Installing HestiaCP on a VPS: a step-by-step guide

HestiaCP is a free open-source control panel. In this guide we deploy it on a ServerPlus cloud server.

1. Prepare the server

In the ServerPlus panel, create a server with a clean image of Debian 11/12 or Ubuntu 20.04/22.04/24.04 LTS. Recommended: from 1 GB of RAM and 1 vCPU (2 GB for mail with anti-spam). It is important to install the panel on a "clean" OS with no other web software. Point your domain (or subdomain) to the server IP in advance if you plan to use mail and SSL.

2. Connect over SSH

ssh root@YOUR_IP

Update the system:

apt update && apt upgrade -y

3. Download the install script

wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hestiacp/hestiacp/release/install/hst-install.sh

4. Run the installation

bash hst-install.sh

The installer asks for the hostname and admin e-mail and offers a set of components (web server, mail, DNS, firewall). For a typical configuration, accept the defaults. You can pass parameters right away, for example with an e-mail and hostname:

bash hst-install.sh --email admin@example.com --hostname panel.example.com

5. Wait for completion and reboot

Installation takes 10-15 minutes. At the end the script shows the login link, the admin username and a generated password — save them. The server will reboot.

6. Log in to the panel

Open in the browser:

https://YOUR_IP:8083

The browser will warn about a self-signed certificate — this is normal until SSL is issued. Log in as admin, change the password immediately and enable two-factor authentication in the profile section.

7. First settings

Add a domain in the Web section and HestiaCP automatically creates the site configuration. For free SSL, enable Let's Encrypt in the domain settings (the domain must point to the server IP). Mailboxes are created in the Mail section, backups are configured in Backup. Check that Fail2ban and the firewall are enabled in the security section.

Done: a full-featured control panel is running on your ServerPlus VPS.