Is DigitalOcean a Good Host for WordPress?

In a world dominated by Bluehost, HostGator, and several other web hosting giants, it would sound absurd going for a little known web hosting substitute. 

But perhaps you’ve heard about the successes of those who took the plunge and chose DigitalOcean for their WordPress sites and you think it would be a perfect fit!

Truly, hosting WordPress on DigitalOcean cloud server isn’t an entirely new idea. Being as it may, this cloud hosting choice isn’t an obvious pick. 

It has the likes of Amazon AWS and GCP as well as the traditionally popular shared and dedicated as well as VPS hosting names to battle with. 

DigitalOcean Hosting for WordPress

DigitalOcean is a fairly new name in the swelling world of web hosts, yet its exploits are winning accolades and criticisms in equal measure. 

Founded in 2011, it is now among the few cloud hosting providers with over a million subscribers today. It is headquartered in the American city of New York, but has its data centers across the planet. 

Among bloggers and website owners who opt to host the WordPress using DigitalOcean, this host is perfect because of its one-click WordPress installer. It is this web host’s competitive, affordable pricing as well as the epic community that endears hundreds of thousands to this web hosting alternative. 

WordPress, being the world’s largest free open-source content management system, understandably has millions of users. There are plenty of alternatives to DigitalOcean when it comes to WordPress hosting and all of them have their benefits. But despite all that, however, it still makes sense to host with DigitalOcean. 

DigitalOcean Compared to Other Alternatives

Naturally, a good WordPress web host ought to be ‘WordPress-specific,’ both in terms of performance and security. That simply means that it has to be specifically tailored for it as well as its millions of users. 

First, it must be affordable, especially because those who opt for WordPress most often value this free open-source CMS. It also has to guarantee total and fool-proof security and protect users from hackers, DDoS attacks, and any forms of malware. Security must extend to email protection as well as providing the all-important SSL certificate. 

Other vital features of an excellent WordPress host include a 24-hour technical support system, a user-friendly cPanel, and an automatic website backup. Such aspects as shared hosting vs. managed WordPress hosting don’t carry lots of weight and can come secondary. 

If you turn to the web, lots of managed WordPress hosting providers boast of being the best.

WP Engine is great for its hassle-free WordPress hosting characterized by fast and robust servers, automatic security updates, tier-security levels, and daily updates. 

SiteGround is not only among the most popular, but also one of the highest-rated WordPress hosts. Its greatest draws are super-fast servers, top-level security, round-the-clock support, automatic updates with free backups, and CDN among other amazing features. This host also has its servers all over Europe, Asia, America, Canada, and Australia. 

Bluehost is arguably the most recommended WordPress hosting provider. It has everything, from 5-star support, free domain name, free SSL and free CDN, to a hacker-proof firewall and crazy beginner discounts. 

DreamHost, GoDaddy, and Liquid Web are some other WordPress hosting companies that have made a name in this crowded industry. DigitalOcean, however, has some specific reasons why it’s a perfect alternative to each of the aforementioned. 

What Makes DigitalOcean a Viable Option for WordPress?

When you choose DigitalOcean for your WordPress, you automatically switch to a simple, no-frills hosting platform. It gets even better if you aren’t a beginner and wouldn’t prefer a managed VPS.  

DigitalOcean is a shared cloud hosting platform that deploys virtual servers for businesses to conveniently enjoy on-demand access to shared resources over the web. Ideally, it is a choice best used by developers and techie individuals who have technical expertise on the working of its console. 

For non-tech-savvy individuals hosting their WordPress with DigitalOcean, however, there’s an extra layer known as ServerPilot whose role is to enable seamless control of the server. So, even though it isn’t as beginner-friendly as other hosts, it is reliably excellent. 

A Review of DigitalOcean – Main Features

You will determine whether this cloud WordPress hosting is great for your needs from its features and perhaps how it compares with the conventional hosts. Before you understand its core features, though, three major factors make DigitalOcean remarkable. 

1. Droplets & Block Storage – it is a special name given to servers with each starting at a paltry $5 a month. With block storage, you easily add extra storage to droplets whenever you need to. These additional blocks are different from the droplets and ideally serve to protect your droplet in case of a hardware failure. 
2. Teams – it is a special feature that enables the sharing of accounts as well as resources between several teams and projects. The essence of Teams feature is to bring about smooth streamlined services on specific aspects of the organization. 
3. Resilient, super-fast performance – DigitalOcean delivers using tier-1 bandwidth. During those instances when there’s performance dwindle, load balancers come in handy and help enhance the reliability of the droplets. 
4. One-click WordPress Install – this’ probably the best feature amongst those who choose DigitalOcean to host their WordPress. And it isn’t just WordPress – you may install pretty much any app, script or CMS in one click.

Performance and Ease of Use

Affordable, competitive pricing

DigitalOcean operates in a field of blue-chips, including AWS. But its greatest attraction is the lowest pricing points – possibly the lowest among cloud hosting platforms. It starts with $5 a month for a server with a host of characteristics, including pay-per-hour usage, free setup, and plans starting at just $0.0007 an hour. 

Each $5 droplet comes with 1GB RAM, 25GB of SSD storage, guaranteed 1TB bandwidth, one unit of vCPU power, and an impressive cumulative price of $60 a year. 

Breezy WordPress installation

It appears a lot like DigitalOcean is specifically designed for WordPress hosting. Creating a VPS server is a breeze and you only need to specify a package of your choice and you are good to go. Just a few clicks and you are done installing the software. 

Scalability: Dynamic Resizing

It is so easy to resize a droplet on DigitalOcean. Remember, resizing gives you a little room and it’s something you can do with ease. You can also upgrade from the cheapest plan to the highest available and get 192 GB of RAM, 3.75TB of SSD disk space, and a whopping 12TB bandwidth speed. 

Performance and Uptime

It would be unfair to talk about DigitalOcean WordPress hosting and fail to touch on the general performance. On DigitalOcean Droplets installed with Virtualmin or EasyEngine for DNS management, the results speak for themselves. Sites load in under a second – super-fast – while on stress tests using loadimpact, the results were excellent. 

You also choose your server location

That’s right; DigitalOcean is one of the few WordPress hosts that allow you to specify your preferred server location. If you know that a majority of your users would originate from a particular area, this feature will most definitely go well with you. 

So, is DO Good for WordPress Hosting?

Affordable cloud hosting services for WordPress as well as the ease of setting up describe the whole experience of choosing DigitalOcean. Users get a classic user-friendly interface with a management panel, a cluster of cloud servers, and a vibrant online community. 

It is important to mention that with this managed VPS, everything is pretty much a DIY affair and help from the support is limited. You bend over to handle everything and only have the resources for guidance. So if that is not your thing, it is better if you look into some of the DigitalOcean alternatives listed on MamboServer which are more suitable for beginners.