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Question

Are floating IPs a safe choice for my needs?

I’m setting up a droplet that is going to serve many domains. I have to make a choice as to - which IP address should all these domains’ A record point to. So I need a permanent IP that I know I can safely keep forever and of course, the best would be to be able to change the droplet behind that IP address if any problem comes up.

So floating IP sounds like the only choice I have in DO and that is a good solution for me, but I need to know:

  1. Is there any chance I might lose that floating IP one day?
  2. Is there a better solution for me?
  3. What does asking for the fourth floating IP involve? Is it only going to cost some extra money or might this request just be rejected?
  4. Is it ever going to be possible to make sure that if I mistakenly release a floating IP, I could get it back?

Thanks in advance!

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Simon Bennett • September 20, 2020

Hello @alonLobster

  1. I would say its not likely however not impossible.
  2. DNS, if you can use DNS this removes the whole worry. You can configure everything to point to a DNS record, and then your free to change the IP as many times as you want, This would cover everything. Floating IPs are great for what they offer but you have not explained why you need a permanent IP.
  3. Sorry not sure, normally a good account standing for getting limits raised
  4. If you release anything and DO and someone else gets it, you will not be able to recover it.

Regards

Simon Founder and CEO - SnapShooter DigitalOcean Backups

cobaltdev • August 10, 2021

Hey @alonLobster This reply is almost a year later but here’s my two cents:

  1. Lose the floating IP? No, as long you don’t delete the Floating IP from the dashboard or your account is suspended. If the Floating IP is not assigned to a droplet then DO will charge for the IP reservation ($4/month as of Aug 2021). But, obviously, a Floating IP should be assigned, that’s the point and it’s free to use.

  2. Better solution? - I use Cloudflare to manage the DNS. Makes things much simpler from your perspective. Unless your clients won’t allow that. You can easily update IP addresses in the DNS records instantly you just need to point the domain’s NS records to Cloudflare. Plus they have a free plan with all the extras (DDoS protection, etc) that really does make it worth it. I know you said you don’t want to manage DNS, but using Cloudflare for my projects and clients has taken a lot of headache out of dealing with updating DNS records and messing with clunky domain registrars’ interfaces too. I also use a Floating IP on top of this to make it simpler for upgrades or changes to droplets if I need to crash one without having to update DNS.

  3. Extra Floating IP’s? - You can make a request for it. They may want to know how many you want but usually if it is within reason DO will accomodate you.

  4. Get an IP back? - Nope, once you crash a droplet or release a Floating IP you cannot get it back. So be sure you really don’t want to lose it before deleting it.

alonLobster • September 20, 2020

Hey Simon,

Just to clarify the DNS suggestion - do you mean using a DNS server and pointing all of the domains’ NS records to it?

I’m going to be serving many domains that I don’t own and I wouldn’t want to manage their DNS, so I need to be able to provide a safe and permanent IP address for their A records. If only I could point an A record to a resolvable host name whose IP I could change at any time, that would be perfect, but it’s impossible for all I know.

Thank you for your quick response!

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