Probably due to optimization of the conversion funnel, it's VERY easy to build things on DigitalOcean without understanding that - unlike many other *-as-a-service - droplets do not include backups and that is your responsibility. As a sysadmin, this is fine since I don't trust a single provider for both prod and backups anyhow, but I fear for those who are just getting started and don't realize this.
I agree that DO handled this situation appropriately, but they should warn people a little more deliberately when they sign up and create a droplet. A checkbox along the lines of "I, user, understand that I'm responsible for backing up my server", with a few links to some how-to articles of the excellent quality that DO is known for, would suffice and empower without reducing the conversion rate.
I would really hope that the presence of a "Backups" checkbox on the droplet creation page is enough to tell the (presumably tech-savvy) user that backups don't happen unless you check that box.
That's fine, but they didn't introduce this functionality until recently. One day, I logged into my DO console (I don't have a reason to do this very often), and saw a new backup tab. Older customers might not even be aware.
I don't host anything I couldn't live without though, so I'm not really worried.
The functionality has been there for a long time. It's possible the checkbox on droplet creation is new, and it used to require activating backups afterwards, I don't recall.
That's probably wise, I really should do the same. My important stuff is in git with a remote repository, but losing all my configuration and setup would still not be great.
SolusVM — software that powers the majority of VPS range (I would love to argue how DO isn't anything cloud) provides providers with backups out-of-the-box. It's a matter of them setting it up, and usually almost always is. If it's not, well, you're probably with someone who hasn't an idea what they're doing.
I agree that DO handled this situation appropriately, but they should warn people a little more deliberately when they sign up and create a droplet. A checkbox along the lines of "I, user, understand that I'm responsible for backing up my server", with a few links to some how-to articles of the excellent quality that DO is known for, would suffice and empower without reducing the conversion rate.