- ISPConfig
- Apache or NGINX
- Postfix
- BIND
ISPConfig VPS HostingAn open-source panel for sites, mail and DNS
ISPConfig is an open-source hosting control panel for Debian and Ubuntu. It manages websites, email, DNS and databases and has separate logins for admins, resellers and clients. You run it on a KVM VPS with full root access.
- KVM virtualisation
- NVMe storage
- Root SSH access
- Free one-time setup
- 99.9% uptime SLA
$systemctl list-units --type=service --state=active
- ispconfigcontrol panel on port 8080
- apache2 or nginxweb server of your choice
- postfix + dovecotmail send and receive
- bind9DNS for your domains
- mariadbdatabase server
- fail2banbrute-force guard
Installed and secured before handover.
Why Use ISPConfig on a VPS
ISPConfig is aimed at people who host for others: it separates the admin, resellers and clients.
Open source under the BSD licence
There is no licence fee for the panel, and you can read the source.
Logins for each role
Give resellers and clients their own panel logins with their own limits, instead of sharing the admin account.
Web, mail, DNS and databases
One panel for hosting accounts, mail domains and mailboxes, DNS zones and databases.
Room to grow to more servers
ISPConfig can manage several servers from one panel, so you can add a second server later.
How an ISPConfig Server Is Put Together
The panel writes configuration for the standard Linux services under it, and a server job applies it.
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Control panel
ISPConfig
The panel on port 8080, with admin, reseller and client logins.
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Web server
Apache or NGINX
Serves your sites; PHP runs alongside it.
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Mail and DNS
Postfix, Dovecot, BIND
Send and receive mail and answer DNS for the domains you host.
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Database
MariaDB
The database for your sites and for the panel itself.
Engineer's notes
- The ISPConfig autoinstaller guide covers Debian 12 and 13 and Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04, on x86_64 and ARM64.
- Install it on a fresh, minimal server. The installer configures the web, mail and database services itself.
- The panel is on port 8080. Keep that port reachable for you only if you can.
- ISPConfig is configured by a panel and a server job, so a change can take a minute to apply.
- 443HTTPS, your sites
- 80HTTP, redirects to HTTPS
- 22SSH, you only
- 8080ISPConfig, restrict to your IP
What You Can Run
Hosting accounts
Websites with their own users, limits and databases.
Business email
Mail domains, mailboxes and aliases.
Your own DNS
Zones for the domains you host, served by BIND.
Reseller hosting
Resellers who manage their own clients in the panel.
PHP applications
WordPress and other PHP apps on your chosen web server.
A second server later
Add more servers and manage them from the same panel.
Which Plan for Your ISPConfig Server
The number of sites and mailboxes decides the size.
A starting point, not a limit: every plan upgrades in place, keeping your data, IP address and configuration.
Installing ISPConfig on Your Server
ISPConfig is not on our standard install list, so by default you install it yourself with root SSH. On a fresh Ubuntu LTS server, the autoinstaller does the work; read its guide before you start.
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Start from a fresh server
Use a freshly installed Ubuntu LTS with a proper hostname, and update it.
hostnamectl set-hostname server1.example.comapt update && apt -y upgrade -
Run the autoinstaller
The ISPConfig autoinstaller sets up the web, mail, DNS and database services and the panel.
wget -O - https://get.ispconfig.org | sh -
Sign in to the panel
Open the panel on port 8080 and use the admin details the installer prints.
https://server1.example.com:8080 -
Add your first client and site
Create a client in the panel, then a website, mail domain and DNS zone for them.
sudo tail -f /var/log/ispconfig/ispconfig.log
Example commands: adjust names, paths and versions to your project. Deploying and maintaining your application is yours to do, or ask us for a quote.
ISPConfig commands you will use every week
Copy, paste, adjust the names. Each one is safe to run as your own user on the server.
Update ISPConfig
sudo ispconfig_update.shFollow the panel log
sudo tail -f /var/log/ispconfig/ispconfig.logRun the server job now
sudo /usr/local/ispconfig/server/server.shCheck the web server
sudo systemctl status apache2Check the panel port
ss -ltnp | grep 8080See the mail queue
sudo postqueue -pShared cPanel Hosting or Your Own ISPConfig?
Both manage sites from a dashboard. ISPConfig gives you the server and logins for resellers and clients.
Shared cPanel hosting
- The panelcPanel, included in the plan
- LoginsOne account per plan
- Server accessNo root
- Updates and securityHandled by the host
- Best forOne site, no server to run
ISPConfig VPS
- The panelISPConfig, free and open source
- LoginsAdmin, reseller and client logins
- Server accessFull root and SSH
- Updates and securityYours: OS and panel updates
- Best forPeople who host for others
Your ISPConfig server
Free one-time setup before you get access. Here is what happens, and what you receive.
Pick a plan and a location
Resources that fit your workload, in the datacentre closest to your users.
Tell us your ISPConfig setup
Versions, database and domain: at order or right after.
We install and secure it
Server hardened, the stack installed and tested, HTTPS on your domain.
You get root
SSH to a working server, ready for your code and data.
Installed for you
- A hardened Ubuntu LTS server with root SSH, ready for the autoinstaller
- ISPConfig is installed by you with its autoinstaller
- Your clients, sites, mail domains and DNS zones are added by you
Secured before handover
- Non-root sudo user created for daily work
- SSH key login, password login for root disabled
- Firewall (UFW) open only for the ports you use
- Fail2ban blocking repeated login attempts
- Automatic security updates enabled
- Free Let's Encrypt SSL on your domain
- Timezone, swap and hostname configured
Not included (we say so up front)
- Ongoing server administration
- Application maintenance and updates
- Debugging your code
- Migrating existing sites or data
Security and Performance for ISPConfig
Security
- Keep Ubuntu and ISPConfig updated.
- Limit port 8080 to your own IP address when you can.
- Give clients their own logins; never share the admin password.
- Set SPF, DKIM and DMARC for every mail domain.
Performance
- Choose the web server that fits your sites, and cache PHP output.
- Watch the mail queue size and the server job log.
- Keep databases on the NVMe disk.
- Move mail to a second server later if it outgrows the first.
Built from the official documentation
VPS Plans for ISPConfig
Mail, DNS and a database run beside your sites. Start at VPS-1 for a few domains and move up as clients and mailboxes grow.
VPS-1
Small websites, APIs, bots and development servers.
- 2 vCores
- 4 GB RAM
- 40 GB NVMe
- 500 Mbps
- Full root and SSH access
- Free initial stack installation
- Server hardening and firewall setup
- Daily backup of the previous 24 hours
- Unlimited traffic *
- Anti-DDoS protection
- Dedicated IPv4 and IPv6
- KVM virtualisation
VPS-2
Production apps, WordPress and online stores.
- 4 vCores
- 8 GB RAM
- 75 GB NVMe
- 1 Gbps
- Full root and SSH access
- Free initial stack installation
- Server hardening and firewall setup
- Daily backup of the previous 24 hours
- Unlimited traffic *
- Anti-DDoS protection
- Dedicated IPv4 and IPv6
- KVM virtualisation
VPS-3
Busy stores, SaaS products and several projects.
- 6 vCores
- 12 GB RAM
- 100 GB NVMe
- 2 Gbps
- Full root and SSH access
- Free initial stack installation
- Server hardening and firewall setup
- Daily backup of the previous 24 hours
- Unlimited traffic *
- Anti-DDoS protection
- Dedicated IPv4 and IPv6
- KVM virtualisation
VPS-4
High-traffic apps, large databases and agencies.
- 8 vCores
- 24 GB RAM
- 200 GB NVMe
- 3 Gbps
- Full root and SSH access
- Free initial stack installation
- Server hardening and firewall setup
- Daily backup of the previous 24 hours
- Unlimited traffic *
- Anti-DDoS protection
- Dedicated IPv4 and IPv6
- KVM virtualisation
* Unlimited traffic in Europe and North America. In Mumbai, Singapore and Sydney a monthly allowance applies (VPS-1 500 GB, VPS-2/VPS-3 1 TB, VPS-4 3 TB), then speed is limited to 10 Mbps until the next month.
Prices exclude 18% GST, which is added to invoices for customers in India.
Platform specs and locations
The same KVM platform on every plan; only CPU, RAM, storage and port speed change.
- Virtualisation
- KVM with reserved vCores and RAM
- Storage
- NVMe SSD on every plan
- Network
- Dedicated IPv4 and IPv6, 500 Mbps to 3 Gbps per plan
- Operating systems
- Ubuntu 26.04, 24.04 and 22.04 LTS · Debian 13, 12 and 11 · AlmaLinux · Rocky Linux · Fedora · FreeBSD
- Access
- Full root over SSH, key-based login
- Backups
- Automatic daily backup of the previous 24 hours; snapshots and longer retention on request
- Protection
- Always-on anti-DDoS mitigation
- Availability
- 99.9% uptime SLA
Asia-Pacific
- Mumbai
- Singapore
- Sydney
Europe
- London
- Limburg
- Roubaix
- Gravelines
- Strasbourg
- Milan
- Warsaw
North America
- Beauharnois
Availability per location changes with demand; we confirm your location before setup. In Mumbai, Singapore and Sydney each plan includes a monthly traffic allowance (VPS-1 500 GB, VPS-2 and VPS-3 1 TB, VPS-4 3 TB); beyond it, speed is limited to 10 Mbps until the next month.
Questions before you deploy
Not covered here? Ask an engineer before you order.
Ready when you are
Get a Server for ISPConfig
Choose a plan and we hand over a hardened Ubuntu server with root SSH, ready for the ISPConfig autoinstaller.