Hosting Node.js API on DigitalOcean Droplets
Pricing data as of 2026-08-28 · refreshed weekly
Nothing bundledDIY: cdn, image opt, edge, ssl, previews, auto-deploy
DigitalOcean Droplets is a vps platform. Node.js API needs roughly 512MB RAM for a production server process, so the cheapest plan that actually fits depends on your traffic. Below is the cheapest DigitalOcean Droplets plan that fits each traffic level, computed from current list prices.
Note: the 512MB figure is for serving the built app. Production builds (next buildand friends) are heavier and belong in CI or on your laptop — run them on the same small instance and you'll hit out-of-memory errors that say nothing about its serving capacity.
Cheapest fitting plan by traffic
| Traffic | Plan | $/month | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hobby / side project (~5,000/mo) | Basic 512MB | $4 | 10GB SSD |
| Startup / small business (~50,000/mo) | Basic 512MB | $4 | 10GB SSD |
| E-commerce (~200,000/mo) | Basic 1GB | $6 | 25GB SSD |
| High traffic (~1,000,000/mo) | Basic 2GB | $12 | 50GB SSD |