Definition
Reversible cloud: the cloud you can take back
A reversible cloud is a cloud infrastructure you can bring back onto your own servers, or move to another host, without rewriting your applications. It runs on open-source building blocks and open standards, which makes reversibility real rather than merely contractual.
Updated on August 5, 2026
"Reversible cloud" is the term we use for a cloud you keep full control of, one you can take back whenever you decide. Reversibility comes from the technical design of the platform, beyond what a contract can guarantee. The European Data Act, in force since 2026, already mandates data export within 30 days and caps egress fees. A reversible cloud goes beyond that right and makes taking your cloud back genuinely feasible.
What is a reversible cloud?
A reversible cloud meets three conditions.
- Open-source end to end: no proprietary building block holds you, you can inspect and replay every layer.
- Open standards: Kubernetes for orchestration, S3 for object storage, PostgreSQL for data, the same APIs as everywhere else.
- Real reclaim: you can run the platform on your own servers or another host, without rewriting your applications.
The first two conditions make the third possible. Without open source and open standards, reclaim stays theoretical.
Real reversibility or contractual reversibility
Many providers promise reversibility on paper. The Data Act strengthens that right, with data export within 30 days and capped egress fees. That is necessary, but not enough.
Exporting your data is not enough if the application itself only runs at that provider. You get files back, not a platform that restarts elsewhere. Real reversibility covers the whole: the data, the applications and the infrastructure that runs them. A reversible cloud closes this gap between the right to leave and the ability to leave.
The hidden cost of lock-in
Vendor lock-in has a price, often invisible while everything is fine. Egress fees bill every terabyte that leaves the provider. Proprietary managed services have no equivalent elsewhere, so changing host turns into a rewrite project. And once you depend on them, you take price increases with no negotiating leverage.
Reversibility flips that balance of power. Being able to leave, concretely, is the best argument for staying on good terms, and an insurance of resilience if the provider changes course.
How Bunker makes the cloud reclaimable
Bunker builds a reversible platform by design. The sovereign cloud runs on managed Kubernetes and open-source managed services (PostgreSQL, S3 object storage, monitoring, CI/CD), with no proprietary layer.
You can bring your platform back onto your own servers, or move it to another compatible host, without rewriting your code. Everything is hosted in Europe, GDPR-compliant and outside the reach of the US CLOUD Act. That is what separates a sovereign cloud from one that is both sovereign and reclaimable. Sovereignty protects your data, reversibility protects your freedom to leave. To put it into practice, follow our cloud repatriation guide.
Frequently asked questions
What is a reversible cloud?
A reversible cloud is a cloud infrastructure you can bring back onto your own servers, or move to another host, without rewriting your applications. It runs on open-source building blocks and open standards (Kubernetes, S3, PostgreSQL), which makes reversibility real rather than merely contractual.
How is it different from GDPR or Data Act reversibility?
GDPR and the Data Act give you the right to export your data and cap egress fees. That is the right to leave. A reversible cloud adds the ability to leave, meaning running the same platform elsewhere, without a rewrite. The first covers data, the second covers data plus applications plus infrastructure.
Is a sovereign cloud always reversible?
No. A sovereign cloud is hosted and operated under European jurisdiction, out of reach of the US CLOUD Act. It can still be proprietary and locked. A reversible cloud adds real technical reclaim. Bunker targets both: sovereign to protect your data, reversible to protect your freedom to leave.
How do you check that a cloud is truly reversible?
Ask the provider four questions. Is the platform open-source end to end? Does it run on open standards (Kubernetes, S3, PostgreSQL)? Can you run the same platform elsewhere without rewriting the applications? Are egress fees zero or capped? Four yeses, and it is a reclaimable cloud.
Go further
A cloud you can take back
Sovereign to protect your data, reversible to protect your freedom to leave. Let's talk about your infrastructure.