Before you install

• ✓ A fresh VPS or dedicated server, with no web server, database or other control panel installed.
• ✓ A supported Linux release. Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04 and Debian 12 are good choices. Check aaPanel’s documentation for the current list.
• ✓ At least 1 GB of RAM for a web server, PHP and a database. aaPanel itself needs little, but the stack does.
• ✓ Root access over SSH, and console access in case you lock yourself out.
• ✓ A domain pointed at the server if you want SSL for your first site straight away.

New to aaPanel? Our beginner’s guide to aaPanel explains what it does and how it compares with cPanel.

Step 1: log in and update the server

ssh root@your-server-ip

# Ubuntu and Debian
apt update && apt -y upgrade

# AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux
dnf -y update

Reboot if a new kernel was installed. Then start a screen session, so a dropped connection does not stop the installer:

apt -y install screen    # or: dnf -y install screen
screen -S aapanel

Step 2: download and run the installer

aaPanel’s one-line command downloads the script with certificate checks turned off. It is safer to download it normally, look at it, then run it:

curl -fsSL -o install_7.0_en.sh https://www.aapanel.com/script/install_7.0_en.sh
less install_7.0_en.sh          # read it, press q to quit
bash install_7.0_en.sh underhost

The installer asks you to confirm, then installs the panel. It takes a few minutes. When it finishes, it prints a block like this, with your own values:

aaPanel Internet Address: https://203.0.113.10:PORT/ENTRANCE
aaPanel Internal Address: https://10.0.0.5:PORT/ENTRANCE
username: xxxxxxxx
password: xxxxxxxx

Save these details in a password manager. If you lose them, run bt on the server to open aaPanel’s command menu, which can show the login address and reset the password.

Step 3: open the panel port

If your server has a firewall, allow the panel port only from your own IP address. With ufw on Ubuntu:

ufw allow from YOUR.IP.ADDRESS to any port PORT proto tcp
ufw status

Also check any firewall in your provider’s control panel.

Step 4: first login and web stack

1. Open the Internet Address in your browser and log in.
2. aaPanel suggests a software stack. Choose LNMP (Nginx) or LAMP (Apache), with a PHP version and MySQL or MariaDB.
3. Pick the fast install option, then wait for the installs to finish in the task list.
4. Change the admin password and user name in Settings.

Step 5: secure the panel

• ✓ Keep the random security entrance, and do not share the full panel address.
• ✓ Turn on two-factor authentication in Settings.
• ✓ Turn on SSL for the panel itself, so you log in over HTTPS with a valid certificate.
• ✓ Limit the panel port to your IP address, as in Step 3.
• ✓ Use SSH keys for root, and turn off SSH password logins once your key works.

Step 6: add your first website

1. Open Website > Add site, enter the domain, and choose the PHP version.
2. Create a database at the same time if the site needs one.
3. Upload the site files, or install an application.
4. Once DNS points to the server, open the site’s SSL tab and request a Let’s Encrypt certificate.

Step 7: backups

In Cron, add a backup task for each site and database. Install a remote storage plugin from the App Store, such as S3-compatible storage or FTP, so copies are kept off the server. Test a restore once the first backup has run.

Troubleshooting

When a critical PHP release comes out, see our PHP security update guide, which includes aaPanel steps.