How to install ISPmanager on Cloud VPS

ISPmanager — a powerful and flexible control panel for managing Linux servers. It allows you to easily configure websites, databases, mail servers, and much more through a convenient web interface. Despite the many available solutions, ISPmanager remains a popular choice due to its simplicity, rich set of modules, and fast performance even on limited resources.

Before you begin installation, make sure that:

You have SSH access to the server with a superuser account (root).
The server is running a supported operating system (Debian, Ubuntu, RHEL/CentOS, etc.).
The server has a basic firewall configured (e.g., iptables or firewalld), and the 1500 (TCP) ports are open for access from your network.

Connecting to the Server

The first step is to establish a secure SSH connection and obtain superuser privileges. This is necessary for the correct installation of system packages and configuration changes at the OS level.

Connect to the server via SSH with superuser privileges.

Downloading the Installation Script

ISPmanager is distributed as a single script that simplifies the installation and initial configuration process. It needs to be downloaded to the server:

wget https://download.ispmanager.com/install.eu.sh -O install.eu.sh

If the wget utility is not available on the server, it should be installed:

apt install wget   # for Debian/Ubuntu
yum install wget   # for RHEL/CentOS

Running the Script

Now, run the downloaded script. It will automatically detect your OS and install the necessary dependencies.

sh install.eu.sh

For complete automation without manual parameter selection, you can pass the appropriate flags to the script, as described in the official ISPmanager documentation.

Choosing an Update Branch

ISPmanager offers several update branches:

b) beta — the latest features and fixes are still under testing.
s) stable — a stable branch that has passed a full testing cycle.

The beta branch is suitable for testing environments where fast access to new features is important. For production environments, the stable branch is recommended, as it ensures maximum stability.

Choosing an ISPmanager Edition

ISPmanager is available in several editions, each differing in the set of built-in modules:

Ispmanager lite, pro, host with recommended software — includes the full set of recommended packages.
Ispmanager lite, pro, host with minimal software — only basic functionality without "extra" modules.
Ispmanager business

The recommended build automatically selects the software depending on the amount of RAM and the tasks for the server.

Choosing a Web Server

For the edition with the recommended software, you need to specify the preferred web server:

Nginx + Apache (MPM-ITK) — a combination of Nginx (reverse proxy) + Apache for running PHP scripts in isolated user processes.
OpenLiteSpeed — a lightweight and high-performance web server with HTTP/2 support and caching at the web process level.

Nginx + Apache is suitable for classic configurations with a large number of PHP projects. OpenLiteSpeed speeds up static and dynamic content handling but may require additional configuration for specific needs.

Choosing a Database Type for the Panel

For storing ISPmanager panel settings, you can use a lightweight embedded database or a full-fledged MySQL/MariaDB server:

SQLite — suitable for 5–10 sites and up to 10 users.
MySQL — recommended for projects with many domains and participants.

SQLite does not require a separate database server, but it is limited in terms of performance and scalability. MySQL ensures higher fault tolerance and handles increased load better.

Accessing the Control Panel

After the installation is complete, ISPmanager automatically starts the web interface on port 1500. To log in for the first time, use the root login and your superuser password:

URL: https://IP-address:1500/ispmgr
Login: root
Password: root password

After visiting the provided link, you can log in using the root user credentials. After that, accept the license agreement.

To check your license plan, go to License management.

If you have a license key, you can use it to activate the plan in the next window:

Conclusion and Recommendations

Security: After the first login, change the root password in the "Users" section to a more secure one and enable two-factor authentication.
Updates: Regularly check for patches and security updates in the "Updates" menu.
Backups: Set up automatic backups through the built-in "Backups" module or integrate with external storage.
Monitoring: Install additional tools (Zabbix, Prometheus) to monitor the server and service status.

By following this guide, you will have a fully operational ISPmanager panel, providing convenient management of all aspects of your hosting. Successful configuration and stable operation!