Beginner
How to create a Droplet on DigitalOcean
Quick Answer
Sign into DigitalOcean Control Panel, click Create > Droplets, select region, image (e.g., Ubuntu), plan (e.g., s-1vcpu-1gb), add SSH key, enable options like backups, then click Create Droplet. It provisions in 1-2 minutes; access via SSH at the displayed IP. Use CLI with doctl for automation.
Prerequisites
- Active DigitalOcean account with added payment method and sufficient funds
- SSH key pair generated (public key ready to upload)
- Basic knowledge of your app's CPU, RAM, and storage needs
- doctl CLI installed for command-line method (optional)
1
Log in to DigitalOcean Control Panel
Access
cloud.digitalocean.com/login and sign in with your account credentials. If new, create an account at cloud.digitalocean.com/registrations/new. Ensure your account has a payment method added and sufficient credits to cover the Droplet plan cost.Tip
Verify billing balance in the Billing section to avoid creation failures.
2
Navigate to Create Droplet
In the top right corner, click the green Create button to open the create menu, then select Droplets. This opens the Droplet creation page with pre-selected popular defaults like New York region and Ubuntu image, allowing immediate creation or full customization.
3
Choose Datacenter Region
In the Choose a datacenter region section, pick a region from the dropdown closest to your users (e.g., New York (nyc1) as default). Enable IPv6 checkbox for dual-stack networking if required. Use
doctl compute region list via CLI to list options.Tip
Select regions with low latency for your audience to optimize performance.
4
Choose an Image
In the Choose an image section, select an OS like Ubuntu 24.04 x64 (LTS) or Debian, or a Marketplace app (e.g., WordPress, Docker). Custom images can be uploaded or used from snapshots. Marketplace images may offer one-click database integration.
Tip
Latest LTS Ubuntu is recommended for stability and long-term support.
5
Select a Plan
In the Choose a plan section, pick a size like Basic Shared CPU Regular s-1vcpu-1gb ({{price:digitalocean:Basic 1GB}}/month: 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 25 GB SSD, 1 TB transfer). Premium Intel/AMD plans offer better performance. Use
doctl compute size list for available slugs.Tip
Start small and resize later; monitor usage to scale appropriately.
6
Set Up Authentication
In the Authentication section, choose SSH key (recommended), select existing keys or click New SSH Key to upload your public key. Alternatively, select Password for a temporary email-sent password. Keys persist for future Droplets.
Tip
Generate SSH keys with
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 for strongest security.7
Configure Additional Options
Expand options: Select VPC network (default or new), enable IPv6 and Monitoring, check Enable backups (~20% cost add-on). In Advanced Options, add User Data cloud-init scripts, tags (e.g.,
webserver), and set quantity >1 if needed.Tip
Use tags for firewall rules and organization across projects.
8
Finalize and Create Droplet
In Finalize Details, enter Hostname (e.g.,
my-droplet), add tags, select Project (default: Default), and quantity. Click green Create Droplet button. It provisions in ~1 minute; note the IP from the Droplets list and SSH as ssh root@your-ip.Tip
Click Create via command line to copy cURL or doctl command for replication.
9
Optional: Create via CLI (doctl)
Install doctl, generate API token (Control Panel > API > Tokens/Keys), run
doctl auth init with token. Create with doctl compute droplet create mydroplet --region nyc1 --image ubuntu-24-04-x64 --size s-1vcpu-1gb --ssh-keys your:key:id. List options via doctl compute region list, etc.Tip
CLI is ideal for automation; save token securely as environment variable.
Troubleshooting
Process stalls or hangs without error (e.g., UI freezes)
Check DigitalOcean dashboard directly; Droplet often creates in background. Refresh, restart tool, and manually import if listed.
"Insufficient funds" or billing error
Add payment method/credits in Billing settings or select cheaper plan like s-1vcpu-1gb.
Cannot SSH after creation
Verify SSH key added correctly, check security group/firewall allows port 22, use correct user (root or added user) and IP from dashboard.
Wrong region or unavailable size/image
Run
doctl compute region list, doctl compute size list, doctl compute image list to confirm available options in your region.Droplet not appearing after API/CLI create
Check action status via API links or
doctl compute droplet list; wait 1-2 minutes as provisioning is asynchronous.Ready to get started with DigitalOcean?
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