Hestia Control Panel is a free and open-source web hosting control panel designed to provide an easy way to manage websites, email accounts, DNS, and other server functions. It’s a lightweight and user-friendly alternative to other control panels like cPanel or Plesk. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of installing Hestia on an Ubuntu 18.04 server.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, make sure your server meets the following requirements:
- Ubuntu 18.04 Server with a minimum of 1 GB of RAM and 10 GB of free disk space.
- A non-root user with sudo privileges.
- Fully qualified domain name (FQDN) configured for your server (e.g.,
panel.yourdomain.com
). - Basic firewall configuration (optional but recommended).
Let’s get started!
Step 1: Update Your System
Before installing any new software, it’s always a good idea to ensure your server’s package list is up to date. Run the following commands:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
Once the update completes, restart your server if required:
sudo reboot
Step 2: Install Required Packages
Hestia Control Panel requires some essential packages like curl
, wget
, and sudo
. Install them using the following command:
sudo apt install -y curl wget sudo
Step 3: Download and Install Hestia
Now, it’s time to download the Hestia installation script. Run the command below to fetch it:
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hestiacp/hestiacp/release/install/hst-install.sh
Once downloaded, make the script executable:
chmod +x hst-install.sh
Step 4: Run the Installation Script
Execute the installation script with the following command:
sudo ./hst-install.sh
The script will ask you a few questions to customize the installation. You can choose the following options based on your needs:
- Web Server: Choose between Apache and Nginx, or select both for a combined setup.
- Database Server: Choose MySQL (default).
- FTP Server: Optional, useful if you want FTP access.
- DNS Server: Install Bind if you plan to manage DNS through Hestia.
- Mail Server: Optional, select this if you plan to host email accounts.
- Firewall: The installer will offer to configure the UFW firewall.
To install with default settings, run the script with the --force
option:
sudo ./hst-install.sh --force
Once you confirm your options, the installer will start downloading and setting up Hestia. This process can take several minutes.
Step 5: Access Hestia Control Panel
After the installation is complete, the script will provide you with the login details, including the admin username and password, as well as the URL to access your Hestia Control Panel. It typically looks something like this:
https://your-server-ip:8083
Make sure to copy down the admin password and visit the URL in your browser. You’ll need to accept the self-signed SSL certificate to access the login page.
Step 6: Configure Firewall Rules (Optional)
If you have a firewall enabled on your server, you will need to allow access to Hestia’s web interface port (8083). Use the following command to open the required port:
sudo ufw allow 8083/tcp
Then, check if UFW is running and restart it to apply changes:
sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw reload
Step 7: Log In to Hestia
Open a web browser and navigate to the URL provided during installation (e.g., https://your-server-ip:8083
). Enter the default admin username and password to log in.
Once inside the Hestia dashboard, you’ll be able to create new websites, manage domains, set up databases, and perform other server management tasks.
Step 8: Post-Installation Tasks
- Change Admin Password: It’s a good practice to change the default admin password immediately after logging in.
- Update Hestia: Keep Hestia updated to benefit from security patches and new features.
- Backup Configuration: Regularly back up your configurations, especially before making major changes to your setup.
Conclusion
Hestia Control Panel is a robust and user-friendly solution for managing websites, email accounts, and databases on your Ubuntu 18.04 server. By following the steps above, you can easily install and start using Hestia to manage your server efficiently.
Now that you have Hestia set up, you can explore its various features and start hosting websites with ease. Whether you’re managing a small server or multiple domains, Hestia provides a streamlined interface to get everything running smoothly.