aaPanel Installation and Setup Guide

aaPanel is a free and open-source web hosting control panel that helps manage web servers through a graphical user interface (GUI). This guide will walk you through the installation of aaPanel on a server running a compatible version of CentOS or Ubuntu, followed by the basic setup and creation of your first website.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

• A server running CentOS 7/8 or Ubuntu 16.04/18.04/20.04.
• Root access to the server.
• A domain name pointed to your server’s IP address.
• Basic knowledge of SSH and server management.

Step 1: Update Your Server

First, update your server’s package index and upgrade existing packages.

CentOS:

sudo yum update -y

Ubuntu:

sudo apt update -y
sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Install aaPanel

To install aaPanel, connect to your server via SSH and run the following commands:

CentOS:

sudo su -
yum install -y wget
wget -O install.sh http://www.aapanel.com/script/install_6.0_en.sh
bash install.sh

Ubuntu:

sudo su -
apt-get install -y wget
wget -O install.sh http://www.aapanel.com/script/install-ubuntu_6.0_en.sh
bash install.sh

During the installation, you will be prompted to confirm the installation. Type y and press Enter to proceed. The installation process might take some time. Once it’s completed, you will see a success message with details on how to access aaPanel.

Step 3: Access aaPanel

After installation, access aaPanel via your web browser. Use the following URL format:

http://your-server-ip:8888

Login with the default username admin and the password provided at the end of the installation process.

Step 4: Basic Setup

Upon first login, you’ll be taken to the aaPanel dashboard. Here are a few basic configurations to get started:

Change Admin Password

1. Go to Account Settings.
2. Enter a new password and confirm it.
3. Save the changes.

Install Common Services

aaPanel provides one-click installation for common services like Nginx, Apache, MySQL, PHP, and FTP. To install these:

1. Go to the App Store from the sidebar.
2. Find and install the necessary services such as:
   • Nginx or Apache (web server)
   • MySQL (database server)
   • PHP (programming language)
   • Pure-FTPd (FTP server)

Step 5: Create Your First Website

To create your first website, follow these steps:

1. Go to Website -> Add Site.
2. Fill in the necessary details:
   • Domain: Enter your domain name.
   • Root Directory: Specify the root directory (default is usually fine).
   • Database: Select Create Database if you need a new database for this site.
3. Click Submit.

Configure SSL for Your Website

1. Go to Website -> SSL.
2. Select your website.
3. Choose Let's Encrypt and fill in the required information.
4. Click Apply to generate and apply a free SSL certificate.

Step 6: Upload Your Website Files

You can upload your website files via the built-in File Manager or using FTP.

Using File Manager

1. Go to Files.
2. Navigate to your website’s root directory (e.g., /www/wwwroot/yourdomain).
3. Upload your website files to this directory.

Using FTP

1. Go to FTP -> Add FTP Account.
2. Fill in the details to create an FTP account.
3. Use an FTP client like FileZilla to upload your website files to the specified directory.

Step 7: Test Your Website

Open your web browser and navigate to your domain. You should see your website if everything is set up correctly.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed aaPanel, performed basic setup, and created your first website. aaPanel offers a wide range of features and tools to manage your web hosting environment efficiently. Explore the dashboard to familiarize yourself with other functionalities and take full advantage of what aaPanel has to offer.