DigitalOcean

DigitalOcean's mission is to simplify cloud and AI so builders can spend more time creating software that changes the world.

Who DigitalOcean serves

DigitalOcean focuses on builders who want simple, powerful cloud infrastructure:

• Developers who are just learning to code
• Builders getting started on a new idea or project
• Startups and fast-growing digital businesses
• Small-to-medium-sized businesses that need cloud solutions which scale as they grow

What DigitalOcean does

DigitalOcean provides cloud computing and AI infrastructure, including:

• Virtual machines (Droplets)
• Managed Kubernetes
• App Platform for building and deploying applications
• AI-focused services for inference, model hosting, and agents
• Managed databases, storage, and networking

The platform is designed to be simple, affordable, and scalable so that technical teams can focus on building software rather than managing complex infrastructure.

Company background

• Founded in 2012 to provide simple, affordable cloud computing for developers
• Started with Droplets, easy-to-use virtual machines that can be created in minutes
• Over time expanded to a full range of cloud computing and AI solutions for developers, startups, and SMBs

Global team and community

• Remote-first company with employees in multiple countries
• Strong emphasis on collaboration, inclusion, flexibility, and employee growth
• Large global community of developers using DigitalOcean's tutorials, talks, and resources to learn and share best practices.

AI-Native Cloud overview

DigitalOcean describes its platform as an AI-Native Cloud that brings together:

• Managed Agents – production AI agents running on the same stack as your data, inference, and infrastructure, without cross-vendor hops or extra egress fees between layers.
• Data and Learning – services for fresh data, persistent memory, and continuous learning without rebuilding your data stack.
• Inference Engine – more than 70 open-weight and frontier models available through a single endpoint, with multiple deployment options.
• Core Cloud – the underlying cloud infrastructure (compute, networking, storage, and Kubernetes) that AI workloads run on.
• Infrastructure – owned and operated data center infrastructure and GPUs designed to improve performance and unit economics as you scale.

AI products and capabilities

Managed Agents

• Production-ready AI agents that share the same infrastructure as your data and inference layers
• Designed to avoid cross-vendor latency, context loss, and inter-provider egress costs
• Integrates with popular open-source orchestration tools such as LangGraph, CrewAI, and others

Data and Learning

• Managed databases and knowledge base services for AI workloads
• Vector and retrieval capabilities designed to support Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and other data-intensive AI applications

Inference Engine

DigitalOcean's Inference Engine provides:

• A catalog of 70+ models, including open-weight and frontier models, accessible via one endpoint
• Multiple execution modes: serverless inference, dedicated inference, and batch inference
• An Inference Router (public preview) that routes calls to optimize for cost, latency, and reliability
• Support for bringing your own model (BYOM)

GPUs and infrastructure for AI

DigitalOcean provides GPU-based infrastructure for training and inference:

• GPU Droplets for AI and machine learning workloads
• Bare Metal GPUs for complex or highly demanding workloads
• Modern GPUs from NVIDIA and AMD, with high-speed networking

Example AI workloads

DigitalOcean's AI platform is designed for:

• Real-time AI agents
• Large-scale LLM inference workloads
• RAG-based applications using knowledge bases and vector search
• Batch inference and evaluation pipelines

For exact product names, model lists, and current capabilities, refer to the AI and products sections of the DigitalOcean website, as offerings can evolve over time.

DigitalOcean provides the core cloud primitives needed to build and run modern applications, including compute, networking, storage, and orchestration.

Compute

Droplets (virtual machines)

• On-demand Linux virtual machines
• Available with shared CPU and dedicated CPU plans
• Configurable combinations of CPU, RAM, and locally attached SSD storage
• Designed to handle workloads from low-traffic sites to mission-critical applications

GPU Droplets

• Virtual machines with NVIDIA and AMD GPUs
• Designed for AI/ML training and inference, high-performance computing (HPC), and other GPU-intensive workloads

Bare Metal GPUs

• Dedicated GPU infrastructure for complex or highly demanding AI/ML workloads

Kubernetes

• Managed Kubernetes service for containerized applications
• Supports both GPU and CPU workloads
• Includes a free control plane

App Platform (overview)

• Fully managed Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) for deploying web apps, APIs, and static sites
• Git-based workflow with automatic builds and deployments
• Autoscaling and high availability options
• Additional dedicated document covers App Platform in more detail

Functions

• Serverless computing platform for running code on demand
• Automatically scales with demand
• Focuses on running functions without managing servers

Storage

Spaces Object Storage

• S3-compatible object storage
• Designed for storing and serving large amounts of unstructured data
• Can be paired with a built-in CDN for content delivery

Volumes (block storage)

• Network-attached block storage for Droplets
• Designed to be highly available and easily resizable

Network File Storage

• NFS-based shared file storage
• Offered in multiple performance tiers

Networking

• Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) for private networking and traffic isolation
• Load balancers for distributing traffic and improving availability
• Cloud firewalls for controlling access to infrastructure
• Support for private IPs, hybrid connectivity, and VPC peering

Data center infrastructure

• 20 data centers across 12 global regions (as described on the website)
• Modern, high-performance hardware and networking fabric
• Designed for resilient, globally distributed application delivery

For detailed, current specifications and region availability, refer to the product pages and global infrastructure section of the DigitalOcean website, as hardware and regions can evolve over time.

• Simple, transparent pricing published on the website
• Many services have clear "starting at" prices
• Monthly caps and flat pricing for many products
• Pay-as-you-go usage for some serverless and usage-based services

Example starting prices (from the pricing page)

The following examples summarize starting prices listed on the pricing page. Pricing can change, so always confirm on the official DigitalOcean pricing page.

AI and GPU

• Inference – starting at $0.05 per million tokens
• GPU Droplets – $1.91 per GPU hour with multi-month contractual commitment; on-demand pricing from $0.76 per GPU hour
• Additional GPU options – prices vary by configuration
• Evaluations – prices vary and are billed based on candidate and judge token usage

Compute

• App Platform – free static-site tier starting at $0/month; paid app components starting at $5/month
• Droplets (virtual machines) – starting at $4/month
• Kubernetes – starting at $12/month
• Functions – pay only for what you use; includes free monthly usage for function execution time
• Cloudways Managed Hosting – starting at $11/month

Databases and backups

• Managed Databases – starting at $15/month for managed MongoDB, Kafka, PostgreSQL, MySQL, caching, Valkey, and OpenSearch
• Backups for Droplets – percentage-based pricing (e.g., 20% of Droplet cost per month for weekly backups, 30% for daily), plus usage-based options starting at $0.01 per GiB per month

Storage

• Spaces Object Storage – starting at $5/month
• Network File Storage – starting at $0.15 per GiB per month for the standard tier (higher tier available at a higher rate)
• Volumes (block storage) – starting at $10/month

Networking and security

• Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) – creating VPCs is free; intra–data center VPC traffic is free; inter–data center VPC peering is typically billed per GiB; NAT Gateway priced per node with included bandwidth and overage per GiB
• Load Balancers, Container Registry, Uptime monitoring, Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) – billed based on usage and plan; see the pricing page for details

Platform benefits included at no extra cost

The pricing page highlights several platform-level benefits included with accounts, such as:

• Free DNS management
• Free container registry tier with a small amount of storage
• Free cloud firewalls
• Metrics and basic monitoring for Droplets
• Some free bandwidth quotas and industry-leading bandwidth pricing, including outbound data transfer allowances for Droplets

Pricing changes and calculators

• DigitalOcean provides a pricing calculator to estimate monthly costs across compute, databases, networking, and storage.
• Some pricing models (such as Droplets) use per-second billing with a minimum charge for very short-lived workloads.

For current and detailed pricing, discounts, bandwidth quotas, and any regional differences, always refer to the official pricing page and pricing calculator on digitalocean.com.

• Deploys web apps, APIs, and static sites with a git-based workflow
• Handles infrastructure, runtimes, and dependencies so teams can focus on code
• Supports staging, production, and preview environments
• Provides autoscaling and high availability options

Key benefits

• Simplicity – Deploy directly from GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, or container registries (DigitalOcean Container Registry, GitHub Container Registry, Docker Hub).
• Fast deployment – Go from code to production in minutes using automated builds and deployments.
• Scalability – Autoscale applications and worker components based on demand; support for horizontal scaling and scale-to-zero for some workloads.
• Security – Automatic HTTPS, managed SSL certificates, DDoS mitigation, and automatic OS patching.
• Cost control – Transparent, predictable pricing with a free tier for static sites and entry-level paid plans for dynamic applications.

Pricing tiers (as described on the site)

• Free Tier – Starting at $0/month for up to 3 static site apps with data transfer and basic features.
• Paid Tier – Starting at $5/month, including features like shared and dedicated CPU, autoscaling, application metrics, log forwarding, high availability, and more.

Pricing is subject to change; for current details, refer to the App Platform pricing section on the DigitalOcean website.

Supported languages and frameworks

App Platform supports a wide range of languages and frameworks, including:

• Node.js – e.g., Express.js, Next.js, Nuxt.js
• Python – e.g., Django, Flask
• PHP – e.g., Laravel, Symfony
• Ruby – e.g., Ruby on Rails
• Go – e.g., Gin, Echo
• Static sites – e.g., Gatsby, Hugo, Jekyll, React static builds
• Java and .NET – via Dockerfile-based deployments (Spring Boot, ASP.NET Core)

Developers can also deploy arbitrary stacks using container images or custom Dockerfiles.

Use cases

Examples of workloads that App Platform is designed to support include:

• Multi-tenant SaaS platforms and high-traffic web applications
• CMS-driven and multi-client applications
• Worker-heavy AI or event-driven platforms that need background workers
• Backends for mobile applications
• Rapid prototyping and personal projects

Operations and integrations

• Built-in monitoring, alerts, and metrics for applications
• Log forwarding to third-party tools or managed OpenSearch
• Integration with DigitalOcean managed databases, Spaces, Managed Kafka, and other services
• Support for cron jobs, lifecycle hooks, and microservice-style architectures

For the most current capabilities, limitations, and pricing, refer to the App Platform product page and documentation on the DigitalOcean website.

• DigitalOcean uses monthly billing cycles.
• Typically, on the first day of each month, DigitalOcean invoices and charges the account's primary payment method for usage from the previous month.
• In some cases, DigitalOcean may charge earlier if usage exceeds a certain threshold.
• Customers can also log in and self-pay the outstanding balance at any time.

When cards are charged and pre-authorizations

• Adding a payment card does not immediately generate a usage charge.
• When a card is added, DigitalOcean may send a temporary pre-authorization request to the issuing bank (often around $1, but it can vary) to verify the card.
• These pre-authorizations are immediately canceled by DigitalOcean, but they may take a few days to disappear from the card statement depending on the bank.

Payment methods

According to the pricing FAQ, DigitalOcean accepts:

• Major credit and debit cards, including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover
• PayPal
• Google Pay
• Apple Pay (requires Safari for setup)

For additional options such as wire transfer, purchase orders, or ACH, customers are directed to contact DigitalOcean's sales or billing team.

Taxes

• DigitalOcean is required by law to apply taxes in some countries.
• Tax collection and rates depend on the customer's country and applicable regulations.
• Customers can consult the tax documentation linked from the pricing page to see whether DigitalOcean collects taxes in their country and at what rate.

Billing alerts

• Customers can configure billing alerts so that DigitalOcean sends an email if monthly spending exceeds a specified amount.

Destroying resources

• To stop being billed for specific resources, customers need to destroy or delete them (for example, Droplets, Kubernetes clusters, Managed Databases, Spaces, Volumes, Firewalls, and Load Balancers).
• Step-by-step instructions for destroying resources are available in the official documentation.

Credits and promotions

• Some promotions or offers may include a free credit (for example, a $5 credit valid for a fixed number of days).
• Credits are applied automatically to the account and are used before charging the payment method.
• If all credits are used or expire, further usage is billed to the primary payment method.

Prepayment and invoices

• Customers interested in prepaying for resources (for example, via larger up-front payments) are asked to contact DigitalOcean's experts or sales team.

Refunds

• The FAQ states that DigitalOcean does not generally offer refunds.
• If there are extenuating circumstances, customers are encouraged to contact support to discuss their situation.

For the latest terms, thresholds, and any region-specific policies, always check the current billing documentation and pricing FAQ on digitalocean.com.

• Product documentation and guides – Official documentation on how to use core products such as Droplets, Kubernetes, App Platform, databases, storage, networking, and AI services.
• Tutorials and how-to articles – In-depth, step-by-step tutorials covering a wide range of topics from basic setup to advanced architecture patterns.
• Videos, talks, and demos – Technical talks, product demos, and webinars that explain new features and best practices.

These materials are primarily available through:

• The DigitalOcean Community site (tutorials, Q&A, resources)
• The DigitalOcean Blog and product update pages

Community

• The DigitalOcean Community offers tutorials, tech talks, and other developer content.
• Community resources help users learn, troubleshoot, and share practical solutions.

Support plans

From the pricing and product pages:

• All customers get access to self-service resources including documentation, tutorials, and knowledge base content.
• DigitalOcean provides free email support suitable for testing ideas and hosting small applications.
• Support Plans are available for customers who need additional help, with options for more direct, customized, or faster-response support.
• For mission-critical use cases (such as App Platform workloads with strict uptime requirements), there are higher-tier support offerings, such as Premium Support, which include faster response-time SLAs.

Current plan names, coverage details, and pricing for support plans are listed on the Support Plans and pricing pages and may change over time.

Social impact and programs

• DO Impact – DigitalOcean runs social impact initiatives that support changemakers and nonprofit organizations through products and philanthropy.
• Other programs have historically included events, reports, and community initiatives (such as hackathons and developer-focused campaigns).

Where to get help

Customers can:

• Search the documentation and community tutorials
• Browse the blog for product updates and deep dives
• Use the pricing and product pages for up-to-date details
• Contact support or sales via the website for account-specific or complex questions.

For the latest information, always refer to the support, community, and resources sections of digitalocean.com.

Ask anyway — the agent will say plainly that it is not published rather than guess.