How to Install AApanel : A Step-by-Step Guide

aaPanel is a free, open-source web hosting control panel for Linux servers. It gives you a browser dashboard for websites, databases, SSL certificates, FTP and cron jobs, so you don't have to configure Nginx, Apache, MySQL and PHP by hand. aaPanel is third-party software that you install and maintain yourself on a VPS or server where you have root access. This guide covers a clean install, the first security steps and the everyday commands.

1. Before you start

Don't use an end-of-life system such as CentOS 7: it no longer gets security updates. On shared hosting (cPanel, DirectAdmin, Webuzo) you don't have root, and the server already has a control panel, so aaPanel can't be installed there.

2. Connect to your server

From a terminal on macOS or Linux, or PowerShell on Windows:

ssh [email protected]

Replace the address with your server's IP. If your server uses a non-root user with sudo, log in as that user and run sudo -i. Update the system before installing anything:

apt update && apt upgrade -y      # Ubuntu or Debian
dnf upgrade -y                    # AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux

3. Install aaPanel

The aaPanel download page publishes a one-line installer. A safer way to run it is to download the script over HTTPS first, look at it, then run it:

curl -fsSLO https://www.aapanel.com/script/install_panel_en.sh
less install_panel_en.sh
bash install_panel_en.sh

Check the download page for the current script name before you run this; it changes between major versions. Avoid variants of the command that turn off certificate checks, such as curl -k or wget --no-check-certificate.

The installer asks for confirmation, then takes several minutes. When it finishes, it prints:

• the panel address, including a random port and a secret path (the "security entrance");
• a username and password.

4. First login and web stack

5. Secure the panel

A control panel on the internet is a target. Do these on day one:

Also:

• Keep aaPanel updated. Control panels have had serious security flaws in the past. Install panel updates promptly, and update the system packages regularly.
• Use SSH keys for server login, and turn off password login once your key works. See how to generate SSH keys.
• Install only what you use. Every extra app from the aaPanel store is more software to patch.
• Keep backups off the server. aaPanel can schedule site and database backups; copy them somewhere else, because a backup on the same disk doesn't survive the loss of the server.

For a broader list, see the VPS security checklist.

6. Everyday commands

aaPanel installs a bt command for managing the panel from SSH:

bt            # open the management menu (restart, change password, change port and more)
bt default    # show the panel address and login account

Choose options from the menu by number. The panel's own files live under /www/server/panel, and websites are created under /www/wwwroot by default.

Useful checks when something goes wrong:

ss -tlnp                      # which ports are listening
tail -n 50 /www/wwwlogs/*.log # recent web server logs
df -h                         # free disk space

To remove aaPanel, use the uninstall option published by the aaPanel project for your version. Uninstalling leaves the web server, database and site files behind unless you remove them, so back up everything first. Often it is cleaner to reinstall the server's operating system.

7. When a panel isn't the right tool

A panel is handy for several PHP sites. For a single Node.js, Python or containerised application, a panel adds little and is one more thing to maintain. Consider running the app directly on the server, or on a platform that deploys it for you.

8. Where Domain India fits

Domain India doesn't supply or support aaPanel; it is third-party software you install and run yourself. A Domain India VPS is self-managed with full root access, so you can install aaPanel or any other panel on it. Prices on the card are live and exclude 18% GST.

If you would rather not run a server at all, shared hosting comes with a managed control panel, and the App Platform deploys Node.js apps and anything with a Dockerfile.

Ready to set up your server? Compare VPS plans, or if you'd rather have the server managed for you, compare cPanel hosting and the App Platform.