How to add secret environment variables to droplets in Droplet Autoscale Pools

There are a few ways to do that:

1. Use User Data for Secure Initialization

Every new Droplet in your pool can run a startup script using User Data. This lets you fetch secrets securely at boot.

• Store your secrets in a secure location (like Doppler or an encrypted storage solution).
• Write a startup script that retrieves and exports them as environment variables.
• Add the script to User Data in your Autoscale Pool configuration, so it runs on every new Droplet.

📌 More on User Data: https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/droplets/how-to/provide-user-data/

2. Use Doppler for Secrets Management

Instead of managing secrets manually, Doppler can handle it for you. DigitalOcean even has a Doppler 1-click install 👉 Doppler Marketplace.

• Set up a Doppler project and store your secrets there.
• Install the Doppler CLI on your Droplets (either manually or via User Data), then authenticate with a service token. Doppler will inject your environment variables automatically.

- Bobby