Getting started
Introduction
NexPanel is a free Linux web hosting control panel for hosting providers, server administrators, agencies and developers. It provides a central administration panel for managing hosting servers and a separate control panel for customers. It runs on AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux and RHEL 9 and 10 (x86_64).
NexPanel combines website hosting, domain and DNS management, email hosting, database administration, SSL certificates, WordPress management, application hosting, resource limits, security tools and encrypted backups in one platform. It is free on any number of servers, with no per-account licence fees or paid add-ons; only LiteSpeed Enterprise, if you choose it, needs its own licence.
How NexPanel is built
NexPanel has three parts. One install script sets up the parts a server needs.
| Part | What it does | Runs on |
|---|---|---|
| Controller | The admin panel, the customer panel and the webmail login. It stores accounts, packages and settings, and sends work to the servers. | One server (or the same server as your sites) |
Agent (nexpanel-agent) |
Applies the controller's changes on a hosting server: web server, PHP, databases, mail, firewall, backups. | Every hosting server ("node") |
LVE manager (nexpanel-lve) |
Per-account CPU, memory, I/O and process limits with cgroup v2. | Every hosting server (optional) |
The agent connects out to the controller and picks up jobs, so hosting servers do not need an open management port.
Two ways to run it
- All-in-one — the controller and the hosting agent on one server. The admin panel answers on port
2087, the customer panel on2083, webmail on2096. Good for a single server or for trying NexPanel. - Controller + nodes — the controller on its own small server (Nginx, PHP-FPM, PostgreSQL, Redis and a Let's Encrypt certificate), and any number of hosting nodes that join it with a one-time token.
What you get
- An admin panel for nodes, accounts, packages, DNS, email, backups, security and updates — see Features.
- A customer panel with file manager, domains, SSL, databases, email, cron, apps, WordPress and more — see Customer panel.
- Security built in: NexShield bot protection, an nftables firewall, ModSecurity, a malware scanner and per-account isolation.
- Signed releases and one-click updates for the controller, the agents and the LVE manager — see Updates.
Next: check the requirements, then install.
Wrong or missing something? Let us know.