Agreed, would have gone with their managed app platform if I was using one of the supported techs. For search I use a $5/mo meilisearch DO droplet that took almost no time to set up and I never have to pay attention to.
I'd actually use Caprover then manage my services using that... it's as close to a self-managed platform as you can get for one-click deploys.
Would you mind being more specific? Is it the price / functionality balance that makes DO fantastic?
Price and functionality. It’s incredibly easy to use, unlike AWS and Google Cloud. The downfall is that you have a bit less control, but that’s never been an issue for me. Their servers have been incredibly reliable, they offer managed databases now, load balancer, S3 compatible Spaces. Everything I’ve needed so far, predictable and affordable pricing, and none of the complexity.