DigitalOcean Droplets Overview¶

Introduction¶

Droplets are DigitalOcean's virtual machines (VMs) that provide scalable compute capacity in the cloud. They are the foundation of DigitalOcean's infrastructure, offering flexible, cost-effective, and easy-to-use cloud computing resources.

What are Droplets?¶

Droplets are Linux or BSD-based virtual machines running on top of virtualized hardware. Each Droplet you create is a new server you can use independently or as part of a larger cloud-based infrastructure.

Key Features¶

Fast Deployment: Launch in under 55 seconds
SSD Storage: All Droplets use SSD storage for better performance
Flexible Sizing: Scale vertically with ease
Multiple OS Options: Linux distributions and BSD variants
Global Datacenters: Deploy in 15+ regions worldwide
VPC Integration: Private networking included
Snapshots & Backups: Easy disaster recovery
Monitoring: Built-in metrics and alerting
Team Management: Collaborate with team members
API & CLI: Full automation support

Droplet Types¶

1. Basic Droplets¶

Best for: Development, testing, low-traffic websites

CPU: Shared
RAM: 512 MB - 16 GB
Storage: 10 GB - 320 GB SSD
Transfer: 500 GB - 5 TB
Price: $4/month - $96/month

2. General Purpose Droplets¶

Best for: Production applications, medium-traffic websites

CPU: Dedicated
RAM: 8 GB - 160 GB
Storage: 25 GB - 500 GB SSD
Transfer: 4 TB - 9 TB
Price: $63/month - $1,008/month

3. CPU-Optimized Droplets¶

Best for: High-performance computing, video encoding, machine learning

CPU: Dedicated (High-frequency)
RAM: 4 GB - 64 GB
Storage: 25 GB - 400 GB SSD
Transfer: 4 TB - 9 TB
Price: $42/month - $672/month

4. Memory-Optimized Droplets¶

Best for: In-memory databases, caching, big data analytics

CPU: Dedicated
RAM: 16 GB - 256 GB
Storage: 50 GB - 500 GB SSD
Transfer: 4 TB - 9 TB
Price: $126/month - $2,016/month

5. Storage-Optimized Droplets¶

Best for: Data warehousing, log processing, large databases

CPU: Dedicated
RAM: 16 GB - 256 GB
Storage: 600 GB - 7,680 GB SSD
Transfer: 5 TB - 10 TB
Price: $168/month - $2,688/month

Droplet Architecture¶

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    DigitalOcean Datacenter                   │
│                                                              │
│  ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│  │              Hypervisor Layer (KVM)                    │ │
│  └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│                                                              │
│  ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│  │                  Your Droplet                          │ │
│  │                                                         │ │
│  │  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │
│  │  │  Operating System (Ubuntu, Debian, etc.)         │ │ │
│  │  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ │
│  │                                                         │ │
│  │  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │
│  │  │  Your Applications & Services                    │ │ │
│  │  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ │
│  │                                                         │ │
│  │  Resources:                                            │ │
│  │  ├─> vCPU: 1-32 cores                                 │ │
│  │  ├─> RAM: 512 MB - 256 GB                             │ │
│  │  ├─> Storage: 10 GB - 7,680 GB SSD                    │ │
│  │  ├─> Network: Public + Private IPs                    │ │
│  │  └─> Bandwidth: 500 GB - 10 TB                        │ │
│  └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│                                                              │
│  ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│  │              Networking Layer                          │ │
│  │  ├─> Public IPv4                                       │ │
│  │  ├─> Public IPv6                                       │ │
│  │  ├─> Private VPC Network                              │ │
│  │  └─> Reserved IPs (optional)                          │ │
│  └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│                                                              │
│  ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│  │              Storage Layer                             │ │
│  │  ├─> Local SSD (included)                             │ │
│  │  ├─> Block Storage Volumes (optional)                 │ │
│  │  └─> Spaces Object Storage (optional)                 │ │
│  └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Supported Operating Systems¶

Linux Distributions¶

Ubuntu (Most Popular) - Ubuntu 24.04 LTS - Ubuntu 22.04 LTS - Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

Debian - Debian 12 - Debian 11 - Debian 10

CentOS / Rocky Linux / AlmaLinux - Rocky Linux 9 - AlmaLinux 9 - CentOS Stream 9

Fedora - Fedora 39 - Fedora 38

Other - openSUSE Leap - Arch Linux

BSD Systems¶

FreeBSD 14
FreeBSD 13

Container-Optimized¶

RancherOS
Flatcar Container Linux

Droplet Lifecycle¶

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Droplet Lifecycle                         │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

1. Creation
   ├─> Choose region
   ├─> Select size
   ├─> Pick OS image
   ├─> Configure options
   └─> Launch (< 55 seconds)

2. Running
   ├─> Access via SSH
   ├─> Install applications
   ├─> Configure services
   └─> Monitor performance

3. Management
   ├─> Resize (scale up/down)
   ├─> Create snapshots
   ├─> Enable backups
   ├─> Add volumes
   └─> Configure networking

4. Maintenance
   ├─> Power off/on
   ├─> Reboot
   ├─> Rebuild
   └─> Restore from backup

5. Termination
   ├─> Create final snapshot (optional)
   ├─> Backup data
   ├─> Destroy Droplet
   └─> Resources released

Pricing Model¶

Hourly Billing¶

Charged per hour of usage
Billed monthly
Minimum charge: 1 hour
Maximum charge: Monthly cap

Example Pricing (as of 2026)¶

Type	vCPU	RAM	Storage	Transfer	Price/Month
Basic	1	1 GB	25 GB	1 TB	$6
Basic	2	2 GB	50 GB	2 TB	$12
Basic	2	4 GB	80 GB	4 TB	$24
General Purpose	2	8 GB	25 GB	4 TB	$63
CPU-Optimized	2	4 GB	25 GB	4 TB	$42
Memory-Optimized	2	16 GB	50 GB	4 TB	$126

Use Cases¶

1. Web Hosting¶

Droplet Configuration:
├─> Type: Basic or General Purpose
├─> Size: 1-2 GB RAM
├─> OS: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
├─> Software: NGINX, PHP, MySQL
└─> Add-ons: Managed Database, Spaces

2. Application Server¶

Droplet Configuration:
├─> Type: General Purpose
├─> Size: 4-8 GB RAM
├─> OS: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
├─> Software: Node.js, Python, Java
└─> Add-ons: Load Balancer, VPC

3. Database Server¶

Droplet Configuration:
├─> Type: Memory-Optimized
├─> Size: 16-32 GB RAM
├─> OS: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
├─> Software: PostgreSQL, MongoDB
└─> Add-ons: Block Storage, Backups

4. Development Environment¶

Droplet Configuration:
├─> Type: Basic
├─> Size: 2-4 GB RAM
├─> OS: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
├─> Software: Docker, Git, IDE
└─> Add-ons: Snapshots

5. CI/CD Pipeline¶

Droplet Configuration:
├─> Type: CPU-Optimized
├─> Size: 4-8 GB RAM
├─> OS: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
├─> Software: Jenkins, GitLab Runner
└─> Add-ons: Block Storage, VPC

Key Concepts¶

Regions & Availability¶

15+ Global Regions: NYC, SFO, LON, AMS, SGP, BLR, etc.
Multiple Datacenters: NYC1, NYC2, NYC3
Low Latency: Choose region closest to users
Data Residency: Comply with local regulations

Networking¶

Public IPv4: Included with every Droplet
Public IPv6: Free, optional
Private Networking: VPC included
Reserved IPs: Static IPs that can be remapped
Bandwidth: Generous transfer allowances

Storage¶

Local SSD: Fast, included storage
Block Storage: Attach additional volumes
Snapshots: Point-in-time backups
Backups: Automated weekly backups
Spaces: Object storage (S3-compatible)

Security¶

Cloud Firewalls: Network-level security
SSH Keys: Secure authentication
VPC: Network isolation
Monitoring: Built-in metrics
Team Access: Role-based permissions

Getting Started¶

Quick Start (5 Minutes)¶

# 1. Install doctl CLI
brew install doctl  # macOS
# or
snap install doctl  # Linux

# 2. Authenticate
doctl auth init

# 3. Create SSH key
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com"

# 4. Add SSH key to DigitalOcean
doctl compute ssh-key import my-key --public-key-file ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

# 5. Create Droplet
doctl compute droplet create my-droplet \
  --region nyc3 \
  --size s-1vcpu-1gb \
  --image ubuntu-22-04-x64 \
  --ssh-keys $(doctl compute ssh-key list --format ID --no-header)

# 6. Get Droplet IP
doctl compute droplet list --format Name,PublicIPv4

# 7. SSH into Droplet
ssh root@<droplet-ip>

Best Practices¶

1. Security¶

Use SSH keys (not passwords)
Enable Cloud Firewall
Keep OS and software updated
Use VPC for internal communication
Enable monitoring and alerts

2. Performance¶

Choose appropriate Droplet size
Use local SSD for databases
Enable IPv6 for better connectivity
Monitor resource usage
Scale vertically when needed

3. Reliability¶

Enable automated backups
Create regular snapshots
Use multiple Droplets with Load Balancer
Deploy across multiple regions
Test disaster recovery procedures

4. Cost Optimization¶

Right-size your Droplets
Use Basic Droplets for development
Delete unused Droplets
Use snapshots instead of keeping idle Droplets
Monitor bandwidth usage

5. Management¶

Use tags for organization
Implement naming conventions
Use doctl or API for automation
Document your infrastructure
Use Infrastructure as Code (Terraform)

Comparison with Other Providers¶

Feature	DigitalOcean	AWS EC2	Azure VM	GCP Compute
Ease of Use	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐
Pricing	Simple, predictable	Complex	Complex	Complex
Setup Time	< 1 minute	2-5 minutes	2-5 minutes	2-5 minutes
Min Price	$4/month	~$8/month	~$13/month	~$7/month
Free Tier	$200 credit	12 months	12 months	90 days
Support	Community + Paid	Paid tiers	Paid tiers	Paid tiers

Documentation Structure¶

This documentation covers:

Droplets Overview - This page
Creating Droplets - How to create and configure
Managing Droplets - Day-to-day operations
Droplet Images - OS images, snapshots, backups
Droplet Networking - Network configuration
Droplet Storage - Storage options and management
Droplet Security - Security best practices
Droplet Monitoring - Monitoring and alerts
Droplet Automation - API, CLI, Terraform
Droplet Troubleshooting - Common issues

Quick Reference¶

Common Commands¶

# List Droplets
doctl compute droplet list

# Create Droplet
doctl compute droplet create NAME --size SIZE --image IMAGE --region REGION

# Get Droplet info
doctl compute droplet get DROPLET_ID

# Power operations
doctl compute droplet-action power-off DROPLET_ID
doctl compute droplet-action power-on DROPLET_ID
doctl compute droplet-action reboot DROPLET_ID

# Resize Droplet
doctl compute droplet-action resize DROPLET_ID --size NEW_SIZE

# Create snapshot
doctl compute droplet-action snapshot DROPLET_ID --snapshot-name NAME

# Delete Droplet
doctl compute droplet delete DROPLET_ID

Common Sizes¶

s-1vcpu-1gb      # 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 25 GB SSD - $6/mo
s-1vcpu-2gb      # 1 vCPU, 2 GB RAM, 50 GB SSD - $12/mo
s-2vcpu-2gb      # 2 vCPU, 2 GB RAM, 60 GB SSD - $18/mo
s-2vcpu-4gb      # 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 80 GB SSD - $24/mo
s-4vcpu-8gb      # 4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, 160 GB SSD - $48/mo