# Droplet How-Tos

Generated on 20 Mar 2026

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 a Droplet](https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/droplets/how-to/create/index.html.md): Create Droplets and customize the image, plan, authentication method, and quantity of Droplets you want.

[How to Create and Configure DigitalOcean Gradient™ AI GPU Droplets](https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/droplets/how-to/gpu/index.html.md): Create and configure GPU Droplets, which are powered by AMD or NVIDIA GPUs.

[How to Provide User Data During Droplet Creation](https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/droplets/how-to/provide-user-data/index.html.md): Automate Droplet configuration by providing user data to a Droplet during creation.

## Connection

[How to Connect to Droplets with SSH](https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/droplets/how-to/connect-with-ssh/index.html.md): 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](https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/droplets/how-to/add-ssh-keys/index.html.md): Improve security when you log in by creating SSH keys and adding them to Droplets.

[How to Connect to Droplets with the Droplet Console](https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/droplets/how-to/connect-with-console/index.html.md): 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](https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/droplets/how-to/transfer-files/index.html.md): Securely move files between Droplets and your local machine using FileZilla, an open-source FTP client.

## Configuration and Scaling

[How to Tag Droplets](https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/droplets/how-to/tag/index.html.md): 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](https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/droplets/how-to/track-performance/index.html.md): 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](https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/droplets/how-to/resize/index.html.md): 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](https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/droplets/how-to/use-autoscale-pools/index.html.md): 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](https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/droplets/how-to/access-metadata/index.html.md): Use the Droplet metadata service to programmatically query a Droplet for information about itself.

[How to Rebuild Droplets](https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/droplets/how-to/rebuild/index.html.md): 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](https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/droplets/how-to/manage-agent/index.html.md): 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](https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/droplets/how-to/kernel/index.html.md): 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](https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/droplets/how-to/recovery/index.html.md): 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](https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/droplets/how-to/destroy/index.html.md): Destroy a Droplet to permanently and irreversibly destroy the Droplet and its contents.