aaPanel Beginner

What is aaPanel? Overview for UnderHost VPS customers

aaPanel is a free, open-source server control panel for Linux VPS. Manage websites, Nginx or Apache, PHP versions, MySQL databases, FTP, cron jobs,

UnderHost NOC Network Operations

5 min read Updated June 2026

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What is aaPanel?
Who it is for
Key features
Web server options
aaPanel vs CloudPanel
Limitations to know

aaPanel is a free, open-source Linux server control panel. It gives you a graphical interface for managing websites, web servers, PHP, MySQL databases, FTP, cron jobs, and firewall rules-all from a browser. It is one of the most popular free server panels for VPS deployments worldwide.

What is aaPanel?

aaPanel (also known as BaoTa Panel or BT Panel) is maintained by an open-source project and used by millions of server administrators globally. It installs on a VPS in minutes via a single command, then provides a web interface running on a custom port with a randomly generated path for security.

UnderHost VPS plans can be ordered with aaPanel pre-installed, or you can install it yourself on a fresh Linux VPS. See How to install aaPanel on Ubuntu.

Who aaPanel is for

aaPanel is a good fit if you:

Want a free, capable control panel without CloudPanel's Nginx-only constraint
Prefer to choose between Nginx, Apache, or OpenLiteSpeed for each server
Want built-in server monitoring (CPU, RAM, disk, bandwidth graphs)
Need a cron job manager, FTP management, and firewall-all in one place
Are comfortable managing a Linux VPS but want a panel to speed up common tasks

aaPanel is less suited for teams who need a polished modern UI or email hosting built into the panel.

Key features

Feature	Details
Web server	Nginx, Apache, or OpenLiteSpeed-choose on install, switch later
PHP versions	Install multiple versions; assign per website
SSL certificates	Let's Encrypt per website, with auto-renewal
Databases	MySQL / MariaDB with built-in phpMyAdmin
FTP	FTP account management (install FTP module from App Store)
Cron jobs	Built-in cron manager with shell and URL task types
File manager	Browser-based file manager with upload, edit, and archive support
Monitoring	Real-time and historical CPU, RAM, disk, and network graphs
Firewall	Built-in port and IP management
App Store	One-click installs for WordPress, phpMyAdmin, Node.js, Redis, and more

Web server options

aaPanel supports three web servers. You choose one during installation, though you can install additional ones later:

Web server	Best for
Nginx	High-performance static and PHP sites; most popular choice
Apache	Full `.htaccess` support; better compatibility with older PHP apps
OpenLiteSpeed	High performance with LSCache for WordPress; good for high-traffic sites

Unlike CloudPanel (Nginx only), aaPanel lets you run Apache if your applications rely on .htaccess functionality.

aaPanel vs CloudPanel

	aaPanel	CloudPanel
Cost	Free (some premium plugins exist)	Free
Web servers	Nginx, Apache, OpenLiteSpeed	Nginx only
UI style	Functional, tab-based dashboard	Modern, minimal sidebar
Server monitoring	✅ Built-in real-time graphs	Basic only
Email hosting	Optional mail module (complex)	Not built-in
.htaccess support	✅ With Apache	❌ Nginx only
Per-site PHP isolation	✅ PHP-FPM per site	✅ PHP-FPM per site

Limitations to know

Custom panel URL: aaPanel uses a random port and path for security. Losing the panel URL means locating it via SSH
Premium upsells: Some features (advanced WAF, malware scanner, monitoring alerts) require paid plugins. The free panel is functional for most use cases
Email server: Installing a mail server in aaPanel is possible but complex-not recommended unless you specifically need it
Requires a VPS: aaPanel cannot be installed on shared hosting
Self-managed: On unmanaged VPS plans, you are responsible for server security, updates, and configurations