There are a few ways that you can create Droplet’s pre-configured with the software and applications you want. The first would be to use a “cloud-config” script to pre-install and configure what you need on first boot. The scripts can be entered when you create the Droplet:

This allows you to write reusable scripts that will get you up and running quickly. Check out this GitHub repo for a number of examples: https://github.com/digitalocean/do_user_scripts

Another option for creating a pre-configured Droplets is to take a snaphot of one that you’ve already set up. You can then use that as the base for any new Droplets that you create. For more general info on snapshots, see this tutorial: DigitalOcean Backups and Snapshots Explained.

You can also automate the process with tools like Packer, which help you build reusable Droplet Snapshots. See: How To Create DigitalOcean Snapshots Using Packer on Ubuntu 16.04