Free Control Panels for Your Unmanaged VPS: Options and Things to Know

An Unmanaged VPS comes without a control panel. If you'd like a web interface for creating sites, databases, SSL certificates and (sometimes) email, you can install a free panel yourself. This guide compares the popular options neutrally and explains how to install one safely.

Your choice, your responsibility: these panels are third-party software. You install, update and secure them; FimuroHost does not support their configuration on an Unmanaged VPS. If you want a panel that we look after for you, choose a Managed VPS, which includes StackCP.

Which VPS is this for? These steps are for an Unmanaged VPS, where you log in as root and look after the server yourself. On a Managed VPS we take care of the operating system and server software, and you manage your websites in StackCP instead.

Popular free panels at a glance

Commercial panels such as cPanel/WHM or Plesk need a paid licence. If you are interested in one, ask our Sales team whether it can be provided with your VPS before installing it.

Before you install

• Start from a fresh operating system. Panels expect a clean server and configure Nginx/Apache, PHP, MariaDB and the firewall themselves. Installing one on a server where you already set up a LEMP stack usually breaks both. If needed, reinstall first: How to Reboot or Reinstall Your VPS Operating System.
• Pick an OS the panel supports before reinstalling. Most free panels prefer Debian or Ubuntu LTS.
• Check the RAM requirement against your plan, especially if you want email with spam and virus filtering.
• Set a proper hostname such as panel.example.com and point an A record at the VPS, so the panel can get its own SSL certificate.
• Uninstalling a panel cleanly is rarely possible; the usual way back is an OS reinstall. Choose carefully.

General installation steps

1. Log in as root (or with sudo -i) and fully update the system: apt update && apt upgrade -y or dnf upgrade -y. Reboot if a new kernel was installed.
2. Copy the install command from the panel's official documentation only. Installer commands change, and copies on random blogs may be outdated or malicious. For example, HestiaCP's documented method is:

   wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hestiacp/hestiacp/release/install/hst-install.sh
   bash hst-install.sh
   
                           
                       

3. Run it inside screen or tmux (apt install screen, then screen) so the installation continues if your SSH connection drops.
4. At the end, the installer prints the login URL, username and password. Save them in your password manager.
5. Open the panel port in your firewall if the installer didn't, preferably only for your IP address.

Securing the panel

• Enable two-factor authentication for the panel admin account.
• Restrict the panel port to your own IP where possible, for example sudo ufw allow from 198.51.100.7 to any port 8443 proto tcp.
• Keep the panel updated using its built-in updater, and keep automatic OS security updates on (guide).
• Use the panel's own firewall page if it has one, instead of mixing it with manual UFW or firewalld rules.
• Set up off-server backups; a panel's local backups disappear with the server. See How to Back Up Your VPS.

FAQ

Can I use StackCP on my Unmanaged VPS?

StackCP is included with Managed VPS plans only. Moving from Unmanaged to Managed is a migration rather than an upgrade; see Managed vs Unmanaged VPS.

Which panel should a beginner pick?

For websites only, CloudPanel is simple and fast. If you also want to host email on the same server, HestiaCP covers web, mail and DNS. Whichever you choose, read its documentation first.

Will a panel make my server secure automatically?

No. It helps, but you still need strong passwords, updates, a firewall and backups.

Need help?

If something about the VPS itself is not working (it won't start, you can't reach it, or you need console access, an upgrade or a reinstall), open a support ticket from your client area or message us on WhatsApp at 01818160926. Include your VPS IP address and what you have already tried so we can help faster.