• I migrated this blog from NYC to Frankfurt, Germany so it's now powered by 100% renewable energy. It's a small step towards making my blog more sustainable and I documented the process so you can migrate your Digital Ocean droplets to sustainable regions powered by renewable energy.


• While writing that post, I wondered if it would actually help anyone or make a difference. Chris used my guide to migrate his blog to renewable energy sources. Progress!


• On the topic of waste - Gerry McGovern wrote a great article you should read called Cloudwaste. We never think about the cost of a search (after all, it's "free") - not quite.

Google estimates that carrying out a single search takes about 0.0003 kWh (1080 joules) of energy. That’s the equivalent of leaving a 60-watt bulb on for 17 seconds. In 1999, it was estimated that there were one billion searches on Google. In 2019, there were 5.2 billion searches a day, and 1.9 trillion searches a year. That’s the equivalent of leaving a 60-watt bulb on for one million years.

• I set a goal to run 40km this month and I managed to smash that goal running a total of 60.9km (37.8 miles) in August. I'd like to match the same distance in September. Hopefully it will be a bit easier as summer winds down.


• I finally bit the bullet and am trying out Apple TV+. I haven't had a chance to watch what I actually want to watch (Greyhound, and the Beastie Boys documentary, but I have been enjoying watching Snoopy in Space with my son. In the first few episodes Snoopy goes to Johnson Space Center and they go to Space Center Houston. I used to live across the street from JSC and in the area for a number of years, and it was fun to see that they took the time to accurately depict the buildings.


• Leo got his first proper haircut. The hairstylist used to specialize in kids cuts when she was first starting, so she's a pro. She's even got a barber chair that is shaped like a sports car. Leo didn't flinch or cry or anything until she got out the hairdryer. He didn't like that.

Nice run along the Izumi-river. Lots of trees, some parks. 🏃🙌🏻🌳

As part of my process of improving the sustainability of the digital things I run, including this blog, I'm moving my servers from Digital Ocean's NYC1 datacenter to their Frankfurt datacenter. The Frankfurt datacenter is co-located at Interxion, and is powered by 100% renewable energy.

Below is a quick overview of the steps required to move your existing droplet to Frankfurt (or London, or Amsterdam) so it can be powered by 100% renewable energy. Including the time to take a snapshot, the process took me about 15 minutes.

For other tips related to improving the sustainability of your sites, read designing sustainable digital products.

1. Update your DNS TTL (Time To Live) Settings

Moving your droplet will mean getting a new ip address. Reducing your DNS' TTL settings prior to moving your droplet will help ensure minimal downtime as DNS servers update their record of your new home. I set mine to 2 minutes.

2. Make a Snapshot of your Server

While Digital Ocean allows you to make Live Snapshots, for anything stateful (like a blog, or application), it's best to shutdown your server before making the snapshot to ensure that no data is missed.

1. Select your droplet in admin console.


2. Select the power sub-menu and click the Turn off button. This takes a minute or two.


3. Once shut down, click the snapshots submenu.


4. Click the take snapshot button. This took about 8 minutes to complete the snapshot.

3. Move Your Snapshot to Frankfurt

By default Snapshots are only available in the region in which they were created. In order to start a new droplet in a different region you'll first need to transfer it.

1. Select the Images menu in the admin console.


2. Find your Snapshot in the list and click the More button.


3. Select Add to region and select "FRA1" for Frankfurt. It should only take a minute or two, depending on the size of your droplet.

4. Create a New Droplet

Create a new Droplet. In first step where you select an image, rather than selecting an operating system, click the snapshots tab and select your new snapshot. Other options should match your existing droplet. Select the region "Frankfurt 1" and finally click Create Droplet.

5. Update DNS

Once your server has been provisioned, you'll see the ip address. Update your DNS records to reflect the new ip. With the lowered TTL settings, it should be near instantaneous. My DNS updated before the server was even finished booting.

6. Confirm it's Working and Delete your Old Droplet

Once the server is online and DNS is updated, you should be able to access it just like nothing has changed. After you've confirmed it's working properly, delete your old droplet so you are no longer charged for it.

I've always enjoyed using Digital Oceanand being able to host with them using 100% renewable energy ensures that I'll be a customer for years to come.

Short run after work.