Why Greenhost?

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Sustainable

Green and sustainable web hosting, from small, simple websites to complex setups with multiple VPSes, is the foundation of Greenhost. We have been front runners in this field for over fifteen years, and we still strive towards maximal sustainability in every step of our production process. This goes just as much for the small choices, like which coffee or furniture to use as for the big contributions, like which hardware or energy supplier to select. Read our sustainability report for all the details.

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Internet freedom

The Internet as a free and open space is under pressure every day. Greenhost regards the Internet as a medium for accessible information, a platform for partnerships and a forum to express and form opinions. As such, the distributed foundations of the Internet should be safeguarded. To this end we play an active role in several projects regarding digital security and human rights, by sharing knowledge, supporting partnerships and developing open source applications in-house.

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Data privacy

The modern Internet brings complex questions about digital privacy. Data has become a valuable resource. Greenhost values data privacy and will do the most it can to protect data and privacy on our platform. Guaranteeing data privacy is leading in our decision making.

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State of the art infrastructure

Greenhost fully owns and controls its hardware, infrastructure and uplinks. This ensures independence from third parties and proper access control. On this hardware we run our fully virtualised platform. We stand for an Open Internet, and have always embraced open source software. With SSD, Ceph and Xen as pillars, combined with high connectivity, Greenhost can boast a stable, fast and scalable platform.

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Sustainable

On a global scale, the Internet and the ICT sector are responsible for high levels of energy wastage and environmental pollution. We are not blind to that, but we try to make a difference by striving towards maximal sustainability in every step of our production process. This starts with hosting: our servers are hosted at the climate neutral Evoswitch data centre and our cluster runs on Dutch wind energy. By careful hardware selection we reduce consumption, by centralizing storage, we can make very efficient use of the hardware we use and through virtualisation we can continually adjust our systems to match demand.

But next to our hosting infrastructure, sustainability is also deeply rooted into our daily routines. The Greenhost office is located in the carbon neutral building Patch22 in Amsterdam, mainly made of renewable materials. Heating runs on a pellet stove using sustainably grown and locally sourced wood. Our employees enjoy organic vegetarian lunches with many vegan options. Most of us come to the office by bike. We use second hand furniture for the larger part and our office runs on green energy. A permanent team of employees dedicated themselves to keep the “Green” in “Greenhost", and make sure that our future choices will also be made with full regard to their social and environmental impact.

See how we did in our sustainability report.

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  • 100% Renewable energy from local windmills
  • Participating in multiple sustainability projects
  • Wooden, sustainable office building
  • Measures taken to reduce CO₂ footprint.

Infrastructure

Greenhost fully owns and controls its hardware. This ensures independence from third parties and proper access control.

Greenhost is currently using HP or IBM/Lenovo hardware for the majority of its network. These producers have one of the higher scores according to the Greenpeace "Guide to Greener Electronics" guidelines, and are well known to provide stable and fast products. In our software selection open source stands out as the first choice. The list of applications in use is long, but some of our favourites are Ceph, Xen, HAProxy and GitLab.

Our storage is centred around Ceph, a unified, distributed storage system with good performance, reliability and scalability. Our virtualisation is built around Xen, using the relatively new paravirtualisation with assisted hardware virtualisation (PVH) mode. This mode has best of both worlds in terms of performance and security. In combination with our in-house developed toolset and service panel we can adjust for our requirements and extend features without being dependent on third parties. As we are using Xen in combination with Ceph, we do not rely on local storage. In this way we can provide a flexible and scalable platform while limiting points of failure. All nodes are using (modern) Xeon CPUs to provide great CPU performance.

Greenhost is RIPE and APNIC member. We own our IPv4 and IPv6 spaces and have full control over the use and routing of those address spaces. Our primary transit providers are FiberRing and IX-reach. In addition we are member of AMS-IX. As we are using multiple transit and peering providers, no single third party can be a limiting factor, ensuring flexibility and independence.

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  • Redundant & fast SSD based storage
  • Redundant power and network design
  • Modern Intel Xeon E5 CPUs
  • Blazingly fast switches.

Don't just take our word for it

Just check out what these people have to say about our services.

Janneke Tromp - J Ontwerp

As a human, as well as as a web designer I may be able to make a difference in the greening of the web. Greenhost fits very well in that perspective. By using renewable energy sources, minimising energy use and actively researching (i.a. with the UvA) new greening possibilities. Additionally, Greenhost supports social organisations and digital freedom and offers ease of use combined with friendly and responsive support for a low price. I am happy and proud that "J Ontwerp" is a co-branding partner of this quirky and growing lot.

Janneke Tromp - J Ontwerp
Merel - de Groene Meisjes

Take our advice to heart and choose a good domain name and immediately register it at a good hosting provider like Greenhost

Merel - de Groene Meisjes
Sean Garrity - <a href="https://hostingadvice.com">hostingadvice.com</a>

Greenhost provides hosting for NGOs and businesses that take ethical issues and sustainability seriously. The company was built to offer leading-edge IT services while conserving natural resources through energy efficient data centres and an environmentally friendly culture.

Sean Garrity - hostingadvice.com
Hanneke Laaning - Studio Vensterbank

As a web designer I have a lot of experience with hosting providers and I am reminded time and time again why I have been a loyal Greenhost customer since 2012. Their green vision, execution and adjustment if necessary is unsurpassed! The support team always thinks along with you and solves problems if they arise. Greenhost has been doing business with a green heart for years and is committed to a better (digital) world. Yes, this is who I want to accommodate my hosting.

Hanneke Laaning - Studio Vensterbank