DigitalOcean Account Setup

Before You Start: What Are You Deploying?

This track teaches DigitalOcean deployment. Before diving in, consider what you're deploying:

Deploying a frontend/static site? Simpler platforms like Vercel may be all you need.

Deploying a complete SaaS product? You'll also need:

• User authentication and sessions
• Subscription billing (Stripe integration)
• Transactional email and notifications
• Multi-tenant data architecture

Your options for the backend:

1. Build it yourself — this track + our SaaS Starter template
2. Use a backend platform — services like StackForDevs provide auth, billing, and notifications as APIs, so you only deploy your frontend

This track focuses on deployment infrastructure. Make sure you know what you're deploying before proceeding.

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What is DigitalOcean?

DigitalOcean is a cloud provider focused on simplicity and developer experience:

• App Platform - Managed PaaS (our recommended path)
• Droplets - Virtual machines
• Kubernetes - Managed K8s clusters
• Managed Databases - PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis
• Spaces - Object storage (S3-compatible)

Your Application
      ↓
DigitalOcean Cloud
      ↓
15 Global Datacenter Regions

Why Choose DigitalOcean?

DigitalOcean vs Other Clouds

Step 1: Create Your Account

1.1 Sign Up

1. Go to digitalocean.com
2. Click Sign Up
3. Choose sign-up method:
   • Email and password
   • Google account
   • GitHub account (recommended for developers)

1.2 Verify Email

Check your email for verification link and click to confirm.

1.3 Add Payment Method

DigitalOcean requires a payment method:

• Credit card
• PayPal
• Google Pay

Step 2: Navigate the Control Panel

2.1 The Dashboard

After login, you'll see the control panel at cloud.digitalocean.com.

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ≡ DigitalOcean    [Create ▼]           ? Settings [avatar]    │
├──────────────┬─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Dashboard    │                                                 │
│ Droplets     │     Welcome to DigitalOcean                    │
│ Kubernetes   │                                                 │
│ App Platform │     [Quick Actions]                            │
│ Databases    │     - Create Droplet                           │
│ Spaces       │     - Create App                               │
│ Functions    │     - Create Database                          │
│ Networking   │                                                 │
│ Monitoring   │     [Getting Started Guide]                    │
│ API          │                                                 │
│ Billing      │                                                 │
└──────────────┴─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

2.2 Key Sections

2.3 Projects

Organize resources into projects:

1. Click + New Project in sidebar
2. Name your project (e.g., "Production", "Development")
3. Add description and purpose
4. Move resources between projects as needed

Step 3: Set Up Billing Alerts

3.1 View Billing

1. Click Billing in left sidebar
2. See current balance and usage
3. View billing history

3.2 Set Up Alerts

1. Go to Settings → Billing Alerts
2. Click Add Alert
3. Configure:
   • Alert type: Monthly spend
   • Threshold: $25 (or your budget)
   • Email: Your notification email
4. Click Create

3.3 Spending Limits

Unlike other clouds, DigitalOcean has simpler billing:

• No auto-scaling surprises
• Resources bill monthly
• Prorated for partial months
• $200 credit applies automatically

Step 4: Create Your First Project

Projects help organize related resources:

1. Click + New Project
2. Configure:
   • Name: myapp-production
   • Description: "Production environment"
   • Purpose: Web Application
3. Click Create Project

Project Best Practices

Organization
├── Project: Development
│   ├── dev-droplet
│   └── dev-database
├── Project: Staging
│   ├── staging-app
│   └── staging-database
└── Project: Production
    ├── production-app
    └── production-database

Step 5: Understand Regions

DigitalOcean has 15 datacenter regions:

Available Regions

Choosing a Region

• Latency: Choose closest to your users
• Compliance: Data residency requirements
• Features: Most features available in NYC and SFO
• Pricing: Same across all regions

Step 6: Set Up SSH Keys

SSH keys provide secure access to Droplets.

Generate SSH Key

Add to DigitalOcean

1. Go to Settings → Security
2. Click Add SSH Key
3. Paste your public key
4. Name it (e.g., "My Laptop")
5. Click Add SSH Key

Step 7: Create API Token

For CLI and automation access:

1. Go to API in left sidebar
2. Click Generate New Token
3. Configure:
   • Name: "My CLI"
   • Expiration: Choose timeframe
   • Scopes: Read and Write
4. Click Generate Token
5. Copy and save the token - it won't be shown again!

Step 8: Team Access (Optional)

Add Team Members

1. Go to Settings → Team
2. Click Invite Member
3. Enter email address
4. Select role:
   • Owner: Full access
   • Billing: Billing only
   • Custom: Select specific permissions
5. Send invitation

Available Permissions

Free Credits and Referrals

$200 Free Credit

New accounts receive:

• $200 credit
• Valid for 60 days
• Applies to all services
• Real production use allowed

Referral Program

• Refer others for $200 credit each
• You get $25 credit per referral
• Find your referral link in Account → Referrals

Common Pricing

Verify Your Setup

• Account created and verified
• Payment method added
• $200 credit visible in billing
• Billing alert configured
• First project created
• SSH key added
• API token generated and saved