page_title: ProtonMail
section_title: Data centers
hierarchical_section_title: ProtonMail / Data centers
caption_attribution_description: English: ProtonMail's system architecture overview (Dec 2014)
context_page_description: ProtonMail is an end-to-end encrypted email service founded in 2013 in Geneva, Switzerland by scientists who met at the CERN research facility. ProtonMail uses client-side encryption to protect email content and user data before they are sent to ProtonMail servers, unlike other common email providers such as Gmail and Outlook.com. The service can be accessed through a webmail client, the Tor network, or dedicated iOS and Android apps.
  ProtonMail is run by Proton Technologies AG, a company based in the Canton of Geneva. Its servers are located at two locations in Switzerland, outside of US and EU jurisdiction. The company also operates ProtonVPN, a VPN service. ProtonMail received initial funding through a crowdfunding campaign. Although the default account setup is free, the service is sustained by optional paid services. Initially invitation-only, ProtonMail opened up to the public in March 2016. As of January 2017, ProtonMail had over 2 million users, and grew to over 5 million by September 2018 and over 10 million by the end of 2018.
context_section_description: ProtonMail maintains and owns its own server hardware and network in order to avoid utilizing a third party. It maintains two data centers, one in Lausanne and another in Attinghausen (in the former K7 military bunker under 1,000 meters of granite rock) as a backup. Since the data centers are located in Switzerland, they are legally outside of US and EU jurisdiction. Under Swiss law, all surveillance requests from foreign countries must go through a Swiss court and are subject to international treaties. Prospective surveillance targets are promptly notified and can appeal the request in court.
  Each data center uses load balancing across web, mail, and SQL servers, redundant power supply, hard drives with full disk encryption, and exclusive use of Linux and other open-source software. In December 2014, ProtonMail joined the RIPE NCC in an effort to have more direct control over the surrounding Internet infrastructure.
caption: Architecture of a ProtonMail data center.
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