GDPR-Compliant Online Databases

Databases are where your most structured and queryable personal data lives, from customer records to employee information. GDPR mandates strict controls on who can access this data and where it is stored. European database providers offer transparent data processing agreements, EU-only storage, and full compliance with the right to erasure and data portability requirements.

GDPR Compliance Checklist

1 Data stored in EU/EEA
2 Data Processing Agreement available
3 GDPR-compliant privacy policy
4 Right to data portability
5 Right to erasure (right to be forgotten)
6 Data breach notification procedures
7 Encryption at rest and in transit for all stored records
8 Row-level or record-level deletion capabilities for right-to-erasure compliance
9 Full data export in standard formats (CSV, JSON) for data portability requests

Compliant Products (5)

Baserow screenshot
Baserow logo

Baserow

Open source no-code database platform

Free
Amsterdam
🇳🇱🇪🇺
GDPRDPA
Open Source
Directus screenshot
Directus logo

Directus

Open source headless CMS and data platform

Free
Amsterdam
🇳🇱🇪🇺
GDPRDPA
Open Source
Aiven screenshot
Aiven logo

Aiven

Managed open source database and streaming platform from Finland

Free
Helsinki
🇫🇮🇩🇪🇪🇺
GDPRISO 27001SOC 2DPA
ClickHouse screenshot
ClickHouse logo

ClickHouse

Open source column-oriented database for real-time analytics

Free
Amsterdam
🇳🇱🇪🇺
GDPRSOC 2DPA
Open Source
CrateDB screenshot
CrateDB logo

CrateDB

Distributed SQL database for time-series and IoT data from Austria

Free
Dornbirn
🇦🇹🇩🇪🇪🇺
GDPRDPA
Open Source

What Makes a Online Databases GDPR Compliant?

Can I use Airtable or Firebase if I store personal data of EU citizens?
Both Airtable and Firebase (Google) are US-based services that store data on US infrastructure. If your database contains personal data of EU residents, such as customer records, employee details, or user profiles, you face GDPR transfer risks. Firebase in particular integrates with Google's broader infrastructure and analytics ecosystem. An EU-based database provider ensures that queryable personal data, which is often your most sensitive and structured dataset, remains under EU jurisdiction with no cross-border transfer concerns.
How do European database providers handle the right to erasure and data portability?
European database platforms are built with GDPR data subject rights in mind. For the right to erasure, they typically offer features like cascading deletes, audit logs of deletion requests, and backup purging to ensure personal data is truly removed. For data portability, they provide standard export formats (CSV, JSON, SQL dumps) and API access so you can extract any individual's data on request. Some no-code database tools even include built-in workflows for handling data subject access requests.
Is a self-hosted database on EU infrastructure better than a managed EU database service?
Self-hosting gives you maximum control but comes with operational burden: patching, backups, encryption configuration, access control, and monitoring all fall on your team. A managed EU database provider handles these operational concerns while still guaranteeing EU data residency. For GDPR compliance, both options can work. The key factors are: where is the data physically stored, who has access (including the provider's staff), and is there a clear data processing agreement. Managed EU providers typically cover all three by default.

Get Started

Baserow

Open source no-code database platform

Try Baserow

Directus

Open source headless CMS and data platform

Try Directus

Aiven

Managed open source database and streaming platform from Finland

Try Aiven

ClickHouse

Open source column-oriented database for real-time analytics

Try ClickHouse

CrateDB

Distributed SQL database for time-series and IoT data from Austria

Try CrateDB

Looking for Alternatives?

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EU-hosted replacements for Coda

Where These Products Host Data

🇳🇱 Software in Netherlands

Uitvoeringswet AVG (UAVG)
🇫🇮 Software in Finland

Data Protection Act (1050/2018)
🇩🇪 Software in Germany

Bundesdatenschutzgesetz (BDSG)
🇦🇹 Software in Austria

Datenschutzgesetz (DSG)

Other GDPR-Compliant Categories

GDPR-Compliant File Storage & Sync

Discover GDPR-compliant European file storage alternatives to Google Drive and Dropbox. Keep your data in the EU.
GDPR-Compliant Email Hosting

Find European email hosting providers with end-to-end encryption and GDPR compliance. Secure alternatives to Gmail and Outlook.
GDPR-Compliant Cloud Hosting & IaaS

European cloud hosting and IaaS alternatives to AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud with full EU data residency.
GDPR-Compliant Team Collaboration

GDPR-compliant European alternatives to Slack, Teams, and Zoom for secure team collaboration and messaging.

Related Pages

All Online Databases

Browse all online databases products
Baserow

Open source no-code database platform
Directus

Open source headless CMS and data platform
Aiven

Managed open source database and streaming platform from Finland
ClickHouse

Open source column-oriented database for real-time analytics
CrateDB

Distributed SQL database for time-series and IoT data from Austria