EuroStack, Simply Explained – European Building Blocks for Your IT

Under the name EuroStack, a nice idea is being discussed in Europe: lots of individual European technologies should fit together like building blocks – from the data centre all the way to the app on your phone. It sounds big, but it has a very practical side. Many of these building blocks already exist, and they're open source.

What does "stack" mean?

A "stack" is simply a pile of layers that build on each other. In IT, it looks roughly like this:

The idea behind EuroStack: there should be good European options for every layer that work well together.

Why is this exciting?

• Choice: More providers mean more freedom.
• Open standards: Building blocks that use open formats are easier to combine and swap out.
• Closeness: Support, data centres and contracts are often in your language and time zone.
• Community: Many projects are developed further by a large, active community.

What you can already use today

You don't have to wait for some big project to be finished. For small businesses, law firms, practices and families, mature solutions already exist:

• Files, calendar, contacts: Nextcloud
• Chat and video calls: Element (Matrix)
• Office documents: ONLYOFFICE or Collabora
• Passwords: Vaultwarden (works with the Bitwarden apps)
• Single login: Keycloak
• Email: European providers or your own mail server

You'll find a bigger overview under Alternatives.

How to get started

1. Take stock: Which services do you use today?
2. Start small: Pick one area, for example the password manager or your files.
3. Trial phase: Try the new solution in parallel for a few weeks.
4. Expand: If it fits, the next building block follows.

There's no need for a big bang. Step by step is usually more relaxed and cheaper.

What "open standards" have to do with it

For building blocks from different providers to fit together, you need shared rules. These are open standards – publicly documented formats and protocols that anyone may use. A few everyday examples:

If you rely on standards like these, you can swap individual building blocks later without starting from scratch.

A practical example

Imagine a small tax office with six people. Their files live in a Nextcloud with a hosting provider in Germany. Calendars and contacts sync to their phones via CalDAV and CardDAV. For internal chat there's a small Matrix server, and passwords are kept in Vaultwarden. Everyone logs in through one shared login.

If the office ever wants to change hosting providers, the same software simply moves. The apps on the phones stay, and so do the habits. That's exactly the idea behind a well-assembled "stack".

Conclusion

EuroStack is an idea that shows: Europe has lots of good IT building blocks, and open source plays a big part. The nice thing is that you can benefit from it today – with software you understand, on servers you know. If you'd like some guidance along the way, have a look at Consulting.

If you'd like to give it a try, I'm happy to help – just drop me a line.