DigitalOcean

Create one Droplet with a reserved IP and Cloud Firewall, then install the recommended Caddy stack.

Use DigitalOcean's current Droplet quickstart alongside this page; image names, plans, UI labels, and prices can change.

Create the Droplet

1. Select a current Ubuntu LTS or Debian image.
2. Choose a plan meeting the Bearicorn starting requirements.
3. Select a region near the people using the hub.
4. Use SSH-key authentication.
5. Add enough persistent disk for the database and encrypted attachments.

Create the Cloud Firewall

DigitalOcean Cloud Firewalls run outside the Droplet and block traffic that is not explicitly permitted. Add:

Protocol	Port	Source
SSH	22	Your trusted public IP or network
HTTP	80	All IPv4 and IPv6
HTTPS	443	All IPv4 and IPv6

Assign the firewall to the Droplet. Do not allow PostgreSQL 5432 or application port 8080.

See the current Cloud Firewall documentation.

Reserve the address and configure DNS

Assign a Reserved IP to the Droplet so the DNS target remains stable. At your DNS provider, create an A record pointing the hub hostname to that address.

Verify it from your computer:

dig +short chat.example.com

Install Bearicorn

1. Connect with SSH.
2. Install Docker on Debian or Ubuntu.
3. Follow the quick start.
4. Set CADDY_SITE_ADDRESS to the DNS hostname.

Before inviting users, create a logical PostgreSQL backup. Droplet snapshots are a useful second layer, not a substitute for a tested database backup.