Managing DigitalOcean Droplets

Overview

This guide covers day-to-day Droplet management operations including power management, resizing, snapshots, backups, and maintenance tasks.

Power Management

Power Operations

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                  Power Management States                     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Active (Running)
├─> Droplet is powered on
├─> Consuming resources
├─> Billing active
└─> Accessible via network

Powered Off
├─> Graceful shutdown
├─> Data preserved
├─> Still billed (resources reserved)
└─> Can be powered on quickly

Powered Off (Hard)
├─> Force shutdown
├─> May cause data loss
├─> Use only if necessary
└─> Still billed

Destroyed
├─> Droplet deleted
├─> Data lost (unless snapshot taken)
├─> Billing stopped
└─> Cannot be recovered

Via Control Panel

1. Navigate to Droplets
2. Click on Droplet name
3. Click "Power" dropdown
4. Select action:
   ├─> Power On
   ├─> Power Off
   ├─> Power Cycle
   └─> Reboot

Via doctl CLI

# Power off (graceful)
doctl compute droplet-action power-off DROPLET_ID

# Power on
doctl compute droplet-action power-on DROPLET_ID

# Reboot (graceful)
doctl compute droplet-action reboot DROPLET_ID

# Power cycle (hard reboot)
doctl compute droplet-action power-cycle DROPLET_ID

# Shutdown (graceful, via OS)
doctl compute droplet-action shutdown DROPLET_ID

Via API

# Power off
curl -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DO_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"type":"power_off"}' \
  "https://api.digitalocean.com/v2/droplets/DROPLET_ID/actions"

# Power on
curl -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DO_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"type":"power_on"}' \
  "https://api.digitalocean.com/v2/droplets/DROPLET_ID/actions"

Resizing Droplets

Resize Types

Disk Resize (Permanent)

Changes:
├─> CPU
├─> RAM
├─> Disk (increases only)
└─> Cannot downgrade disk

Process:
├─> Power off Droplet
├─> Select new size
├─> Resize (5-10 minutes)
└─> Power on

Flexible Resize (Reversible)

Changes:
├─> CPU
├─> RAM
└─> Disk stays same

Process:
├─> Power off Droplet
├─> Select new size
├─> Resize (2-5 minutes)
├─> Power on
└─> Can resize up or down

Resizing Process

Via Control Panel

1. Power off Droplet
2. Navigate to Droplet → Resize
3. Choose resize type:
   ├─> Resize disk (permanent)
   └─> Resize CPU/RAM only (flexible)
4. Select new size
5. Click "Resize Droplet"
6. Wait for completion
7. Power on Droplet

Via doctl CLI

# Resize with disk
doctl compute droplet-action resize DROPLET_ID \
  --size s-2vcpu-4gb \
  --resize-disk

# Resize without disk (flexible)
doctl compute droplet-action resize DROPLET_ID \
  --size s-2vcpu-4gb

# Check resize status
doctl compute droplet-action get DROPLET_ID --action-id ACTION_ID

Resize Planning

Before Resizing:
├─> Create snapshot (backup)
├─> Plan downtime window
├─> Notify users
├─> Test application compatibility
└─> Document changes

During Resize:
├─> Monitor progress
├─> Check for errors
└─> Verify completion

After Resize:
├─> Power on Droplet
├─> Verify services running
├─> Check application performance
├─> Monitor resource usage
└─> Update documentation

Snapshots

What are Snapshots?

Snapshots:
├─> Point-in-time backup
├─> Full disk image
├─> Can create new Droplets
├─> Stored in same region
└─> Billed at $0.06/GB/month

Use Cases:
├─> Before major changes
├─> Template for new Droplets
├─> Disaster recovery
├─> Testing environments
└─> Migration between regions

Creating Snapshots

Via Control Panel

1. Power off Droplet (recommended)
2. Navigate to Droplet → Snapshots
3. Enter snapshot name
4. Click "Take Snapshot"
5. Wait for completion (5-30 minutes)

Via doctl CLI

# Create snapshot
doctl compute droplet-action snapshot DROPLET_ID \
  --snapshot-name "web-prod-01-2026-01-10"

# List snapshots
doctl compute snapshot list --resource droplet

# Delete snapshot
doctl compute snapshot delete SNAPSHOT_ID

Snapshot Best Practices

Naming Convention:
<droplet-name>-<date>-<purpose>

Examples:
├─> web-prod-01-2026-01-10-pre-upgrade
├─> db-primary-2026-01-10-daily
├─> api-staging-2026-01-10-template
└─> worker-01-2026-01-10-backup

Schedule:
├─> Before major changes
├─> Weekly for production
├─> Monthly for stable systems
└─> Before OS upgrades

Retention:
├─> Keep last 3-5 snapshots
├─> Delete old snapshots
├─> Monitor storage costs
└─> Archive important snapshots

Restoring from Snapshots

# Create new Droplet from snapshot
doctl compute droplet create restored-droplet \
  --region nyc3 \
  --size s-2vcpu-4gb \
  --image SNAPSHOT_ID \
  --ssh-keys SSH_KEY_ID

# Rebuild existing Droplet from snapshot
doctl compute droplet-action rebuild DROPLET_ID \
  --image SNAPSHOT_ID

Automated Backups

Backup Features

Automated Backups:
├─> Weekly backups
├─> 4 backups retained
├─> Automatic rotation
├─> Cost: 20% of Droplet price
└─> Enabled per Droplet

Backup Schedule:
├─> Weekly (same day/time)
├─> During low-traffic hours
├─> Automatic rotation
└─> Cannot customize schedule

Retention:
├─> 4 most recent backups
├─> Oldest deleted automatically
├─> Can convert to snapshot
└─> Stored in same region

Enabling Backups

Via Control Panel

1. Navigate to Droplet
2. Click "Backups"
3. Click "Enable Backups"
4. Confirm (adds 20% to cost)

Via doctl CLI

# Enable backups
doctl compute droplet-action enable-backups DROPLET_ID

# Disable backups
doctl compute droplet-action disable-backups DROPLET_ID

# List backups
doctl compute droplet-backups DROPLET_ID

Backup vs Snapshot

Feature	Backups	Snapshots
Cost	20% of Droplet	$0.06/GB/month
Frequency	Weekly (auto)	Manual
Retention	4 backups	Unlimited
Control	Limited	Full control
Best For	Production	Templates, migrations

Rebuilding Droplets

Rebuild Process

Rebuild:
├─> Reinstalls OS
├─> Keeps IP address
├─> Keeps Droplet ID
├─> Deletes all data
└─> Use snapshot/backup to restore

When to Rebuild:
├─> System corruption
├─> Security compromise
├─> Fresh start needed
└─> OS upgrade

Rebuilding Steps

# Rebuild from image
doctl compute droplet-action rebuild DROPLET_ID \
  --image ubuntu-22-04-x64

# Rebuild from snapshot
doctl compute droplet-action rebuild DROPLET_ID \
  --image SNAPSHOT_ID

# Rebuild from backup
doctl compute droplet-action restore DROPLET_ID \
  --image BACKUP_ID

Monitoring and Metrics

Built-in Monitoring

Available Metrics:
├─> CPU usage (%)
├─> Memory usage (%)
├─> Disk usage (%)
├─> Disk I/O
├─> Bandwidth (inbound/outbound)
└─> Public/Private network traffic

Retention:
├─> 1-minute intervals
├─> 30 days of data
└─> Free with monitoring enabled

Viewing Metrics

Via Control Panel

1. Navigate to Droplet
2. Click "Graphs" tab
3. View metrics:
   ├─> CPU
   ├─> Memory
   ├─> Disk
   └─> Bandwidth
4. Adjust time range

Via API

# Get CPU metrics
curl -X GET \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DO_TOKEN" \
  "https://api.digitalocean.com/v2/monitoring/metrics/droplet/cpu?host_id=DROPLET_ID&start=START_TIME&end=END_TIME"

Setting Up Alerts

Alert Types:
├─> CPU usage > threshold
├─> Memory usage > threshold
├─> Disk usage > threshold
├─> Bandwidth usage > threshold
└─> Droplet down

Notification Methods:
├─> Email
├─> Slack
└─> PagerDuty (via webhook)

Tagging and Organization

Tag Management

# Add tags to Droplet
doctl compute droplet tag DROPLET_ID \
  --tag-names production,web,frontend

# Remove tags
doctl compute droplet untag DROPLET_ID \
  --tag-names staging

# List Droplets by tag
doctl compute droplet list --tag-name production

# Bulk operations by tag
doctl compute droplet-action power-off \
  --tag-name staging

Tag Strategies

Environment Tags:
├─> production
├─> staging
├─> development
└─> testing

Purpose Tags:
├─> web
├─> api
├─> database
├─> cache
└─> worker

Team Tags:
├─> frontend
├─> backend
├─> devops
└─> data

Project Tags:
├─> project-alpha
├─> project-beta
└─> internal-tools

Kernel Updates

Updating Kernel

# Check current kernel
uname -r

# Update packages
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

# Reboot to apply kernel updates
sudo reboot

# Verify new kernel
uname -r

Kernel Management

DigitalOcean Kernels:
├─> Managed by DigitalOcean (legacy)
├─> Updated via control panel
└─> Being phased out

Distribution Kernels:
├─> Managed by OS (modern)
├─> Updated via package manager
├─> Recommended approach
└─> More control

Recovery Console

Accessing Console

Via Control Panel:
1. Navigate to Droplet
2. Click "Access" tab
3. Click "Launch Droplet Console"
4. Browser-based terminal opens

Use Cases:
├─> SSH not accessible
├─> Network issues
├─> Firewall lockout
├─> Emergency access
└─> Troubleshooting

Recovery Mode

Recovery Mode:
├─> Boot from recovery ISO
├─> Access filesystem
├─> Fix boot issues
├─> Reset passwords
└─> Recover data

Steps:
1. Power off Droplet
2. Enable recovery mode
3. Power on Droplet
4. Access via console
5. Mount filesystem
6. Make repairs
7. Disable recovery mode
8. Reboot normally

Droplet Metadata

Accessing Metadata

# From within Droplet
curl http://169.254.169.254/metadata/v1/

# Get Droplet ID
curl http://169.254.169.254/metadata/v1/id

# Get hostname
curl http://169.254.169.254/metadata/v1/hostname

# Get region
curl http://169.254.169.254/metadata/v1/region

# Get public IPv4
curl http://169.254.169.254/metadata/v1/interfaces/public/0/ipv4/address

# Get tags
curl http://169.254.169.254/metadata/v1/tags

# Get user data
curl http://169.254.169.254/metadata/v1/user-data

Using Metadata in Scripts

#!/bin/bash
# Auto-configure based on metadata

DROPLET_ID=$(curl -s http://169.254.169.254/metadata/v1/id)
REGION=$(curl -s http://169.254.169.254/metadata/v1/region)
TAGS=$(curl -s http://169.254.169.254/metadata/v1/tags)

echo "Droplet ID: $DROPLET_ID"
echo "Region: $REGION"
echo "Tags: $TAGS"

# Configure based on tags
if echo "$TAGS" | grep -q "production"; then
    echo "Configuring for production..."
    # Production-specific configuration
fi

Maintenance Best Practices

Regular Maintenance

Weekly:
├─> Check disk space
├─> Review logs
├─> Monitor resource usage
├─> Check for security updates
└─> Verify backups

Monthly:
├─> Update packages
├─> Review access logs
├─> Audit user accounts
├─> Check firewall rules
└─> Test disaster recovery

Quarterly:
├─> Review Droplet sizing
├─> Optimize costs
├─> Update documentation
├─> Security audit
└─> Performance tuning

Update Strategy

# Safe update process
# 1. Create snapshot
doctl compute droplet-action snapshot DROPLET_ID \
  --snapshot-name "pre-update-$(date +%Y%m%d)"

# 2. Update packages
ssh root@droplet-ip << 'EOF'
apt-get update
apt-get upgrade -y
apt-get autoremove -y
apt-get autoclean
EOF

# 3. Reboot if needed
doctl compute droplet-action reboot DROPLET_ID

# 4. Verify services
ssh root@droplet-ip "systemctl status nginx"

Cost Optimization

Right-Sizing

Monitor Usage:
├─> CPU utilization
├─> Memory usage
├─> Disk I/O
├─> Network bandwidth
└─> Application performance

Optimization:
├─> Downsize if underutilized
├─> Upsize if overloaded
├─> Use appropriate Droplet type
├─> Consider reserved instances
└─> Delete unused Droplets

Cost-Saving Tips

1. Delete Unused Droplets
   └─> Take snapshot first

2. Use Snapshots Instead of Idle Droplets
   └─> $0.06/GB vs full Droplet cost

3. Right-Size Droplets
   └─> Don't over-provision

4. Use Basic Droplets for Dev/Test
   └─> Cheaper than production sizes

5. Clean Up Old Snapshots
   └─> Delete unnecessary backups

6. Use Block Storage for Data
   └─> Cheaper than large Droplets

7. Monitor Bandwidth Usage
   └─> Optimize data transfer

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Droplet Not Responding

# Check status
doctl compute droplet get DROPLET_ID

# Check via console
# Use recovery console in control panel

# Power cycle
doctl compute droplet-action power-cycle DROPLET_ID

High CPU Usage

# Check processes
top
htop

# Find CPU-intensive processes
ps aux --sort=-%cpu | head -10

# Check system load
uptime

Out of Disk Space

# Check disk usage
df -h

# Find large files
du -h / | sort -rh | head -20

# Clean up
apt-get autoremove
apt-get autoclean
journalctl --vacuum-time=7d

Network Issues

# Check network interfaces
ip addr show

# Test connectivity
ping -c 4 8.8.8.8

# Check DNS
nslookup google.com

# Review firewall
ufw status
iptables -L

Next Steps

• Learn about Droplet images
• Configure networking
• Set up monitoring
• Automate management