Not Just Linux: DigitalOcean Adds FreeBSD Cloud Hosting Option

Linux may be the predominant open source operating system for the cloud, but it’s not the only one. That’s what open source SSD cloud host DigitalOcean has reminded the developer community this week with the announcement of FreeBSD hosting alongside Linux.

As seasoned Unix fans know, FreeBSD is an open source operating system similar to Linux. But FreeBSD users often tout their operating system’s more extensive documentation and strong focus on security and networking efficiency as its major draw as compared to Linux.

DigitalOcean says it decided to provide FreeBSD options on its cloud because the operating system “was highly requested by developers using the DigitalOcean platform.” In addition, the move allows the company to promote a more diverse set of choices for its customers.

“DigitalOcean will continue to give developers more options,” said Moisey Uretsky, co-founder and chief product officer of DigitalOcean. “FreeBSD differs from Linux in its history and philosophy; we want to continue shipping products our users are asking for.”

DigitalOcean, which said its hosting platform is “built for developers,” also offers the Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, CoreOS and Debian Linux distributions in its cloud, which is run entirely on SSD storage.