Portainer
Container management UI for Docker and Kubernetes — a New Zealand/European alternative to Rancher.
Overview
Portainer is a Auckland, New Zealand-based European company building cloud infrastructure, developer tools, and open source software since 2016. As an EU-headquartered provider, Portainer operates under GDPR and is outside the reach of the US CLOUD Act, making it a privacy-friendly alternative to AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure for European teams.
Why European teams pick Portainer
Teams in Europe pick Portainer when they want a cloud infrastructure provider that bills in EUR, supports their local data-protection officer requirements, and keeps customer data under New Zealand law, operating since 2016. Compared with AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure, Portainer avoids cross-border data transfers under Schrems II and the US CLOUD Act, which is often the deciding factor for European procurement and legal teams.
See more EU cloud infrastructure tools or browse other startups from New Zealand.
About
Portainer is a container management platform providing a web UI for Docker, Docker Swarm, Kubernetes, and Nomad. It simplifies container orchestration for teams without deep DevOps expertise — allowing developers to deploy, manage, and monitor containers without memorising Docker CLI commands. Portainer Community Edition is open-source (zlib) and self-hostable on any EU server. Because Portainer is self-hosted, all infrastructure data and configuration stays on EU servers. It is widely used by EU development teams managing containers on Hetzner, OVHcloud, or on-premise servers.
Details
- Founded
- 2016
- Headquarters
- Auckland, New Zealand
Other EU startups like Portainer
- FjordIDNorway — Managed OIDC/OAuth2 identity platform hosted on Hetzner in Germany. Drop-in Auth0 replacement with EU data residency and zero US subprocessors.
- RailwayUnited Kingdom — Instant deployment infrastructure for developers — popular across European teams.
- LiveblocksFrance — APIs for adding collaborative real-time features to your app — a French alternative to Firebase Realtime.
- PocketbaseBulgaria — Open-source backend in a single file — a European alternative to Firebase.
- NocoDBGermany — Open-source Airtable alternative that turns databases into smart spreadsheets.
- BaserowNetherlands — Open-source no-code database and Airtable alternative — built in the Netherlands.
Frequently asked questions
What is Portainer?
Portainer is a container management platform providing a web UI for Docker, Docker Swarm, Kubernetes, and Nomad. It simplifies container orchestration for teams without deep DevOps expertise — allowing developers to deploy, manage, and monitor containers without memorising Docker CLI commands. Portainer Community Edition is open-source (zlib) and self-hostable on any EU server. Because Portainer is self-hosted, all infrastructure data and configuration stays on EU servers. It is widely used by EU development teams managing containers on Hetzner, OVHcloud, or on-premise servers.
What does Portainer do?
Portainer is container management ui for docker and kubernetes — a new zealand/european alternative to rancher. It is listed under cloud infrastructure, developer tools, and open source on EU Alts because its core functionality serves teams looking for a European cloud infrastructure tool with EU data residency, typically as a switch away from AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure.
Is Portainer a good European cloud infrastructure alternative?
Portainer is a fit for European businesses evaluating cloud infrastructure options where data residency and GDPR alignment matter — typical buyers include EU-based SaaS teams, public-sector projects, regulated industries (healthcare, finance, legal), and any organisation that needs to demonstrate that customer data does not leave the EU. It also overlaps with developer tools and open source use cases.
Is Portainer GDPR compliant?
Portainer is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand and falls under EU jurisdiction, so it processes user data under the GDPR by default. Because the company is not US-incorporated, it is not subject to the US CLOUD Act — meaning US authorities cannot compel Portainer to disclose customer data the way they can with AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure. For European buyers, that often simplifies DPIA paperwork and standard contractual clauses.
How do teams switch from AWS to Portainer?
Most teams move to Portainer from AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure because they want EU data residency without giving up the core cloud infrastructure workflow. Portainer's New Zealand base means a single jurisdiction for both the company and (typically) its hosting infrastructure, so you can drop Schrems II transfer impact assessments for this part of your stack. Plan the migration in stages: export your data from the US incumbent, pilot Portainer with a small team, then move the rest once the integration coverage you need is confirmed.
Where is Portainer based?
Portainer is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand. The company was founded in 2016. Its main website is https://www.portainer.io.