Noob question. Should I create separate droplets for each website?

Hello,

Great question! When considering hosting multiple domains on DigitalOcean, it’s also crucial to factor in the security implications. Let’s delve into this aspect along with the previously discussed topics.

No Hard Limits on Domains: Indeed, DigitalOcean allows you to host any number of domains on a single Droplet. This flexibility is one of the many advantages of their cloud infrastructure.

Understanding Resource Constraints: As mentioned earlier, each Droplet has limited CPU, RAM, and storage. Hosting multiple websites means these resources are shared, which can impact performance, especially if one site experiences high traffic or a resource-intensive process.

Security Considerations: When hosting multiple domains on a single Droplet, there’s an added dimension to consider: security. If one of the sites gets compromised (e.g., through a hack or a DDoS attack), it could potentially affect the other sites hosted on the same Droplet. Here’s why:

• Shared Resources and Environment: Since all the sites share the same server environment, a security breach in one site could expose others to risks like data theft, malware spread, or additional attacks.
• Maintenance and Updates: Keeping all sites secure requires diligent maintenance. A vulnerability in one site could be an entry point for attackers to the whole server.

Isolation Strategy: For enhanced security, especially when dealing with high-traffic or sensitive websites, consider using separate Droplets for each domain. This isolation approach offers several advantages:

• If one site is compromised, the others remain unaffected since they are on different servers.
• Each site can have resources tailored to its specific needs, improving performance.
• Managing security updates and configurations can be more straightforward when sites are isolated.

Setting Up Virtual Hosts: To host multiple domains, you’ll be setting up what’s known as virtual hosts. This is where you configure your web server to serve different content based on the requested domain name.

• Apache Example: In Apache, this is done through the <VirtualHost> directive in the configuration files. You specify the domain name and document root for each site. It looks something like this:

  <VirtualHost *:80>
      ServerName example.com
      DocumentRoot /var/www/example
  </VirtualHost>
  

https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-set-up-apache-virtual-hosts-on-ubuntu-20-04

• Nginx Example: With Nginx, you use the server block. You’ll define a server block for each domain, specifying the server name and the root directory. Here’s a basic example:

  server {
      listen 80;
      server_name example.com;
      root /var/www/example;
  }
  

https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-set-up-nginx-server-blocks-virtual-hosts-on-ubuntu-16-04

While hosting multiple domains on a single Droplet is feasible and resource-efficient, it’s important to weigh the security implications. Isolating domains on separate Droplets can offer greater security and performance customization, albeit at a higher cost. Always assess your needs and the sensitivity of your websites when deciding on your hosting strategy.

I hope this provides a clearer picture of the security considerations in multi-domain hosting!

Best,

Bobby