How to set up digitalocean hosting?

Question

ubuntu

I bought hosting, they sent me data to the mail:

IP Address: 123.456.789.11
Username: root
Password: 0ce07940

I bought it to install a PHP script that will run every minute. (Cron Job)

As far as I understand, I need to install cpanel, php, etc. on the server, after which I can already install the script and run it?

Question 1: Does it make sense to use sites that offer automatic installation of packages that are basically needed? For example, I came across this site. Can someone recommend a better solution?
Question 2: Why can't I connect to my server via PuTTY? I enter the IP there and then I wait a long time and see Time out (the server is on). Through CMD I prescribe ping IP and it does not respond. The digitalocean has a console, I checked and it works.
Question 3: If it makes NO sense to use sites that offer installation and updates automatically, then tell me how can I set it all up from scratch if I have no experience in settings?)

Answer 1

Start by saying that you have published your login details on a public resource
Tell the server owners that they need to delete this droplet
You should start by deploying an Ubuntu virtual machine on your PC and start practicing on it
Also, just take it as an axiom - passwords are not used to access the VPS.
Large keys are used, preferably on an elliptic curve

Answer 2

DO has the cutest section with tutorials, where the process of installing Ubuntu, configuring it, installing LAMP, creating ssh keys, installing https, etc. is described step by step and perfectly accurately.
What do you want to hear here?

Answer 3

to periodically run the script, just add it to cron -
run crontab -e
and add the line
* * * * * /usr/bin/php /PATH/FOR/SCRIPT/script.php