Introduction: Hestia Control Panel is a free, simple, and powerful hosting control panel that manages web servers. It's an excellent alternative to cPanel, providing most of the features you need to manage your web hosting environment without the associated licensing fees. This guide will walk you through the steps to install Hestia Control Panel on a server.

Prerequisites:

A clean VPS or dedicated server running Ubuntu 18.04 or 20.04.
At least 1 GB of RAM (2 GB recommended).
Root access to the server.

Step 1: Connect to Your Server Use SSH to connect to your server as the root user:

ssh root@your_server_ip

Step 2: Update Your System Ensure that all your system packages are up-to-date:

apt update && apt upgrade -y

Step 3: Download the Hestia Installation Script Navigate to the tmp directory and download the installation script:

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

Step 4: Run the Installation Script Make the script executable and then run it:

chmod +x hst-install.sh
bash hst-install.sh

The script will prompt you for several configuration options, including which hosting software you want to install (Apache or Nginx), whether you want to install a mail server, and which additional features you want to enable.

Step 5: Follow Installation Prompts Answer the prompts accordingly. If you're unsure about any option, you can typically select the default choice by pressing Enter.

Step 6: Access Hestia Control Panel Once the installation is complete, the script will display the URL to access the Hestia Control Panel, along with the username and password. It will typically look something like this:

https://your_server_ip:8083
Username: admin
Password: [your_password]

Step 7: Log in to Hestia Open your web browser, navigate to the provided URL, and log in using the credentials provided by the installation script.

Step 8: Post-Installation Configuration

Change the default admin password.
Set up your domain name.
Create new user accounts as needed.
Configure DNS, databases, and email settings.

Step 9: Secure Your Hestia Installation

Consider setting up a firewall.
Regularly update your system and Hestia to the latest versions.
Enable SSL for added security.

Conclusion: Hestia Control Panel provides an intuitive and powerful interface for managing your web servers. It's an excellent choice for personal projects, development environments, or small businesses looking for a cost-effective hosting solution. By following this guide, you should have a fully functional Hestia installation ready to manage your websites and services. Remember to regularly maintain and update your system and Hestia installation to ensure a secure and stable hosting environment.