aaPanel VPS - Getting Started Guide
Your aaPanel VPS based on Ubuntu 24.04 comes with aaPanel 7.x pre-installed. aaPanel is a free web hosting control panel that lets you deploy websites with Nginx or Apache, MySQL or MariaDB, and PHP — all managed through a simple web interface. The software stack (LAMP/LNMP) is not pre-installed — you choose and install it on first login.
Software Included
| Component | Details |
|---|---|
| Ubuntu | 24.04 LTS |
| aaPanel | 7.x (English edition) |
| Python | 3.12 (aaPanel runtime) |
| Security | Fail2Ban, UFW firewall |
Step 1 - Your Credentials
Log in to your client panel and open your VPS service details. Find the IP address and root password (for SSH).
aaPanel login:
- Username:
admin - Password: the Panel Password you entered during the order
Step 2 - Access aaPanel
aaPanel is available immediately after your VPS is created:
https://your.server.ip:7800/loginLog in with username admin and the Panel Password from Step 1.
Note: aaPanel uses a self-signed SSL certificate by default. Your browser will show a security warning — this is expected. Click "Advanced" and proceed to access the panel.
Step 3 - Install Your Web Stack
On first login, aaPanel will prompt you to choose a web stack:
| Stack | Components |
|---|---|
| LNMP (recommended) | Nginx + MySQL + PHP |
| LAMP | Apache + MySQL + PHP |
Select your preferred stack and versions, then click One-Click to install. Installation takes 5-15 minutes depending on your VPS resources.
You can also install components individually from the App Store tab.
Step 4 - Add Your First Website
After installing a web stack, click Website → Add site and enter your domain name. aaPanel will create the web directory and configuration automatically.
Before adding a domain, point it to your server by creating an A record at your domain registrar:
| Type | Name | Value |
|---|---|---|
| A | @ | your.server.ip |
| A | www | your.server.ip |
DNS changes usually take a few minutes, but can take up to 24 hours. You can check the status at dnschecker.org.
Step 5 - Enable SSL for Your Domain
aaPanel has built-in Let's Encrypt support. To enable a free SSL certificate:
- Go to Website and click on your domain
- Click the SSL tab
- Select Let's Encrypt
- Check the domain names and click Apply
The certificate will be installed and renewed automatically.
Post-Installation
One-Click Applications
aaPanel includes a one-click installer for popular applications. Go to App Store to install WordPress, Laravel, Node.js, Java, Python and other frameworks without using the command line.
Server Credentials
aaPanel admin credentials are stored in /root/.aapanel_credentials.
Updates
aaPanel manages its own updates. To update the panel, go to Settings in the panel and check for updates. OS updates can be applied via SSH:
apt update && apt upgrade -yTroubleshooting
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| Can't access aaPanel | Make sure you use https:// and port 7800 with /login path. Accept the self-signed certificate warning |
| Panel loading slowly on first access | aaPanel initialization takes up to 1 minute after first boot. Wait and refresh the page |
| Forgot panel password | SSH in and run: cd /www/server/panel && python3 tools.py panel "newpass". Or check /root/.aapanel_credentials |
| LAMP/LNMP installation failed | Ensure your VPS has at least 1 GB RAM and 10 GB disk. Retry installation from the App Store tab |
| Domain not resolving | Check that your domain's A record points to the server IP. Use dnschecker.org to verify |
| Blocked by Fail2Ban | Use VNC console in your client panel to unban your IP: fail2ban-client set sshd unbanip 1.2.3.4 |
| Can't connect via SSH | Check that port 22 is open in UFW: ufw status. Try VNC console as a fallback |