What is a floating IP and how do I use it on Digital Ocean?

A floating IP is an IP address that can be easily assigned or reassigned to different droplets or resources within Digital Ocean's infrastructure. This feature enables users to maintain a static IP address for their applications or services, allowing for seamless failover and load balancing. The primary benefit of using a floating IP is that it provides a level of flexibility; if one droplet becomes unavailable, the floating IP can be quickly shifted to another droplet without requiring changes to the client-side configuration, thereby minimizing downtime. To use a floating IP on Digital Ocean, one must first access the Digital Ocean control panel. Users will find an option called "Networking" or "Floating IPs" within the dashboard. From there, users can create a floating IP by selecting a droplet from which to allocate the IP address. Once the floating IP is created, it can be directly assigned to a droplet. The process involves selecting the desired droplet and linking it to the floating IP address. If a user needs to change the droplet associated with the floating IP, they can do so easily through the same Networking section of the control panel. It is worth noting that floating IP addresses incur no charge as long as they are actively associated with a droplet. However, if they are reserved but not allocated to any droplet, there may be a nominal fee. For more specific instructions or updates regarding floating IPs on Digital Ocean, users may refer to the official Digital Ocean documentation available on their website.