ENBM
Academyacademy / hermes-101 / create-vps

Create Your VPS

Station 4 - Server created. Time: 25-35 min. You create the cloud server. Pass when the DigitalOcean summary shows the correct plan and you have the server IP.

What this is

A VPS is the rented computer where Hermes will live. In this pilot, the VPS is a DigitalOcean Droplet running Ubuntu LTS in Singapore.

Why it matters

Hermes needs a home. The VPS is that home. If everyone in the workshop uses the same server type, the facilitator can help the room move together instead of debugging many different cloud providers.

We are not choosing the absolute cheapest server. We are choosing the cheapest server that is still beginner-safe enough for Hermes 101.

What to do

Use this exact DigitalOcean path unless your facilitator changes it live. Keep the Command Sheet open in another tab during setup.

  1. Open DigitalOcean and click Create Droplet.
  2. Choose region: Singapore SGP1.
  3. Choose image: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS x64. If 24.04 is unavailable, choose Ubuntu 22.04 LTS x64.
  4. Choose plan type: Basic.
  5. Choose CPU option: Regular. Premium AMD/Intel is not required for Hermes 101.
  6. Choose size: 1 vCPU, 2GB RAM, 50GB disk, 2TB transfer.
  7. Confirm the summary shows slug: s-1vcpu-2gb.
  8. Confirm the price is around $12/month or $0.018/hour.
  9. Authentication: choose SSH Key. If you do not have one yet, create it in the next step below before creating the Droplet.
  10. Name the Droplet something simple, for example: hermes101-yourname.
  11. Leave optional paid add-ons off for the workshop unless the facilitator says otherwise.
  12. Click Create Droplet only after the facilitator confirms your summary is correct.
  13. Copy the public IPv4 address when the Droplet is ready.

Stop before you click Create Droplet if you do not already have an SSH key selected in DigitalOcean. Create or paste the public key first. Do not create the Droplet without a login method.

Expected DigitalOcean summary:

Reference

Plan Type: Basic
CPU Option: Regular
vCPU: 1
RAM: 2 GB
Disk: 50 GB
Bandwidth: 2 TB
Slug: s-1vcpu-2gb
Total cost: $12.00/month

SSH key setup

An SSH key is a safer login method than a password. It has two parts:

  • Public key: safe to paste into DigitalOcean.
  • Private key: stays on your laptop. Never paste this into websites, chats, screenshots, or GitHub.

If you already have an SSH key, you can use it. If not, create one from your laptop terminal.

Create a new key:

Terminal command
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "hermes101"

When it asks where to save the key, press Enter to accept the default.

When it asks for a passphrase, follow your facilitator. For a workshop, the facilitator may allow pressing Enter twice to keep setup simple. For personal long-term use, a passphrase is safer.

Show your public key.

Windows PowerShell:

Terminal command
type $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519.pub

Mac, Linux, or WSL:

Terminal command
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Copy the full public key line into DigitalOcean's SSH key field. It usually starts with ssh-ed25519.

Do not copy the private key file.

Record your server details

Reference

VPS provider: DigitalOcean
Region: Singapore SGP1
Plan: Basic Regular, 1 vCPU, 2GB RAM, 50GB disk
Droplet name:
IP address:
Ubuntu version:
Monthly VPS cost:
SSH key selected? Yes / No

Common mistakes

  • Choosing the 512MB RAM plan because it is cheaper.
  • Choosing Premium CPU because it sounds better. Regular is enough.
  • Choosing a non-Ubuntu image.
  • Pasting the private SSH key instead of the public key.
  • Forgetting to select an SSH key before creating the Droplet.
  • Creating more than one Droplet by accident.
  • Losing the IP address before the SSH step.

Next step

Go to Connect With SSH.