How to Create a Droplet
Create Droplets and customize the image, plan, authentication method, and quantity of Droplets you want.
Droplet How-Tos
Generated on 1 Jul 2025
DigitalOcean Droplets are Linux-based virtual machines (VMs) that run on top of virtualized hardware. Each Droplet you create is a new server you can use, either standalone or as part of a larger, cloud-based infrastructure.
Creation
How to Create and Configure GPU Droplets
Create and configure GPU Droplets, which are powered by NVIDIA GPUs.
How to Provide User Data During Droplet Creation
Automate Droplet configuration by providing user data to a Droplet during creation.
Connection
How to Connect to Droplets with SSH
Use a terminal to connect to Droplets using OpenSSH or PuTTY for shell access to your remote server.
How to Add SSH Keys to New or Existing Droplets
Improve security when you log in by creating SSH keys and adding them to Droplets.
How to Connect to Droplets with the Droplet Console
Use the Droplet Console from a web browser to connect to Droplets for native-like terminal access to your remote server.
How to Transfer Files to Droplets With FileZilla
Securely move files between Droplets and your local machine using FileZilla, an open-source FTP client.
Configuration and Scaling
How to Tag Droplets
Organize Droplets with tags to group and filter Droplets by role, automatically include Droplets in firewall or load balancer configurations, or target multiple Droplets at once with the API.
How to Track Performance with Droplet Graphs
Monitor Droplet performance with default graphs for bandwidth, CPU usage, and disk I/O. Install the DigitalOcean metrics agent for extended graphs like CPU load average, memory usage, and disk usage.
How to Resize Droplets for Vertical Scaling
Resize a Droplet to change the amount of CPU and RAM a Droplet has, optionally add additional disk space, or change to a different type of Droplet plan or CPU.
How to Use Droplet Autoscale Pools for Automatic Horizontal Scaling
Create a Droplet autoscale pool to enable automatic horizontal scaling based on resource utilization or a fixed size.
How to Access Information about a Droplet using the Metadata API
Use the Droplet metadata service to programmatically query a Droplet for information about itself.
How to Rebuild Droplets
Overwrite the entirety of a Droplet’s disk with an image you select.
Management and Recovery
How to Install or Uninstall the DigitalOcean Droplet Agent
Install the Droplet agent on older Droplets to enable features like the Droplet Console, or uninstall the agent to remove access.
How to Manage a Droplet's Kernel
Upgrade a Droplet’s internal kernel version, boot into a specific non-default version, or use the DigitalOcean GrubLoader kernel to convert legacy Droplets from external to internal kernel management.
Recover Access or Data
Droplets come with several recovery features, including the Recovery Console for out-of-band connectivity independent of network settings and the recovery ISO for regaining access to the Droplet’s filesystem.
How to Destroy a Droplet from the DigitalOcean Control Panel
Destroy a Droplet to permanently and irreversibly destroy the Droplet and its contents.