Item: DigitalOcean
Rating: 8
Author: Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with DigitalOcean

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I use DigitalOcean as a LAMP stack server for my web hosting. I host a few PHP-based websites, along with a WordPress blog install and a few Drupal website installs. I also use it as a place to host random one-off projects that need a back-end language or a database. My server currently does not get an excessive amount of traffic, but the Drupal installs especially use a fair amount of server resources.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Hosting flexibility
Server stability
Good uptime
Good pricing

Cons

Setting usage limits to prevent large bills
Support for beginners
ARM-based server options

Return on Investment

Low pricing, saving about 50% of my previous hosting costs
Good uptime
Easy to get going

Usability

With DigitalOcean it is very easy to start up a server/droplet. They have several templates and server images to select from, and they have good instructions on how to get a server set up and started. The monitoring tools in the dashboard look good and are easy to understand.

Alternatives Considered

DreamHost and Amazon Web Services

DigitalOcean is cheaper and more flexible than DreamHost, but DreamHost is easier to maintain than DigitalOcean. DigitalOcean has many more server options and templates/images than DreamHost. Amazon Web Services is much more confusing to use. The DigitalOcean website is much cleaner and easier to understand to get up and going with a new server.

Key Insights

Do you think DigitalOcean delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with DigitalOcean's feature set?

Yes

Did DigitalOcean live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of DigitalOcean go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy DigitalOcean again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Discord, Netlify Platform, Docker, Next.js, React, Vue.js, Microsoft Visual Studio Code, Microsoft Teams

Likelihood to Recommend

DigialOcean is a good option for those looking to run their own web server at an affordable price, with the flexibility to grow with your needs. Because of the low price and ease of starting a server, it's also a good place to test out ideas and prototypes.

DigialOcean is not a good option for anyone who lacks experience using the command line, as well as anyone not willing to manually maintain a server, including installing updates.

DigitalOcean Feature Ratings

Comments

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DigitalOcean is a good value and flexible