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HestiaCP is a lightweight, open-source web hosting control panel based on VestaCP. It provides an easy-to-use web interface for managing websites, email, DNS, and databases. This guide explains how to install HestiaCP on a fresh LifeinCloud VPS.
Firewall note: On LifeinCloud, the Cloud Firewall is disabled by default (all ports open). If you enable it later, allow 8083 (Hestia panel), 80/443 (web), and mail/FTP/SSH ports as needed.
Before You Start
- Fresh OS: Debian 11/12 or Ubuntu 20.04/22.04 LTS (recommended).
- Resources: 1 vCPU / 1 GB RAM minimum (2 GB+ recommended), 20 GB disk.
- Hostname (FQDN): e.g.
server.example.comwith DNS A record pointing to your VPS IP. - License: HestiaCP is free and open source.
- Services: Hestia installs Nginx, Apache (optional), PHP-FPM, Exim, Dovecot, MariaDB, and Bind by default.
Step 1 — Connect & update the system
ssh root@YOUR.SERVER.IP
Update and upgrade packages:
# Debian / Ubuntu
apt update && apt -y upgrade
Set hostname (FQDN):
hostnamectl set-hostname server.example.com
Reboot if required.
Step 2 — Download and run the installer
Fetch and run the official Hestia installer:
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hestiacp/hestiacp/release/install/hst-install.sh
bash hst-install.sh
You’ll be prompted to confirm installation and choose optional features (like Apache, FTP, DNS, email stack).
Note: Installation usually takes 15–30 minutes depending on server resources.
Step 3 — Access the HestiaCP panel
- Default URL: https://YOUR.SERVER.IP:8083
- Login:
- Username:
admin - Password: auto-generated (shown at the end of the installation and saved in
/root/hst_install_backups/)
- Username:
After login, you can change the admin password and create new users or domains.
Step 4 — Post-install configuration
- Secure the panel: Change the default admin password, enable 2FA if available.
- SSL for hostname: Issue a Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate for your FQDN (
server.example.com). - Create users & domains: Add a new user (recommended) and create your first domain/website.
- Email setup: Configure DNS records (MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC) if you want to use email services.
- Backups: Enable scheduled backups via the Hestia panel.
- Firewall (optional): If you enable LifeinCloud firewall, open
8083and required service ports.
Troubleshooting
- Panel not loading: Use
https://IP:8083. If firewall rules are active, ensure port8083is open. - Forgot admin password: Reset with:
v-change-user-password admin NEWPASSWORD
- Logs: Check
/var/log/hestia/for errors. - Service errors: Restart key services:
systemctl restart hestia nginx php7.4-fpm mariadb
