2011 founded Standing
cloud · digitalocean.com
DigitalOcean
the moat is real
15 years 80 days and counting
2011. Still the cloud you understand.
Why it lasted
- A droplet with a price you can hold in your head. That was the whole pitch versus AWS.
- Tutorials as distribution. A generation learned nginx on a DO box.
Times it almost ended
- The market moved upmarket and toward Kubernetes. DO followed, a bit late, and stayed the simple cloud.
What would finish it
- Hetzner and a functions platform eating the hobby, plus AWS making the first app as easy. The docs are the remaining moat.
Questions
Is DigitalOcean still up?
Yes, with a Standing verdict: the moat is real. Founded 2011.
How long has DigitalOcean been around?
DigitalOcean has been up since 2011-06-01.
Why did DigitalOcean survive?
A droplet with a price you can hold in your head. That was the whole pitch versus AWS.
Could DigitalOcean still die?
Hetzner and a functions platform eating the hobby, plus AWS making the first app as easy. The docs are the remaining moat.