How to Run OpenBSD on a $4/Month DigitalOcean Droplet
DigitalOcean doesn't officially offer OpenBSD as a droplet image, but a recently published walkthrough shows how to get it running anyway on the platform's cheapest $4/month tier. The trick involves booting into a minimal Linux image, then using tools to write an OpenBSD installer directly to the disk, effectively hijacking the droplet's boot process to hand control over to BSD instead.
The guide covers the fiddly parts: getting console access working through DigitalOcean's web-based VNC-like interface, configuring networking correctly since cloud providers often expect Linux-style network setups, and making sure the installation survives a reboot.
It's a niche project, but one that appeals to sysadmins who prefer OpenBSD's security-focused design and minimalist philosophy for things like VPNs, firewalls, or small mail relays, without paying for a dedicated BSD-friendly host.