Best Steps For Installing aaPanel on Ubuntu 24.04 – OrcaCore

This guide, brought to you by the Orcacore team, provides a comprehensive tutorial for installing aaPanel on Ubuntu 24.04. If you’re seeking an open-source, straightforward, and user-friendly web control panel, aaPanel offers a wealth of features. Its simple installer script makes installation and configuration a breeze. Follow the steps below to learn how to install Best Steps For Installing aaPanel on Ubuntu 24.04.

Before you begin the process of Best Steps For Installing aaPanel on Ubuntu 24.04, ensure you have access to your server as a non-root user with sudo privileges. If you need guidance on creating a sudo user, refer to this guide: Create a Sudo User on Ubuntu 24.04 From Terminal.

Furthermore, it’s crucial to set up a Basic UFW Firewall Configuration on Ubuntu 24.04.

A critical point to remember is that you should start with a fresh operating system installation, free from any pre-existing Apache, Nginx, PHP, or MySQL environments.

Note: A video tutorial is also available here:

Step 1 – Ubuntu 24.04 aaPanel Installation, Download Installer Script

First, update your system’s package list:

sudo apt update

Next, download and execute the latest free edition installer script from the official website. Use the following command:

URL=https://www.aapanel.com/script/install_7.0_en.sh && if [ -f /usr/bin/curl ];then curl -ksSO "$URL" ;else wget --no-check-certificate -O install_7.0_en.sh "$URL";fi;bash install_7.0_en.sh aapanel

You will be prompted to confirm the installation directory (/www). Press Y to proceed. The installation process may take some time. Upon completion, you’ll receive output similar to this:

The installer will provide the URL, username, and password for accessing the aaPanel dashboard. Make sure to note these down.

Step 2 – Check aaPanel Listening Port

The listening port is displayed during the installation. In this example, it’s 33145. To verify, use the following command:

sudo netstat -nltp

The output should show aaPanel listening on the specified port:

Confirm that the necessary ports are open in your firewall:

sudo ufw status

confirm the required ports are open for aaPanel

Step 3 – How To Start aaPanel Service?

You can manage the aaPanel service easily. First, reload the system daemon:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload

Stop the aaPanel service:

sudo service bt stop

Start and restart the service:

# sudo service bt start
# sudo service bt restart

Step 4 – How To Access aaPanel Dashboard?

Access your aaPanel dashboard using the URL provided during installation. For example:

https://your-server-ip-address:33145/fbcd6286

Enter the username and password you received during installation and click Login.

You’ll be presented with the recommended software package screen. Install the LNMP stack (recommended) by clicking "One-click install" on aaPanel.

install recommended software packages for aaPanel

This process will take some time. Once completed, the aaPanel dashboard will be displayed.

What Can We Do with aaPanel Web Hosting Control Panel?

Here are key things you can do with the aaPanel dashboard:

Website Management
Database Management
FTP Management
DNS Management
SSL Certificate Management
Server Monitoring
Firewall Management
Cron Job Management
File Management
One-Click Deployment

Step 5 – How To Uninstall aaPanel From Ubuntu? (Optional)

If you no longer require aaPanel, remove it from your Ubuntu server with these commands:

# sudo service bt stop
# sudo rm -f /etc/init.d/bt
# sudo rm -rf /www/server/panel

Conclusion

The aaPanel dashboard is a powerful and intuitive web hosting control panel that simplifies server and website administration. This guide has provided a comprehensive walkthrough for installing aaPanel on Ubuntu 24.04. This article covers the Best Steps For Installing aaPanel on Ubuntu 24.04.

Enjoy using it!

Alternative Solutions for Web Server Management on Ubuntu 24.04

While aaPanel offers a convenient GUI for managing your web server, alternative solutions exist, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Here are two different approaches:

1. Using Docker and Docker Compose:

Docker allows you to containerize your web applications and their dependencies. This approach provides excellent isolation, portability, and reproducibility. Docker Compose simplifies the management of multi-container applications.

Explanation: Instead of installing Apache, Nginx, PHP, and MySQL directly on the host operating system, you can create Docker containers for each service. Docker Compose then orchestrates these containers, defining their relationships and configurations in a single docker-compose.yml file. This means you can easily replicate your environment across different servers or development machines.

Example:

First, install Docker and Docker Compose on your Ubuntu 24.04 server:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install docker.io docker-compose

Create a docker-compose.yml file:

version: "3.9"
services:
  web:
    image: nginx:latest
    ports:
      - "80:80"
      - "443:443"
    volumes:
      - ./html:/usr/share/nginx/html
      - ./nginx.conf:/etc/nginx/conf.d/default.conf
    depends_on:
      - php
  php:
    image: php:8.2-fpm
    volumes:
      - ./html:/var/www/html
  db:
    image: mysql:8.0
    environment:
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: your_root_password
      MYSQL_DATABASE: your_database
    ports:
      - "3306:3306"

Create an nginx.conf file (or adapt a suitable one):

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name localhost;

    root /usr/share/nginx/html;
    index index.php index.html index.htm;

    location ~ .php$ {
        try_files $uri =404;
        fastcgi_split_path_info ^(.+.php)(/.+)$;
        fastcgi_pass php:9000;
        fastcgi_index index.php;
        include fastcgi_params;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
        fastcgi_param PATH_INFO $fastcgi_path_info;
    }
}

Create an html directory and place your PHP files inside it (e.g., index.php).

Then, start the containers:

docker-compose up -d

This will download the necessary images, create the containers, and start them in detached mode. You can then access your website through your server’s IP address. To manage these containers, use docker-compose stop, docker-compose start, docker-compose down, and docker ps.

2. Manual Configuration with Command-Line Tools:

This approach provides the most control but requires more technical expertise.

Explanation: You install and configure each component (web server, database, PHP) individually using command-line tools. This involves editing configuration files, setting up virtual hosts, securing your server, and managing users and permissions. While more complex, this method allows you to tailor your server environment precisely to your needs.

Example:

First, install the necessary packages:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nginx php8.2 php8.2-fpm php8.2-mysql mysql-server

Configure Nginx to serve PHP files. Create a new server block configuration file (e.g., /etc/nginx/sites-available/yourdomain.com):

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name yourdomain.com;

    root /var/www/yourdomain.com;
    index index.php index.html index.htm;

    location ~ .php$ {
        include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
        fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php8.2-fpm.sock;
    }

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ =404;
    }
}

Create a symbolic link to enable the site:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/yourdomain.com /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

Create the document root directory:

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/yourdomain.com

Restart Nginx:

sudo systemctl restart nginx

Secure your MySQL installation:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

Create a database and user for your application:

sudo mysql -u root -p
CREATE DATABASE your_database;
CREATE USER 'your_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON your_database.* TO 'your_user'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

This approach requires you to manually manage security updates, configure firewalls, and handle backups. While offering the most flexibility, it demands a strong understanding of server administration. Using the command line requires knowing the Best Steps For Installing aaPanel on Ubuntu 24.04, it also gives complete control.

These are just two alternative solutions for managing your web server on Ubuntu 24.04. The best choice depends on your specific requirements, technical expertise, and desired level of control. The Best Steps For Installing aaPanel on Ubuntu 24.04 are still simple.