Get Started with OpenAdmin

The OpenAdmin offers an administrator-level interface where you can efficiently handle tasks such as creating and managing users, setting up hosting plans, configuring backups, and editing OpenPanel settings.

Requirements​

Mimumum Requirements:

• A blank full virtual machine or bare metal server
• Minimum of 1GB RAM and 15GB storage (4GB RAM and 50GB is recommended)
• x86_64/amd64 architecture
• IPv4 address

Supported OS:

• AlmaLinux 9.4
• Fedora 40
• RockyLinux 9.4
• CentOS 9
• Ubuntu 22 and 24
• Debian 11 and 12

Installation​

The installation process takes about 5 minutes. To install openpanel follow these steps:

bash <(curl -sSL https://openpanel.org)

curl -X POST -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
     -H 'Authorization: Bearer '$TOKEN'' -d \
    '{"name":"choose_a_name","region":"nyc3","size":"s-2vcpu-4gb","image":"openpanel"}' \
    "https://api.digitalocean.com/v2/droplets"

Post Install Steps​

Recommended steps after installing OpenPanel:

• access admin panel
• set domain for accessing panels
• set custom nameservers
• create a hosting plan
• create a new user account
• set admin email for server alerts

Access OpenAdmin​

Run opencli admin command to find the address on which admin panel is accessible. Example output:

root@server:/home# opencli admin
● AdminPanel is running and is available on: https://server.openpanel.co:2087/

To login to admin panel you need a username and password.

Both username and password are random generated on installation.

To view admin accounts:

opencli admin list

To set a new password for the admin account run command: opencli admin password USER_HERE NEW_PASSWORD_HERE

Example:

root@server:/home# opencli admin password stefan ba63vfav7fq36vas
Password for user 'stefan' changed.

===============================================================
● AdminPanel is running and is available on: https://server.openpanel.co:2087/

- username: stefan
- password: ba63vfav7fq36vas

===============================================================

Enable Automatic Updates​

• autopatch option allows Administrator to automatically update OpenPanel to minor versions. MINOR versions include only security updates and bug fixes.
• autoupdate option allows Aministrator to enable or disable automatic updates to major versions. MAJOR versions add new functionality in a backward compatible manner.

opencli config update autoupdate yes

opencli config update autopatch yes

Disable Automatic Updates​

opencli config update autoupdate no

opencli config update autopatch no

Manual Updates​

When a new update is available, you will receive a notification in the admin panel.

• With OpenAdmin
• With OpenCLI

To manually update OpenPanel, navigate to OpenAdmin > General Settings and click on the "Update Now" button. NOTE: update is visible only if newer version is available.

Step 1.	Step 2.

License​

OpenPanel is available in two editions:

• OpenPanel Community edition is a free version of the panel that is limited to 3 user accounts and 50 domains, which should be more than enough for personal use.
• OpenPanel Enterprise edition unlocks premium features for user isolation and management, suitable for web hosting providers. It has API access and can easily be integrated with 3rd party billing tools like WHMCS and FOSSBilling.

OpenPanel Community VS Enterprise

Security​

OpenPanel has been built from the ground up with security in mind. Internet history is littered with painful security incidents, so we traded old software compatibility and insecure authentication methods for modern day security measures.

OpenPanel Security features:

• Each user container is isolated by Docker.
• Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) can be activated by users.
• phpMyAdmin and WebTerminal offer auto-login using one-time tokens.
• Users' public services (SSH, MySQL) are accessible via non-standard ports.
• All user actions on the panel are stored in activity log.
• Bruteforce protection and rate limiting are implemented for all panel pages.
• The user panel is segregated from the admin panel and websites.
• All user panel requests are processed in the backend.

OpenAdmin Security features:

• The admin panel can be entirely disabled while retaining all functionality.
• HTTP Basic Authentication can be enabled for the admin panel.
• Admins can change the default port (2083) for the user panel.
• Email alerts and notifications for admin logins from new IP address.
• Bruteforce protection is enforced for the admin panel.
• Passwords are stored as salted SHA512 hashes by default (5000 rounds).
• The admin panel is isolated from the user panel and websites.
• Separated database software for admin and user accounts.

Websites:

• ModSecurity Web Application Firewall (WAF) can be activated for domains, with the OWASP core ruleset.
• IP blocking per domain name.
• Hotlink protection per domain using vhost files.
• TLS (Transport Layer Security) is utilized.