Question

Run shell script on droplet using API

Hey, is there a way I can run a shell script I created on my droplet through the API?

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Bobby Iliev
Site Moderator
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• March 19, 2023

Hi there,

You can run a shell script during the Droplet creation process using the user-data option described here:

https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/droplets/how-to/provide-user-data/

Once the Droplet is created, the DigitalOcean API would not have access to run any commands on the Droplet itself, as the Droplets are unmanaged meaning that only you would have root access to them.

You could run your shell scripts in a variety of different ways:

  • Use an automation tool like Ansible for example
  • Run the shell scripts via SSH, you can do that without actually connecting to the server first and then running the script, but instead use the following:
ssh root@server_ip 'bash -s' < ./location_to_your_script_on_the_server.sh

There are other wise of doing this as well, feel free to share more information about your use case and I will be happy to make more suggestions!

Best,

Bobby

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