{"id":5033,"date":"2025-03-10T13:10:55","date_gmt":"2025-03-10T17:10:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/underhost.com\/blog\/?p=5033"},"modified":"2026-10-23T08:52:26","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T12:52:26","slug":"what-is-aapanel-a-beginners-guide-to-this-free-hosting-control-panel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/underhost.com\/blog\/what-is-aapanel-a-beginners-guide-to-this-free-hosting-control-panel\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is aaPanel? A Beginner&#8217;s Guide to the Free Hosting Control Panel (2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"uh-blog-hero\" style=\"margin:0 0 40px;text-align:center;padding:48px 24px;border-radius:20px;background:linear-gradient(135deg,#0D1F3C 0%,#125A8A 58%,#176EA5 100%);color:#ffffff;box-shadow:0 20px 40px -15px rgba(13,31,60,0.28);position:relative;overflow:hidden;\">\n<div style=\"display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:8px;padding:7px 14px;margin-bottom:16px;border:1px solid rgba(0,212,255,0.32);border-radius:999px;color:#DFF8FF;font-size:12px;font-weight:800;letter-spacing:.06em;text-transform:uppercase;background:rgba(0,212,255,0.10);\"><i class=\"fas fa-sliders-h\" style=\"color:#00D4FF;\"><\/i> Control Panels<\/div>\n<h1 style=\"color:#ffffff;font-size:clamp(32px,5vw,46px);line-height:1.12;margin:0 0 14px;font-weight:800;\">What Is aaPanel? A Beginner&#8217;s Guide to the Free Hosting Control Panel (2026)<\/h1>\n<p style=\"font-size:18px;color:#EAF6FF;max-width:800px;margin:0 auto;line-height:1.7;\">Looking for an easy way to manage your server? aaPanel is a free and powerful hosting control panel that simplifies server management with a user-friendly web interface. Learn how aaPanel can help you deploy websites, manage databases, automate tasks, and enhance security\u2014all with just a few clicks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"uh-blog-excerpt\" style=\"border-left:4px solid #00D4FF;padding:18px 20px;margin:0 0 34px;background:#F8FAFC;color:#1F2937;border-radius:0 14px 14px 0;box-shadow:0 8px 28px rgba(13,31,60,0.08);line-height:1.75;\"><strong style=\"color:#0D1F3C;\">Short answer:<\/strong> aaPanel is a free, web-based control panel for Linux servers. From a browser, it lets you install a web stack (Nginx, Apache or OpenLiteSpeed with PHP and MySQL), create websites and databases, add free SSL certificates, manage files, schedule cron jobs and run a firewall. It suits developers and small businesses who want a graphical panel on their own VPS or dedicated server without paying for a cPanel licence.<\/div>\n<nav aria-label=\"Table of contents\" class=\"uh-toc\" style=\"background:#ffffff;border:1px solid #E5E7EB;border-radius:16px;padding:20px 22px;margin:0 0 34px;box-shadow:0 4px 12px rgba(13,31,60,0.08);\">\n<div style=\"font-size:12px;font-weight:800;letter-spacing:.06em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#176EA5;margin-bottom:10px;\"><i class=\"fas fa-list\" style=\"color:#00D4FF;\"><\/i> In this guide<\/div>\n<ol style=\"margin:0;padding-left:20px;columns:2 260px;column-gap:28px;line-height:1.9;\">\n<li><a href=\"#what-aapanel-does\" style=\"color:#176EA5;text-decoration:none;font-weight:600;\">What aaPanel does<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#who-aapanel-is-for\" style=\"color:#176EA5;text-decoration:none;font-weight:600;\">Who aaPanel is for<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#aapanel-compared-with-cpanel\" style=\"color:#176EA5;text-decoration:none;font-weight:600;\">aaPanel compared with cPanel<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#what-you-need-before-installing\" style=\"color:#176EA5;text-decoration:none;font-weight:600;\">What you need before installing<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#secure-aapanel-after-you-install-it\" style=\"color:#176EA5;text-decoration:none;font-weight:600;\">Secure aaPanel after you install it<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#common-first-tasks\" style=\"color:#176EA5;text-decoration:none;font-weight:600;\">Common first tasks<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#back-up-sites-on-aapanel\" style=\"color:#176EA5;text-decoration:none;font-weight:600;\">Back up sites on aaPanel<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#move-an-existing-site-to-aapanel\" style=\"color:#176EA5;text-decoration:none;font-weight:600;\">Move an existing site to aaPanel<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#troubleshooting\" style=\"color:#176EA5;text-decoration:none;font-weight:600;\">Troubleshooting<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#aapanel-at-underhost\" style=\"color:#176EA5;text-decoration:none;font-weight:600;\">aaPanel at UnderHost<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<div class=\"uh-post-content\" style=\"color:#1F2937;font-size:16px;line-height:1.75;\">\n<h2 id=\"what-aapanel-does\" style=\"color:#0D1F3C;font-size:28px;line-height:1.25;margin:34px 0 14px;scroll-margin-top:90px;\"><i class=\"fas fa-info-circle\" style=\"color:#00D4FF;\"><\/i> What aaPanel does<\/h2>\n<div style=\"overflow-x:auto;margin:26px 0;border:1px solid #E5E7EB;border-radius:14px;-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch;\">\n<table style=\"width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;background:#ffffff;color:#1F2937;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;margin:0;\">\n<thead>\n<tr style=\"background:#0D1F3C;color:#fff;\">\n<th style=\"padding:14px;text-align:left;\">Area<\/th>\n<th style=\"padding:14px;text-align:left;\">What you can do in aaPanel<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Web server stack<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Install Nginx, Apache or OpenLiteSpeed, several PHP versions, and MySQL or MariaDB, from the App Store.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Websites<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Add domains, set the PHP version per site, and configure redirects and rewrite rules.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Databases<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Create databases and users, and open phpMyAdmin.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">SSL<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Request free Let&#8217;s Encrypt certificates and force HTTPS.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Files<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Upload, edit, compress and set permissions in a browser file manager.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Scheduled tasks<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Create cron jobs, including site and database backups.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Security<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Manage the system firewall, change the panel port, and add login protection.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Monitoring<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">See CPU, memory, disk and load on the dashboard.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"who-aapanel-is-for\" style=\"color:#0D1F3C;font-size:28px;line-height:1.25;margin:34px 0 14px;scroll-margin-top:90px;\"><i class=\"fas fa-info-circle\" style=\"color:#00D4FF;\"><\/i> Who aaPanel is for<\/h2>\n<ul style=\"margin:0 0 24px;padding-left:22px;\">\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 8px;\"><strong>Developers<\/strong> who want a quick way to host several sites on one VPS without learning every config file.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 8px;\"><strong>Small businesses<\/strong> running a few websites, where a paid control panel is hard to justify.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 8px;\"><strong>People moving from shared hosting<\/strong> to their first VPS, who want a familiar point-and-click interface.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">aaPanel is less suited to hosting companies or resellers who need to give many separate customers their own logins, billing and resource limits. cPanel and WHM, or DirectAdmin, are built for that kind of multi-tenant hosting.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"aapanel-compared-with-cpanel\" style=\"color:#0D1F3C;font-size:28px;line-height:1.25;margin:34px 0 14px;scroll-margin-top:90px;\"><i class=\"fas fa-angle-double-right\" style=\"color:#00D4FF;\"><\/i> aaPanel compared with cPanel<\/h2>\n<div style=\"overflow-x:auto;margin:26px 0;border:1px solid #E5E7EB;border-radius:14px;-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch;\">\n<table style=\"width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;background:#ffffff;color:#1F2937;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;margin:0;min-width:600px;\">\n<thead>\n<tr style=\"background:#0D1F3C;color:#fff;\">\n<th style=\"padding:14px;text-align:left;\"><\/th>\n<th style=\"padding:14px;text-align:left;\">aaPanel<\/th>\n<th style=\"padding:14px;text-align:left;\">cPanel and WHM<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Cost<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Free<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Paid licence, priced by number of accounts<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Best for<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">One owner managing their own sites<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Hosting many separate customer accounts<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Web servers<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Nginx, Apache or OpenLiteSpeed<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Apache, with Nginx or LiteSpeed options<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Email hosting<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Available through plugins, with more manual setup<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Built in, with full mail management<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Customer accounts and resellers<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Limited<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Full reseller and account isolation features<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Support and documentation<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Community forum and docs<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Commercial support and extensive documentation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">If you are weighing cost, see our <a href=\"https:\/\/underhost.com\/blog\/cpanel-price-increase-2027-new-underhost-pricing\/\">cPanel pricing for 2027<\/a> and the comparison in our <a href=\"https:\/\/underhost.com\/blog\/top-free-web-hosting-control-panels-2025\/\">free control panels guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"what-you-need-before-installing\" style=\"color:#0D1F3C;font-size:28px;line-height:1.25;margin:34px 0 14px;scroll-margin-top:90px;\"><i class=\"fas fa-terminal\" style=\"color:#00D4FF;\"><\/i> What you need before installing<\/h2>\n<ul style=\"list-style:none;padding-left:0;\">\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 8px;\">\u2713 A <strong>clean<\/strong> VPS or dedicated server. Install aaPanel on a fresh operating system, not on a server that already runs another control panel or web server.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 8px;\">\u2713 Root access over SSH.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 8px;\">\u2713 A supported Linux release. Check aaPanel&#8217;s current requirements before you start.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 8px;\">\u2713 Enough memory for your stack. Plan for at least 1 GB of RAM for a basic web server and database, and more for busy sites.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 8px;\">\u2713 A domain name pointed at the server, if you want SSL straight away.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">Our step-by-step <a href=\"https:\/\/underhost.com\/blog\/installing-aapanel-on-your-vps-or-dedicated-server\/\">aaPanel installation guide<\/a> walks through the install and the first login.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"secure-aapanel-after-you-install-it\" style=\"color:#0D1F3C;font-size:28px;line-height:1.25;margin:34px 0 14px;scroll-margin-top:90px;\"><i class=\"fas fa-shield-alt\" style=\"color:#00D4FF;\"><\/i> Secure aaPanel after you install it<\/h2>\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">A control panel is a tempting target, so lock it down on day one:<\/p>\n<ol style=\"margin:0 0 24px;padding-left:22px;\">\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 8px;\"><strong>Keep the security entrance.<\/strong> aaPanel gives the login page a random path. Keep it, and do not share the full URL.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 8px;\"><strong>Change the panel port<\/strong> from the default, and allow it in the firewall only from your own IP address if you can.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 8px;\"><strong>Use a strong, unique password<\/strong> and turn on two-factor authentication in the panel settings.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 8px;\"><strong>Install only the apps you use.<\/strong> Every extra service is something else to patch.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 8px;\"><strong>Update aaPanel and the operating system<\/strong> regularly, and update PHP when security releases come out.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 8px;\"><strong>Back up off the server.<\/strong> Use the backup tasks, and send copies to remote storage, not only to the same disk.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">Our <a href=\"https:\/\/underhost.com\/blog\/php-security-release-october-2026-patch-guide\/\">PHP security update guide<\/a> shows how to update PHP on aaPanel when a critical PHP release comes out.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"common-first-tasks\" style=\"color:#0D1F3C;font-size:28px;line-height:1.25;margin:34px 0 14px;scroll-margin-top:90px;\"><i class=\"fas fa-angle-double-right\" style=\"color:#00D4FF;\"><\/i> Common first tasks<\/h2>\n<div style=\"overflow-x:auto;margin:26px 0;border:1px solid #E5E7EB;border-radius:14px;-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch;\">\n<table style=\"width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;background:#ffffff;color:#1F2937;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;margin:0;\">\n<thead>\n<tr style=\"background:#0D1F3C;color:#fff;\">\n<th style=\"padding:14px;text-align:left;\">Task<\/th>\n<th style=\"padding:14px;text-align:left;\">Where in aaPanel<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Install a web stack<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">App Store: choose LNMP (Nginx) or LAMP (Apache), with PHP and MySQL<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Add a website<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Website: Add site, then enter the domain and choose the PHP version<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Get an SSL certificate<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Website: open the site, then SSL: choose Let&#8217;s Encrypt<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Create a database<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Database: Add database<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Schedule a backup<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Cron: add a backup task for the site and its database<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"back-up-sites-on-aapanel\" style=\"color:#0D1F3C;font-size:28px;line-height:1.25;margin:34px 0 14px;scroll-margin-top:90px;\"><i class=\"fas fa-angle-double-right\" style=\"color:#00D4FF;\"><\/i> Back up sites on aaPanel<\/h2>\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">aaPanel can back up each website and database on a schedule. Open <strong>Cron<\/strong>, choose the backup task type for a site or a database, pick how often it runs and how many copies to keep, then save. By default, backups are stored on the same server, which does not help if the disk fails or the server is lost. Install one of the remote storage plugins from the App Store, such as FTP or S3-compatible storage, and send copies there as well. Restore a backup to a test site from time to time, so you know the copies work before you need them.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"move-an-existing-site-to-aapanel\" style=\"color:#0D1F3C;font-size:28px;line-height:1.25;margin:34px 0 14px;scroll-margin-top:90px;\"><i class=\"fas fa-angle-double-right\" style=\"color:#00D4FF;\"><\/i> Move an existing site to aaPanel<\/h2>\n<ol style=\"margin:0 0 24px;padding-left:22px;\">\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 8px;\">Create the site in aaPanel with the same domain and the PHP version the site needs.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 8px;\">Upload the site files to the new site folder with the file manager or SFTP.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 8px;\">Create a database and user, then import your database dump through phpMyAdmin.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 8px;\">Update the site&#8217;s configuration file with the new database name, user and password.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 8px;\">Test the site before you change DNS by pointing the domain at the new server in your computer&#8217;s hosts file.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 8px;\">Change the DNS records, wait for them to update, then request the Let&#8217;s Encrypt certificate.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">Our guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/underhost.com\/blog\/bypass-dns-propagation-delay\/\">testing a site with the hosts file<\/a> explains step 5. Keep the old server running until the new one has worked for a few days.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"troubleshooting\" style=\"color:#0D1F3C;font-size:28px;line-height:1.25;margin:34px 0 14px;scroll-margin-top:90px;\"><i class=\"fas fa-exclamation-triangle\" style=\"color:#00D4FF;\"><\/i> Troubleshooting<\/h2>\n<div style=\"overflow-x:auto;margin:26px 0;border:1px solid #E5E7EB;border-radius:14px;-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch;\">\n<table style=\"width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;background:#ffffff;color:#1F2937;font-size:15px;line-height:1.55;margin:0;min-width:600px;\">\n<thead>\n<tr style=\"background:#0D1F3C;color:#fff;\">\n<th style=\"padding:14px;text-align:left;\">Problem<\/th>\n<th style=\"padding:14px;text-align:left;\">Likely cause<\/th>\n<th style=\"padding:14px;text-align:left;\">Fix<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">The panel will not load<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">The panel port is blocked, or the security entrance path is wrong<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Check the firewall allows the panel port from your IP address. In SSH, run <code>bt<\/code> to see the panel options.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Let&#8217;s Encrypt fails<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">The domain does not point at the server yet<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Check the A record, wait for DNS to update, then try again.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">The site shows a 502 error<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">PHP-FPM for the selected PHP version is stopped<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Restart that PHP version in the App Store, then reload the site.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Uploads fail on large files<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">PHP upload limits are too low<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:14px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;vertical-align:top;\">Raise upload_max_filesize and post_max_size in the PHP settings for that version.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"aapanel-at-underhost\" style=\"color:#0D1F3C;font-size:28px;line-height:1.25;margin:34px 0 14px;scroll-margin-top:90px;\"><i class=\"fas fa-angle-double-right\" style=\"color:#00D4FF;\"><\/i> aaPanel at UnderHost<\/h2>\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 18px;\">On our Cloud VPS plans, aaPanel is a free option on several operating systems, including AlmaLinux 8 and 9, Rocky Linux 8 and 9, CloudLinux, Ubuntu and Debian. Pick it when you order, or install it yourself on a fresh server. Available systems and panels are listed on the <a href=\"https:\/\/underhost.com\/cloud-vps.php\">Cloud VPS page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"uh-section-divider\" style=\"width:min(100% - 32px, 1080px);margin:44px auto;display:grid;grid-template-columns:1fr 32px 1fr;align-items:center;gap:18px;pointer-events:none;\"><span style=\"height:1px;background:linear-gradient(90deg,transparent,rgba(0,212,255,0.40),rgba(23,110,165,0.24),transparent);\"><\/span><img alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.underhost.com\/android-chrome-192x192.webp\" style=\"width:32px;height:32px;display:block;border-radius:8px;filter:drop-shadow(0 0 14px rgba(0,212,255,0.30));\" width=\"32\"\/><span style=\"height:1px;background:linear-gradient(90deg,transparent,rgba(23,110,165,0.24),rgba(0,212,255,0.40),transparent);\"><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"uh-blog-cta\" style=\"background:linear-gradient(135deg,#0D1F3C 0%,#125A8A 58%,#176EA5 100%);color:#ffffff;padding:36px 24px;border-radius:20px;text-align:center;margin:44px 0;box-shadow:0 20px 40px -15px rgba(13,31,60,0.32);\">\n<h2 style=\"margin:0 0 12px;font-size:28px;line-height:1.25;color:#ffffff;\">Need help with this?<\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-size:17px;margin:0 auto 22px;color:#EAF6FF;max-width:720px;line-height:1.7;\">Want aaPanel on a fast, private server? Choose it free when you order a Cloud VPS, or let our team set it up for you.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/underhost.com\/cloud-vps.php\" style=\"background:linear-gradient(90deg,#00D4FF,#0077FF);color:#ffffff;padding:13px 28px;border-radius:10px;text-decoration:none;font-weight:800;display:inline-block;margin:8px;\">See Cloud VPS plans<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/customerpanel.ca\/client\/\" style=\"background:transparent;color:#ffffff;padding:12px 28px;border-radius:10px;text-decoration:none;font-weight:800;display:inline-block;margin:8px;border:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.32);\">Contact @CustomerPanel<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"uh-faq-section\" id=\"faq\" style=\"margin:34px 0;scroll-margin-top:90px;\">\n<h2 style=\"color:#0D1F3C;font-size:28px;line-height:1.25;margin:0 0 18px;border-bottom:2px solid rgba(0,212,255,0.22);padding-bottom:10px;\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<div style=\"margin-top:18px;background:#F8FAFC;padding:18px 20px;border-radius:14px;border:1px solid rgba(23,110,165,0.14);\">\n<h3 style=\"color:#0D1F3C;margin:0 0 8px;font-size:19px;\">Is aaPanel really free?<\/h3>\n<p style=\"margin:0;color:#1F2937;line-height:1.7;\">Yes. The core panel is free. Some plugins in its App Store are paid, but you do not need them to host websites.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-top:18px;background:#F8FAFC;padding:18px 20px;border-radius:14px;border:1px solid rgba(23,110,165,0.14);\">\n<h3 style=\"color:#0D1F3C;margin:0 0 8px;font-size:19px;\">Can I install aaPanel on a server that already has cPanel?<\/h3>\n<p style=\"margin:0;color:#1F2937;line-height:1.7;\">No. Install aaPanel on a clean server. Two control panels on one server conflict over the web server, PHP and system settings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-top:18px;background:#F8FAFC;padding:18px 20px;border-radius:14px;border:1px solid rgba(23,110,165,0.14);\">\n<h3 style=\"color:#0D1F3C;margin:0 0 8px;font-size:19px;\">Is aaPanel secure?<\/h3>\n<p style=\"margin:0;color:#1F2937;line-height:1.7;\">It can be, if you keep the security entrance, change the default port, use a strong password with two-factor authentication, and keep aaPanel and the operating system updated.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-top:18px;background:#F8FAFC;padding:18px 20px;border-radius:14px;border:1px solid rgba(23,110,165,0.14);\">\n<h3 style=\"color:#0D1F3C;margin:0 0 8px;font-size:19px;\">Should I choose aaPanel or cPanel?<\/h3>\n<p style=\"margin:0;color:#1F2937;line-height:1.7;\">Choose aaPanel if you manage your own sites and want a free panel. Choose cPanel and WHM if you host many separate customers, need resellers, or want built-in email hosting with commercial support.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- uh-related-start --><\/p>\n<div style=\"background:#F4F8FC;border:1px solid #DCE7F3;border-radius:14px;padding:18px 22px;margin:32px 0 8px;\">\n<h2 style=\"margin:0 0 12px;font-size:22px;\">Related guides<\/h2>\n<ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:20px;\">\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 8px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/underhost.com\/blog\/top-free-web-hosting-control-panels-2025\/\">Top Free Web Hosting Control Panels 2025<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 8px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/underhost.com\/blog\/integrating-cloudflare-with-your-hosting-control-panel\/\">Integrating Cloudflare with Your Hosting Control Panel<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 8px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/underhost.com\/blog\/installing-aapanel-on-your-vps-or-dedicated-server\/\">Installing aaPanel on Your VPS or Dedicated Server<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 8px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/underhost.com\/blog\/managing-multiple-websites-with-directadmin-cpanel-aapanel-and-cloudpanel\/\">Managing Multiple Websites with DirectAdmin, cPanel, aaPanel, and CloudPanel<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 8px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/underhost.com\/blog\/essential-free-cpanel-plugins-for-server-management\/\">Essential Free cPanel Plugins for Server Management<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- uh-related-end --><br \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\", \"@type\": \"FAQPage\", \"mainEntity\": [{\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"Is aaPanel really free?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"Yes. The core panel is free. Some plugins in its App Store are paid, but you do not need them to host websites.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"Can I install aaPanel on a server that already has cPanel?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"No. Install aaPanel on a clean server. Two control panels on one server conflict over the web server, PHP and system settings.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"Is aaPanel secure?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"It can be, if you keep the security entrance, change the default port, use a strong password with two-factor authentication, and keep aaPanel and the operating system updated.\"}}, {\"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"Should I choose aaPanel or cPanel?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": {\"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"Choose aaPanel if you manage your own sites and want a free panel. Choose cPanel and WHM if you host many separate customers, need resellers, or want built-in email hosting with commercial support.\"}}]}<\/script><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"sources\" style=\"color:#0D1F3C;font-size:28px;line-height:1.25;margin:34px 0 14px;scroll-margin-top:90px;\"><i class=\"fas fa-book\" style=\"color:#00D4FF;\"><\/i> Sources<\/h2>\n<ul style=\"margin:0 0 24px;padding-left:22px;\">\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 8px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aapanel.com\/\">aaPanel official website<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 8px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/doc.aapanel.com\/\">aaPanel documentation<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"margin:0 0 8px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/underhost.com\/cloud-vps.php\">UnderHost Cloud VPS: operating systems and control panels<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Looking for an easy way to manage your server? aaPanel is a free and powerful hosting control panel that simplifies server management with a user-friendly web interface. Learn how aaPanel can help you deploy websites, manage databases, automate tasks, and enhance security\u2014all with just a few clicks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4847,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,81],"tags":[125,120,108,123,185,124],"class_list":["post-5033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-control-panels","category-hosting-guides","tag-tag-backups","tag-tag-cloud-vps","tag-tag-cpanel","tag-tag-domains","tag-php","tag-tag-ssl"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/underhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/underhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/underhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/underhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/underhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5033"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/underhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5033\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6910,"href":"https:\/\/underhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5033\/revisions\/6910"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/underhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4847"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/underhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/underhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/underhost.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}