing ↗

Sandbox0

$0.015/GiB-hour compute (billed by the second at approximately $0.000004167/GiB-second), plus $0.02/GiB-month of retained incremental RootFS and memory checkpoint data. Shared base images and platform recovery retention are excluded; paused sandboxes accrue storage charges only.

Compute / GiB-hour
$0.015
Retained data / GiB-month
$0.02
Paused compute
$0.00

A 4 GiB agent, 100 running hours

$6.00 compute

4 GiB × 100 hours, billed by the second. Keeping 20 GiB of billable incremental data for a full billing month adds $0.40. CPU is derived from memory by the platform; choose a tier that fits your workload.

Understand storage billing →

Before migrating from Hetzner Dedicated AX / EX

  1. Inventory AX/EX model, physical disks/RAID, kernel/device needs, setup/IP costs and retained-server billing.
  2. Export consistent system/user state and port compatible Linux agent stages to Sandbox0 while keeping hardware-dependent work on a suitable host.
  3. Test installed tools, online growth, paused files and total dedicated capacity, runtime, retained storage, traffic and software costs.

Common questions

Is Sandbox0 a drop-in Hetzner Dedicated AX / EX replacement?

Evaluate API compatibility and product scope. These products serve different core workflows, so a change may require a different architecture.

Does keeping files also keep a running agent?

Filesystem state and volatile process state are separate. Sandbox0 requires explicit compatible memory checkpoints to preserve running processes; its default filesystem resume starts fresh processes.

Sources and review scope

The Boat team's Battleships directory is the discovery source. References below describe the product and plan discussed on this page. Check current availability, regional terms and billing units before migrating. Where the cited material does not establish a capability or price, the comparison identifies that uncertainty.

Battleships research record ↗docs.hetzner.com/general/billing-and-account-management/billing-at-hetzner/billing-system-hetzner/ ↗www.hetzner.com/dedicated-rootserver/ax42/ ↗www.hetzner.com/pressroom/standardization-and-price-adjustment-of-our-server-products/ ↗Sandbox0 RootFS capacity →

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