Digital Ocean Self-Install
This article will walk you step-by-step through the process of setting up your hosting account through Digital Ocean.
Note
These instructions were correct at the time of writing, but Digital Ocean can change their screens at any time. If you find that the instructions are wrong, please let me know!
These instructions were correct at the time of writing, but Digital Ocean can change their screens at any time. If you find that the instructions are wrong, please let me know!
Sign Up and Log In
First you’ll need to sign up for an account.
Full Disclosure: I get a referral bonus from Digital Ocean if you sign up using this referral link, but so do you! You get starter credit (basically a month free), and the referral bonus helps keep the doors at AresCentral open.
Digital Ocean’s pricing lists both a monthly and hourly rate. A MUSH server will be up 24/7 all month long, so it uses the monthly rate.
Create a Droplet
A “droplet” is just what DO calls a server. To create a new droplet, log into your account and click Create -> Droplet.
- Select the Ubuntu distribution image. (Ares has been fully tested on Ubuntu 16.04 and 18.04. Newer versions are probably fine too.) Just use the regular Ubuntu, not any other image.
- Select a size. The 1GB droplet meets all of Ares’ system requirements, including the Web Portal.
- Don’t add block storage.
- Select a region close to you.
- Don’t add additional options.
- Select 1 droplet, and enter a name for it (like ‘ares’).