DigitalOcean App Platform

DigitalOcean App Platform is a fully managed Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) solution that eliminates infrastructure management complexity, allowing developers to focus entirely on building great applications. Deploy containerized apps, static sites, and backend services directly from your GitHub, GitLab, or container registry with automatic builds, deployments, and scaling.

Zero Infrastructure Management

Say goodbye to server configuration, security patches, and infrastructure maintenance. App Platform handles the entire stack - from container orchestration to SSL certificates, from health checks to automatic failover. Simply connect your code repository, define your build settings, and App Platform takes care of everything else. Your applications run on a reliable, scalable infrastructure without you managing a single server.

Deploy in Minutes, Not Hours

Transform your development workflow with lightning-fast deployments:

• Git integration - Connect GitHub or GitLab repositories for automatic deployments on every push

• Container support - Deploy Docker containers from DigitalOcean Container Registry or Docker Hub

• Auto-detection - Intelligent buildpack detection for Node.js, Python, Go, PHP, Ruby, and more

• Preview environments - Automatically create temporary deployments for pull requests

• Rollback capability - Instantly revert to previous stable versions with one click

Built-in Best Practices

App Platform implements production-ready features automatically:

• Free SSL certificates - Automatic HTTPS with Let's Encrypt for all custom domains

• HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 - Latest protocols for maximum performance

• Global CDN - Static assets served from edge locations worldwide

• Health checks - Automatic monitoring and restart of unhealthy containers

• Zero-downtime deployments - Rolling updates ensure continuous availability

• DDoS protection - Enterprise-grade security included at no extra cost

Flexible Application Components

Build complex applications using multiple component types:

• Web Services - Backend APIs and web applications with public HTTP endpoints

• Worker Services - Background jobs, queue processors, and scheduled tasks

• Static Sites - Deploy 3 static sites free, perfect for React, Vue, Next.js, or Gatsby

• Databases - Connect managed PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, or Redis with one click

• Jobs - Run scheduled or on-demand tasks like cron jobs and batch processing

Cost-Effective Pricing Options

Start free and scale as you grow:

• Free tier - 3 static sites included at no cost, perfect for portfolios and documentation

• Basic plans - Starting at $5/month for containerized applications

• Professional plans - From $12/month with enhanced performance and scaling

• Transparent billing - Clear per-resource pricing with no hidden costs

• Auto-scaling costs - Pay only for the resources your app actually uses

Developer Experience Excellence

Tools designed for modern development workflows:

• Environment variables - Secure configuration management with encryption at rest

• Build customization - Custom Dockerfile support and build command configuration

• Log streaming - Real-time application logs accessible via dashboard or CLI

• CLI integration - Manage apps from your terminal with doctl command-line tool

• API access - Programmatic deployment and management through REST API

• Metrics dashboard - Monitor CPU, memory, and bandwidth usage in real-time

Automatic Scaling

Handle traffic spikes effortlessly with intelligent auto-scaling. Define minimum and maximum instance counts, and App Platform automatically adjusts capacity based on CPU and memory utilization. Your applications maintain performance during peak loads while minimizing costs during quiet periods. Horizontal scaling adds instances within seconds, ensuring users never experience downtime or degraded performance.

Multi-Region Deployment

Deploy applications closer to your users across DigitalOcean's global infrastructure. Choose from data centers in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and more. Multi-region deployments reduce latency, improve user experience, and provide geographic redundancy for business-critical applications.

Seamless Integrations

Connect your applications to essential services:

• Managed Databases - Automatic connection strings for PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, and Redis

• Spaces Object Storage - S3-compatible storage for media files and user uploads

• Monitoring - Built-in metrics and alerting without additional configuration

• Container Registry - Private Docker image hosting integrated seamlessly

• VPC networking - Secure private communication between App Platform and Droplets

Perfect for Modern Frameworks

Optimized support for popular frameworks and tools:

• Node.js - Express, NestJS, Next.js with automatic dependency installation

• Python - Django, Flask, FastAPI with pip package management

• Go - Native Go compilation with module support

• Ruby - Rails, Sinatra with bundler integration

• PHP - Laravel, Symfony with composer support

• Java - Spring Boot and other JVM-based frameworks

• Static Site Generators - Hugo, Jekyll, 11ty, Docusaurus

Enterprise-Grade Security

Security features built into every deployment:

• Automatic security updates - OS and runtime patches applied automatically

• Network isolation - Applications run in isolated network environments

• Secret management - Encrypted storage for API keys and sensitive configuration

• Access control - Team-based permissions and role management

• Audit logs - Complete history of deployments and configuration changes

• Compliance ready - Infrastructure meets SOC 2 Type II and GDPR requirements

Ideal Use Cases

App Platform excels for various application types:

• Microservices - Deploy multiple services with independent scaling and deployment

• API backends - RESTful and GraphQL APIs with automatic load balancing

• Jamstack sites - Static frontends with serverless functions for dynamic features

• SaaS applications - Multi-tenant web applications with database connections

• Mobile backends - APIs powering iOS and Android applications

• E-commerce platforms - Online stores with payment processing integration

• Internal tools - Admin dashboards and business automation applications

Simplified CI/CD Pipeline

App Platform replaces complex CI/CD tooling with intelligent automation. Every git push triggers builds and deployments automatically. Failed builds prevent broken code from reaching production. Environment-specific branches deploy to staging or production environments based on your configuration. Preview deployments for pull requests enable thorough testing before merging changes.

🆘 Support and Resources

Comprehensive documentation, sample applications, and tutorials help you get started quickly. Community support through forums and extensive knowledge base. Professional support plans available for production applications requiring guaranteed response times and architectural guidance. Migration assistance helps teams transition from Heroku, AWS, or other platforms.