How to install a control panel on your VPS
Compare control panel options for VPS-cPanel, aaPanel, Webmin, and HestiaCP. Installation steps for aaPanel and HestiaCP on Ubuntu/AlmaLinux.
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A control panel gives you a graphical interface to manage your VPS without the command line. You can manage websites, email, databases, SSL, and DNS from a browser-similar to cPanel on shared hosting, but installed and managed by you.
Control panel options
| Panel | Cost | Best for | Supports |
|---|---|---|---|
| aaPanel | Free (open source) | Web developers, single-server setups | Ubuntu, Debian, AlmaLinux, CentOS |
| HestiaCP | Free (open source) | Hosting multiple domains with email | Ubuntu, Debian |
| Webmin | Free (open source) | Advanced Linux server management | Most Linux distros |
| cPanel/WHM | ~$20–30/month license | Resellers needing familiar cPanel UX | AlmaLinux, CloudLinux |
| DirectAdmin | From $2/month | Budget resellers | AlmaLinux, Debian, Ubuntu |
Install aaPanel
aaPanel installs in minutes on Ubuntu 20.04/22.04:
wget -O install.sh https://www.aapanel.com/script/install_6.0_en.sh
bash install.sh aapanelThe installer outputs your admin URL, username, and password. See the full guide: How to install aaPanel on Ubuntu
Install HestiaCP
HestiaCP on Ubuntu 22.04 (fresh install recommended):
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hestiacp/hestiacp/release/install/hst-install.sh
bash hst-install.shThe installer asks for your hostname, email, and which software to include (Apache/Nginx, PHP, MySQL, Exim). Choose according to your needs. Access the panel at https://your-server-ip:8083 after installation.
HestiaCP and aaPanel are best installed on a fresh OS with nothing else configured. Installing on a server that already has Apache, Nginx, or PHP will likely cause conflicts.
Webmin
Webmin provides a web interface to manage Linux system settings-users, packages, cron, firewall, network-but is not a web hosting panel. Install with:
curl -o setup-repos.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/webmin/webmin/master/setup-repos.sh
sh setup-repos.sh
apt install webmin --install-recommendsAccess at https://your-server-ip:10000.
cPanel on VPS
cPanel requires AlmaLinux or CloudLinux and a valid cPanel license. If you want cPanel on your VPS, open a support ticket to ask about cPanel-licensed VPS options-UnderHost can provision a VPS with cPanel/WHM pre-installed.
Need installation help?
Our NOC team can install and configure a control panel on your VPS.
