Cloud Providers
A single backend can serve multiple cloud providers at once. DigitalOcean and Hetzner Cloud are implemented: each is enabled by its credentials (DIGITALOCEAN_ACCESS_TOKEN or HCLOUD_TOKEN), and BOXHAVEN_BACKEND_PROVIDER selects the default for creates that do not request one. When unset, the first configured provider is the default (DigitalOcean when both are configured).
GET /v1/providers lists what a backend has configured, and bh create picks the backend default unless a provider is requested explicitly:
bh create work --provider hetzner
bh create work --provider digitalocean --region sfo3
bh create work --provider hetzner --region fsn1 --image 12345678--region and --image are passed through to the provider verbatim. Set a project-wide default with the provider key under [remote] in .boxhaven.toml or the global config.
DigitalOcean
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
DIGITALOCEAN_ACCESS_TOKEN | API token, enables the provider |
DIGITALOCEAN_REGION | Default nyc3 |
DIGITALOCEAN_SIZE | Default provider size for creates without an explicit tier, default s-2vcpu-4gb-amd |
DIGITALOCEAN_IMAGE | Base image fallback, default ubuntu-24-04-x64 |
DIGITALOCEAN_TAGS | Comma-separated tags, default boxhaven |
DIGITALOCEAN_VPC_UUID | Optional VPC UUID |
BOXHAVEN_REMOTE_IMAGE_DIGITALOCEAN (or legacy BOXHAVEN_REMOTE_IMAGE) | Golden snapshot id for new boxes |
Create-time tiers map to DigitalOcean AMD sizes: small is 2 vCPU / 4 GB, medium is 4 vCPU / 8 GB, and large is 8 vCPU / 16 GB. Numeric DigitalOcean snapshot ids are sent as image IDs when creating Droplets.
Hetzner Cloud
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
HCLOUD_TOKEN | API token, enables the provider |
HETZNER_LOCATION | Default nbg1 (also fsn1, hel1, sin) |
HETZNER_SERVER_TYPE | Default server type for creates without an explicit tier, default cpx22 |
HETZNER_IMAGE | Base image fallback, default ubuntu-24.04 |
BOXHAVEN_REMOTE_IMAGE_HETZNER | Golden snapshot id for new boxes |
Tiers map to cpx22 (small), cpx32 (medium), and cpx42 (large). The tier server types are not orderable in the US locations ash and hil; to use those, set HETZNER_SERVER_TYPE to a plan Hetzner offers there and create boxes without --tier.
Golden Snapshots
Providers create boxes from a prebuilt BoxHaven snapshot when the BOXHAVEN_REMOTE_IMAGE* variable for that provider is configured, or when a backend admin has activated a managed golden image for that provider with bh image activate. Machines created from these images are treated as backend-bootstrapped. Plain Ubuntu fallback images are not considered fully bootstrapped for normal CLI use; the CLI does not bootstrap plain hosts.
See Golden Images for managing images and Self-Hosting for the rest of the backend environment.