How to Install CyberPanel on Ubuntu 22.04 VPS: Free OpenLiteSpeed Control Panel

cPanel licenses have crept past USD 50 per month for even the smallest VPS tier, and Plesk is not far behind. If you are self-hosting a handful of WordPress sites, a small e-commerce shop, or client projects, those recurring fees eat straight into your margin. CyberPanel is the free alternative that most sysadmins reach for first: it bundles OpenLiteSpeed, MariaDB, PowerDNS, Postfix/Dovecot, Docker, Git deployment, and the LiteSpeed Cache plugin into a single one-command installer, and it runs comfortably on a 2 GB RAM VPS.

This guide walks you through a clean install of CyberPanel on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, from SSH to your first TLS-secured WordPress site, with mail, DNS, and backups configured.

Skip the setup? Deploy CyberPanel in one click with our pre-configured control panel image. Launch a CyberPanel VPS now and be logged into the admin UI in under 90 seconds.

Table of Contents

What is CyberPanel?

CyberPanel is an open-source web hosting control panel built on top of OpenLiteSpeed, the free edition of the high-performance LiteSpeed web server. Where cPanel and Plesk are designed around Apache and Nginx, CyberPanel was engineered from day one to take advantage of LiteSpeed's event-driven architecture, HTTP/3 (QUIC) support, and first-class caching layer. The result is a control panel that consistently benchmarks 2-5x faster than the LAMP or LEMP stacks most shared hosts still ship with.

The panel ties together everything a small hosting operator needs: OpenLiteSpeed as the web server, MariaDB for databases, PowerDNS for authoritative DNS, Postfix and Dovecot for SMTP/IMAP, Rspamd for spam filtering, and Pure-FTPd for FTP. It also includes a visual file manager, a Git deployment feature for pulling projects from GitHub or GitLab, Docker Manager for running containers next to traditional websites, and a one-click WordPress installer that wires up the LiteSpeed Cache plugin automatically. Backups can be scheduled to local disk, remote SFTP, AWS S3, or Google Drive out of the box.

CyberPanel is used by hosting companies offering shared reseller plans, by WordPress agencies managing dozens of client sites, by SaaS developers who want a clean deploy target with Git hooks, and by homelab enthusiasts who want a single pane of glass for a handful of domains. Two editions are shipped from the same installer: CyberPanel (free, built on OpenLiteSpeed) and CyberPanel Enterprise (paid, built on the commercial LiteSpeed Web Server, which adds ESI, mod_security with premium rule sets, and higher concurrent connection handling). For almost every self-hoster, the free OpenLiteSpeed edition is more than enough.

Why Choose CyberPanel Over cPanel or Plesk?

If you are evaluating control panels for a new VPS, CyberPanel has several concrete advantages over the commercial options:

• Free forever, no seat limits -- The OpenLiteSpeed edition is 100% free with unlimited accounts and domains. cPanel Solo (the cheapest tier) allows one account and costs ~USD 20/month. A comparable Plesk Web Admin license is ~USD 15/month. Over a year, you save USD 180-240 per server.
• OpenLiteSpeed is measurably faster than Apache -- Event-driven I/O, built-in HTTP/3, and a native cache that plugs directly into WordPress mean pages served from CyberPanel typically hit Time To First Byte (TTFB) under 150 ms, where an equivalent Apache + Varnish setup lands around 400-600 ms.
• LiteSpeed Cache plugin auto-configured -- When you install WordPress via CyberPanel, the LiteSpeed Cache plugin is activated and pointed at the server cache automatically. No manual .htaccess edits, no Redis wiring, no CDN config.
• Docker + Git built in -- Deploy containerised apps (Ghost, Strapi, Directus, n8n) from the same UI you use to manage PHP sites. Pull Git repos directly into a docroot with a webhook for auto-deploy.
• Full mail server included -- Postfix + Dovecot + Rspamd + DKIM signing are configured automatically per website. You do not need a separate mail VPS or a paid SaaS relay.
• Authoritative DNS built in -- PowerDNS is pre-configured so you can point your domain nameservers at your VPS and manage all records in the CyberPanel UI, same as cPanel's DNS Zone Editor.
• Lightweight -- Runs fine on 2 GB RAM. A fresh install uses ~600 MB idle, leaving headroom for your actual sites on a small plan.

Cost Comparison: CyberPanel vs. cPanel vs. Plesk

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• A VPS running Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (fresh install, no LAMP/LEMP stack pre-installed)
• Root access via SSH (CyberPanel's installer requires root; sudo users need to run sudo -i first)
• At least 2 GB of RAM (4 GB+ recommended for production with mail and a few WordPress sites)
• At least 20 GB of free disk space for the OS, panel, MariaDB, and one or two sites
• A domain name with DNS under your control (required for SSL certificates and mail)
• Ports open in your firewall: 22 (SSH), 80, 443, 8090 (panel UI), 7080 (OpenLiteSpeed admin), 25, 465, 587, 110, 143, 993, 995 (mail), 21, 40110-40210 (FTP passive)

Note on Ubuntu versions: CyberPanel officially supports Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. Ubuntu 24.04 support is still being rolled out and some components (particularly the mail stack and PowerDNS packages) are not yet fully validated on 24.04 at the time of writing. Stick with 22.04 for a production install, and wait for the official 24.04 green light before upgrading.

Recommended Plan: CloudCore Professional

For running CyberPanel with 5-15 WordPress sites, a mail server, and room to grow, we recommend the CloudCore Professional plan:

- 6 vCPU cores

- 12 GB RAM

- 100 GB NVMe SSD

- Unmetered bandwidth

- Optional Ubuntu 22.04 image with CyberPanel pre-installed

This gives you enough headroom for OpenLiteSpeed, MariaDB, a full mail stack, and Docker containers without any swapping.

Connect to your fresh server via SSH to get started:

ssh root@your-server-ip

Step 1: Prepare a Fresh Ubuntu 22.04 Server

CyberPanel must be installed on a clean Ubuntu 22.04 system. If you already have Apache, Nginx, MySQL, or Postfix running on the server, the installer will conflict with them and fail halfway through. Start with a freshly provisioned VPS (which most providers let you do with a one-click reinstall).

Update the package index and upgrade installed packages first:

apt update && apt upgrade -y

Set a correct hostname (use a subdomain you own -- this is what the panel will present as its certificate CN and what the mail server will use in the HELO):

hostnamectl set-hostname panel.example.com

Ensure the hostname resolves locally by adding it to /etc/hosts:

echo "127.0.0.1 panel.example.com panel" >> /etc/hosts

Make sure the system timezone is correct (important for scheduled backups and log timestamps):

timedatectl set-timezone UTC

If the kernel was updated, reboot now:

reboot

Reconnect via SSH after a minute before continuing.

Step 2: Run the CyberPanel Installer

CyberPanel ships as a single interactive shell script hosted on the official site. The script handles every dependency: it installs OpenLiteSpeed or LiteSpeed Enterprise, MariaDB, PHP 7.4/8.0/8.1/8.2/8.3 side by side, Postfix, Dovecot, PowerDNS, Pure-FTPd, Rspamd, and all Python bindings for the panel itself.

Run the installer as root:

sh <(curl https://cyberpanel.net/install.sh)

Expected initial output:

CyberPanel Installer v2.4
Install CyberPanel.
Addons and Miscellaneous.
Exit.
 Please enter the number[1-3]:

Enter 1 to begin installation.

You will be presented with the edition selection screen:

1. Install CyberPanel with OpenLiteSpeed.
Install Cyberpanel with LiteSpeed Enterprise.
Exit.
 Please enter the number[1-3]:

Enter 1 to install the free OpenLiteSpeed edition. Choose option 2 only if you already have a paid LiteSpeed Enterprise license key -- otherwise stick with the free tier, which is what this guide covers.

Step 3: Answer the Installer Prompts

The installer asks a short series of questions. Here are the recommended answers for a production install:

Full service install?

Full installation includes PowerDNS, Postfix and Pure-FTPd.
Minimal installation will not install these services.
Full installation [Y/n]:

Answer Y. You want DNS, mail, and FTP available even if you do not use them today.

Remote MySQL?

Remote MySQL [y/N]:

Answer N. Running MariaDB locally is simpler, faster, and the default that all other CyberPanel features assume.

CyberPanel version:

Please choose which version of CyberPanel you wish to install.
Press Enter to continue with the latest version, or
enter a specific version such as 2.3.4 (minimum 2.1.2):

Press Enter to install the latest stable release.

Password for the admin user:

Choose [d]efault, [r]andom or [s]et password for the default user 'admin'
Please enter the number[d/r/s]:

Choose s to set your own password. Pick a strong password (20+ characters, mixed case, numbers, symbols) -- this is the login you will use at port 8090. Store it in your password manager immediately.

Additional services:

Install Memcached process and its PHP extension? [Y/n]: Y
Install Redis process and its PHP extension? [Y/n]: Y
Would you like to setup WatchDog (Beta) for Web service and Database service? [Y/n]: Y

Answer Y to all three:

• Memcached accelerates PHP sessions and object caching for WordPress and other CMSes.
• Redis is used by modern WordPress cache plugins and is required if you plan to run Magento, Medusa, or any queue-driven app.
• WatchDog auto-restarts LiteSpeed and MariaDB if they crash -- essential for unattended production servers.

When it finishes, you will see a success banner:

###################################################################
                CyberPanel Successfully Installed
                Current Disk usage : 7/75GB (10%)
                Current RAM  usage : 612/3945MB (15.5%)
                Installation time  : 0 hrs 18 min 42 sec
                Visit: https://<your-server-ip>:8090
                Panel username: admin
                Panel password: <your-password>
                Run cyberpanel help to get FAQ info
                Run cyberpanel upgrade to upgrade it to latest version.
                Run cyberpanel utility to access some utilities
###################################################################

Note the panel URL and credentials -- you need them next.

Step 4: Access the Control Panel at Port 8090

CyberPanel listens on port 8090 over HTTPS with a self-signed certificate by default. Open your browser and navigate to:

https://your-server-ip:8090

Your browser will warn about the self-signed certificate -- this is expected. Click Advanced -> Proceed to the site (Chrome/Edge) or Accept the Risk and Continue (Firefox). Once the panel replaces its self-signed cert with a Let's Encrypt certificate in Step 7, the warning goes away.

Log in with:

• Username: admin
• Password: The password you chose during installation

Tip: If port 8090 times out, your VPS firewall or the provider's security group is blocking it. Allow it with UFW: ufw allow 8090/tcp. On Contabo, OVH, or Hetzner, also check the provider-side firewall in your control panel.

Change the Default Admin Password (if you chose random)

If you selected r (random password) during install, retrieve it from the log:

cat /etc/cyberpanel/cyberpanel.log | grep -i password

Or reset it from the command line:

adminPass --password NewStrongPassword123!

Step 5: Create Your First Website

From the dashboard, go to Websites -> Create Website. You need to fill in seven fields:

Click Create Website. The panel provisions the vhost, creates the docroot at /home/example.com/public_html, requests an SSL certificate, and creates the default DNS zone if PowerDNS is enabled.

Create an FTP Account

Go to FTP -> Create FTP Account:

• Select Website: example.com
• User Name: example-ftp
• Password: Generate a strong password
• Path: /home/example.com/public_html (the site docroot) or leave blank for the home directory

• Host: Your server IP or panel.example.com
• Port: 21 (FTPS) or 22 (SFTP via the root/sudo user)
• Username: example-ftp
• Password: The password you just set

Step 6: Install WordPress with LiteSpeed Cache in One Click

This is where CyberPanel shines compared to cPanel. Go to Websites -> List Websites, find example.com, and click the Manage button (wrench icon). In the site management view, scroll down to the Application Installer section and click WP + LSCache.

Fill in:

• Blog Title: Your site name
• Login User: example-admin (avoid admin -- it is the first username brute-forcers try)
• Login Password: Strong password
• Email: Your admin email
• Path: Leave blank to install at the domain root, or enter blog to install at example.com/blog

When it finishes, browse to https://example.com/wp-admin and log in. The LiteSpeed Cache plugin is already active -- visit LiteSpeed Cache -> Cache to confirm caching is enabled. You can ship this site to production as-is; CyberPanel has already done what would take 20-30 minutes of manual configuration on a Nginx/Apache stack.

For a deeper WordPress hardening checklist, see our guide How to Install WordPress on Ubuntu.

Step 7: Issue a Free Let's Encrypt SSL Certificate

If you ticked the SSL checkbox when creating the site, CyberPanel already attempted to issue a Let's Encrypt certificate during website creation. If your DNS was not pointed at the server yet, the initial issuance will have failed silently.

To issue or renew a certificate manually:

Expected output at the bottom of the page:

SSL successfully Issued for: example.com and www.example.com

To issue a certificate for the CyberPanel hostname itself (so the panel UI stops throwing cert warnings):

Reload the panel at https://panel.example.com:8090 and the browser padlock is now green.

Auto-Renewal

CyberPanel installs a cron job that runs acme.sh daily at 00:52 and renews any certificate within 30 days of expiry. No manual configuration is needed. Verify the cron is in place:

crontab -l | grep acme

Expected:

52 0   * "/root/.acme.sh"/acme.sh --cron --home "/root/.acme.sh" > /dev/null

Step 8: Configure the Mail Server and DKIM

CyberPanel ships Postfix + Dovecot + Rspamd configured and ready. You just need to create mailboxes and wire up DNS records.

Create an Email Account

Go to Email -> Create Email:

• Select Domain: example.com
• Username: hello (creates [email protected])
• Password: Strong password

Add DNS Records for Mail Deliverability

For mail to actually land in recipients' inboxes, you need four DNS records on example.com:

Configure Reverse DNS (PTR)

Your VPS provider (Contabo, OVH, Hetzner) exposes a Reverse DNS (PTR) setting in their control panel. Set the PTR for your server IP to mail.example.com. Without this, Gmail and Outlook will reject your outgoing mail.

Verify Port 25 is Open

Many VPS providers block outbound port 25 by default to prevent spam. Test:

telnet smtp.gmail.com 25

If you see Connection refused or a timeout, open a ticket with your provider requesting outbound port 25 unblock. They will typically ask what you plan to use it for -- a legitimate mail server on your own domain is accepted.

Test Sending

From your webmail client (or any IMAP/SMTP client like Thunderbird), configure:

• IMAP: mail.example.com, port 993, SSL/TLS
• SMTP: mail.example.com, port 465, SSL/TLS
• Username: [email protected]
• Password: the mailbox password

Step 9: Manage DNS Zones with PowerDNS

If you enabled full install in Step 3, PowerDNS is running and can act as an authoritative nameserver for your domains.

Go to DNS -> Add/Delete Records:

• Select Domain: example.com
• Add A, AAAA, MX, TXT, CNAME records from the simple UI.

Propagation takes 2-48 hours. For most small sites, however, it is simpler to leave DNS at your registrar (Cloudflare, Namecheap, Porkbun) and just point A/MX/TXT records at your server -- you do not need to run authoritative DNS yourself.

Step 10: Set Up Backups to SFTP or S3

CyberPanel includes a scheduled backup system that can push full site + database + email archives to remote storage.

Local Backups

Go to Backup -> Create Backup:

• Select Website: example.com
• Destination: Home (stores in /home/backup/)

Remote SFTP Backups

Go to Backup -> Add Destinations:

• Type: SFTP
• IP Address: Your remote backup server (e.g., a separate Storage VPS or Hetzner Storage Box)
• User: SSH user
• Port: 22

AWS S3 Backups

Go to Backup -> Add Destinations -> AWS S3:

• Bucket Name: Your S3 bucket
• Access Key ID and Secret Access Key: IAM credentials with s3:PutObject permission on the bucket

Google Drive

Connect a Google account at Backup -> GDrive for personal-scale backups of up to 15 GB free (or 2 TB on a Google One plan).

Upgrading CyberPanel

CyberPanel ships point releases every 6-10 weeks. Upgrading is a single command run as root:

sh <(curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/usmannasir/cyberpanel/stable/preUpgrade.sh)

The script pulls the latest stable version, runs database migrations, restarts LiteSpeed and Postfix, and preserves all your sites, emails, and backups. Uptime during the upgrade is typically 30-90 seconds. You can also run this from the panel at Version Management -> Upgrade.

To upgrade only the panel UI without touching system services:

cyberpanel upgrade

Always take a full backup before upgrading across major versions (e.g., 2.3 -> 2.4).

Troubleshooting

Viewing Logs

Useful log files when debugging:

# CyberPanel panel logs
tail -f /home/cyberpanel/error-logs.txt
tail -f /usr/local/CyberCP/logs/cyberpanel.log
OpenLiteSpeed web server
tail -f /usr/local/lsws/logs/error.log
tail -f /usr/local/lsws/logs/access.log
Mail server
tail -f /var/log/mail.log
MariaDB
tail -f /var/log/mysql/error.log

FAQ

Is CyberPanel really free? What is the catch?

Yes, CyberPanel (OpenLiteSpeed edition) is genuinely free with no account or domain limits and no feature paywalls. The project's business model is the paid CyberPanel Enterprise edition, which runs on the commercial LiteSpeed Web Server (LSWS) instead of OpenLiteSpeed. LSWS adds features like ESI (Edge Side Includes), premium ModSecurity rules, and higher concurrent connection handling -- useful at 1000+ concurrent users but unnecessary for small and medium sites. You can run unlimited sites on the free edition and never upgrade.

Can CyberPanel run on Ubuntu 24.04 yet?

Officially, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS is the supported production version at the time of writing. Ubuntu 24.04 support is being actively worked on but some components (PowerDNS packages, specific Postfix/Dovecot integrations) are not yet fully validated. For a production install, use 22.04. Check the official CyberPanel documentation for the current compatibility matrix before deploying on 24.04.

How does OpenLiteSpeed compare to Nginx or Apache?

OpenLiteSpeed uses an event-driven architecture similar to Nginx (rather than Apache's process/thread-per-request model), which makes it very efficient under high concurrency. Where OpenLiteSpeed pulls ahead is its native cache layer: the LiteSpeed Cache plugin for WordPress, Magento, Prestashop, Joomla, and other CMSes talks directly to the server cache via shared memory, bypassing PHP entirely for cached pages. This typically gives 2-5x faster page loads than Nginx + PHP-FPM + Redis page cache. The tradeoff is a smaller ecosystem and fewer third-party tutorials compared to Nginx. For WordPress-heavy workloads, OpenLiteSpeed wins.

Can I run Docker containers alongside regular PHP sites?

Yes. CyberPanel includes a Docker Manager under Docker -> Manage Images/Containers. You can pull images, spin up containers, map ports, and define environment variables from the panel UI. This is how most CyberPanel users run apps like Ghost, Strapi, Directus, n8n, or Uptime Kuma next to their WordPress sites on the same VPS. Docker containers do not consume PHP worker slots, so they scale independently of OpenLiteSpeed's request processing.

What happens if I run out of disk space?

The /home partition holds all site docroots, databases, mail, and backups -- it fills up first. Check usage at Home -> Dashboard or from SSH with df -h /home. Free space by deleting old backups (/home/backup/), pruning large log files (/usr/local/lsws/logs/), and moving mailboxes off-server if they have grown unusually large. If you consistently need more space, most VPS providers let you resize disks -- on Contabo and OVH this is a support ticket; on Hetzner Cloud you can resize via API in seconds.

How do I migrate from cPanel to CyberPanel?

CyberPanel includes a cPanel Backup Restore tool at Websites -> cPanel Backup Restore. Upload a cPanel-generated backup-example.com.tar.gz and the panel reconstructs the domain, databases, emails, and file contents on CyberPanel's side. Works for most simple sites; complex cPanel setups (custom Apache rules, non-standard PHP handlers) may need manual adjustments. For detailed migration planning, see the cPanel to CyberPanel migration guide in the official docs.

Is CyberPanel secure enough for client hosting?

Yes, when configured correctly. CyberPanel enables Open Basedir Protection by default (PHP cannot read files outside each site's docroot), ships with ModSecurity + OWASP Core Rule Set available one-click, integrates with fail2ban for SSH brute-force protection, and forces TLS everywhere. For multi-tenant hosting with untrusted users, additionally enable CSF (ConfigServer Firewall) via the addon installer, use per-site PHP-FPM pools for process isolation, and rotate SSH to a non-standard port.

Next Steps

Now that CyberPanel is running on your VPS, here are recommended next steps to get the most out of your setup:

• Harden WordPress -- Follow the hardening checklist in our WordPress install guide to secure wp-admin, limit login attempts, and enable 2FA.

• Enable ModSecurity with OWASP rules -- Go to Security -> ModSecurity and install the OWASP Core Rule Set. This blocks SQL injection, XSS, and most automated attacks with zero config.

• Configure fail2ban jails -- CyberPanel ships fail2ban but does not enable all jails by default. Enable the SSH, Postfix, Dovecot, and OpenLiteSpeed jails at Security -> SSH Lockdown and the fail2ban config.

• Set up monitoring -- Pair CyberPanel with Uptime Kuma or an external service like BetterStack to alert you when a site or the panel itself goes down.

• Create packages for client sites -- Under Packages -> Create Package, define disk quota, bandwidth limit, email account count, and database limit per tier. Assign packages when creating new sites so resource usage stays predictable.

• Automate Git deployments -- Link each site to a GitHub/GitLab repo under Websites -> Manage -> Git, and set up a webhook so git push triggers a pull on the server. Great for static sites and headless CMS frontends.

• Explore the official docs -- docs.cyberpanel.net covers advanced topics like multi-server clusters (LiteSpeed Web ADC), custom PHP handlers, and ModSecurity tuning.

Skip the Manual Install -- Get CyberPanel Pre-Installed

Our CloudCore Professional plans come with CyberPanel pre-configured on Ubuntu 22.04. Deploy in 90 seconds and start creating sites immediately.

- OpenLiteSpeed + MariaDB + PHP 7.4/8.0/8.1/8.2/8.3 ready

- Hostname SSL pre-issued via Let's Encrypt

- Postfix + Dovecot + Rspamd mail stack configured

- PowerDNS running for authoritative DNS

- Daily snapshots included

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