How to Create a DigitalOcean Droplet (Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners) | Code Boost
Description: I used to think cloud servers were only for developers or IT pros. But last week, I launched my own DigitalOcean Droplet — and it took less than a minute. I have limited experience with Linux servers

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# How to Create a DigitalOcean Droplet (Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners)

By Matt · Jul 22, 2025

I used to think cloud servers were only for developers or IT pros. But last week, I launched my own DigitalOcean Droplet — and it took less than a minute. I have limited experience with Linux servers beyond basic hosting, and yet here I am, running my own virtual server with full root access.

In this post, I'll walk you through exactly how I did it, step by step. Whether you're launching a website, hosting a web app, running n8n for automation, or just want to learn something new — you can do this too.

## What Is a DigitalOcean Droplet?

Think of a Droplet as your own personal computer in the cloud. It's a virtual private server (VPS) that you can use for nearly anything:

- Hosting websites and blogs (WordPress, Ghost, static sites)
- Running web apps built with Node.js, Flask, Django, or Rails
- Self-hosting tools like n8n, Plausible Analytics, or Gitea
- Learning Linux commands in a real server environment
- Setting up game servers, VPNs, or development environments

Unlike shared hosting, you get total control over the server — install any software, open any port, configure any service. You're the system administrator of your own machine.

## Why DigitalOcean?

I compared several VPS providers before choosing DigitalOcean. Here's what stood out:

- Fast setup: Launch a Droplet in under 60 seconds — faster than any other provider I tried.
- Affordable: Plans start at just $4–$6/month. Try our DigitalOcean pricing calculator to estimate your costs.
- Developer-friendly: Clean, intuitive UI and some of the best documentation in the industry.
- Generous free credits: New accounts get $200 in credits — enough to run a Droplet for months.
- Flat-rate pricing: No surprise bills. You know exactly what you'll pay each month.

## Want $200 DigitalOcean Credit? Claim It Here

## Droplet Sizes: Which One Should You Choose?

Plan | vCPU | RAM | Storage | Price | Best For
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Basic Shared CPU | 1 | 512 MB | 10 GB SSD | $4/mo | Learning, very low traffic
Basic Shared CPU | 1 | 1 GB | 25 GB SSD | $6/mo | Small websites, n8n, dev environments
Basic Shared CPU | 2 | 2 GB | 60 GB SSD | $12/mo | WordPress, medium-traffic sites
Basic Shared CPU | 2 | 4 GB | 80 GB SSD | $24/mo | Multiple apps, small databases
Premium Intel | 2 | 4 GB | 80 GB NVMe SSD | $28/mo | Better performance, production apps

For most beginners, the 1 vCPU / 1 GB RAM at $6/month is the right starting point. You can resize to a larger plan later without losing your data.

## Step-by-Step: Launch a Droplet in 60 Seconds

### 1. Create Your DigitalOcean Account

Visit DigitalOcean via our referral link and sign up. New accounts get $200 in free credits valid for 60 days — enough to run a Droplet for months at no cost.

### 2. Click "Create Droplet"

After logging in, click the "Create" button in the upper-right corner and select "Droplets."

### 3. Choose an Operating System

Select Ubuntu 22.04 LTS — it's stable, well-supported, and beginner-friendly with abundant documentation and tutorials. If you have a specific reason for another OS (Debian, Fedora, Rocky Linux), those work too.

### 4. Select a Plan

Choose Basic Shared CPU with 1 GB RAM at $6/month. This is perfect for learning and small projects. You can upgrade later from the Droplet settings without data loss.

### 5. Choose a Data Center Region

Select a region geographically close to your users for the fastest response times. If you're unsure, New York or Amsterdam are solid defaults. DigitalOcean has 15 data centers across 9 regions globally.

### 6. Set Up Authentication

You have two options:

- SSH Key (recommended): More secure — no password to steal. DigitalOcean helps you generate and add one during setup. See our SSH guide for a full walkthrough.
- Password: Easier to start but less secure. Use a strong, unique password if you choose this method.

### 7. Name Your Droplet and Launch

Give your Droplet a simple name like `my-first-droplet`. Then click "Create Droplet."

Within 60 seconds, your server is live and you'll see an IP address assigned to it.

## Connecting to Your Droplet

DigitalOcean provides your Droplet's IP address immediately after creation. Open your terminal and log in:

    ssh root@your_droplet_ip

If you used an SSH key, you'll be connected immediately. If you used a password, enter it when prompted.

Once connected, you have full root access. You can install any software, configure any service, and run any command.

## What to Do After Connecting

### Update the System

    sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

### Create a Non-Root User (Recommended)

Running everything as root is a security risk. Create a regular user with sudo access:

    adduser yourusername
    usermod -aG sudo yourusername

### Enable the Firewall

    ufw allow OpenSSH
    ufw enable

Add more rules as needed — for example, `ufw allow 80` and `ufw allow 443` for web traffic.

### Install a Web Server

    # Install Nginx
    sudo apt install nginx -y

    # Or install Apache
    sudo apt install apache2 -y

## What You Can Host on a Droplet

- WordPress: Install LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) or use a DigitalOcean one-click WordPress Droplet
- Static Sites: Serve HTML/CSS/JS files with Nginx — extremely fast and low-resource
- Node.js Apps: Deploy Express, Next.js, or any Node application
- Python Apps: Run Flask or Django behind Gunicorn and Nginx
- n8n Automation: Self-host n8n for unlimited workflow automation — see our n8n self-hosting guide
- Databases: Run PostgreSQL, MySQL, or MongoDB (or use DigitalOcean's managed database service)

## Bonus Tips for Beginners

- Take snapshots before major changes: Droplets → Your Droplet → Snapshots. Costs $0.06/GB/month — cheap insurance.
- Use Cloudflare DNS: Free tier includes CDN, DDoS protection, and DNS management. Point your domain at Cloudflare, then Cloudflare to your Droplet.
- Enable automated backups: Available for 20% of the Droplet's monthly cost — restores previous state in one click.
- Use DigitalOcean's Managed Databases: Skip the complexity of managing a database server — Managed PostgreSQL starts at $15/month.

## Final Thoughts

If I can do it in 60 seconds with no prior server experience, you absolutely can too. Whether you're launching your first website or building the foundation for your next big project, a DigitalOcean Droplet gives you control, flexibility, and speed — at a price that's hard to beat.

👉 Get started with $200 in free DigitalOcean credit and launch your first Droplet today.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How much does a DigitalOcean Droplet cost per month?

Droplets start at $4/month for a minimal 512 MB RAM instance and $6/month for the 1 GB RAM plan most beginners should start with. All plans include a fixed amount of outbound bandwidth — the 1 GB plan includes 1 TB/month, which is far more than most small projects need. See our complete DigitalOcean pricing guide for all tiers.

### Can I host multiple websites on one Droplet?

Yes. Nginx and Apache support virtual hosting — you can serve multiple domains from a single Droplet with separate configurations for each site. For low-to-medium traffic sites, a 2 GB RAM Droplet ($12/month) can comfortably handle 3–5 sites simultaneously.

### What is the difference between a Droplet and DigitalOcean App Platform?

A Droplet is a raw virtual server — you control everything including the OS, software, and configuration. The App Platform is a managed PaaS (Platform as a Service) where DigitalOcean handles infrastructure, scaling, and deployments automatically. Droplets give more control; App Platform is easier but less flexible. For learning Linux and server administration, start with a Droplet.

### How do I connect a domain name to my Droplet?

In your domain registrar's DNS settings, add an A record pointing your domain (or subdomain) to your Droplet's IP address. Propagation takes a few minutes to an hour. You can also manage DNS through DigitalOcean's free DNS service — add your domain in the Networking section of the DigitalOcean dashboard.

### Is DigitalOcean safe and reliable?

Yes. DigitalOcean maintains 99.99% uptime SLAs on Droplets and has a strong reliability track record. For production applications, add automated backups and consider using a DigitalOcean Load Balancer with two Droplets for high availability. For development and learning projects, a single Droplet is perfectly sufficient.