How to install ISPmanager on a VPS or Dedicated Server

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Discover how to install ISPmanager on your OVHcloud VPS or Dedicated Server and manage your websites, databases, and associated services

Objective

ISPmanager is an all-in-one web hosting panel that simplifies the management of websites, databases, accounts, TLS/Let’s Encrypt certificates, and associated services via a web interface. This guide explains how to install ISPmanager on a clean VPS or Dedicated Server and access the interface for initial configuration.

Discover how to install ISPmanager on an OVHcloud VPS or Dedicated Server.

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Requirements

Instructions

Step 1 — Connect and update the system

Connect to the server

Open a terminal and connect to your VPS (or Dedicated Server) using the following command:

ssh user@IP_VPS

Replace:

  • user with your username.
  • IP_VPS with your VPS's IP address.

Update the system

Update your operating system. This process may take several minutes.

Debian and Ubuntu
AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux
sudo apt update && sudo apt -y upgrade

Step 2 — Open required ports on the firewall

To allow incoming and outgoing connections, consult the official ISPmanager documentation to determine which ports to open based on your needs.

Example of opening ports for Debian / Ubuntu

1. Install UFW:

sudo apt -y install ufw

2. Open the necessary ports (examples: SSH, ISPmanager panel, HTTP/HTTPS):

sudo ufw allow 22/tcp
sudo ufw allow 1500/tcp
sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
sudo ufw allow 443/tcp

3. Enable UFW and check its status (the value "ALLOW" is expected):

sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw status

Example of opening ports for AlmaLinux

1. Install firewalld:

sudo dnf -y install firewalld

2. Enable and start the service:

sudo systemctl enable --now firewalld

3. Open the necessary ports (examples: SSH, ISPmanager panel, HTTP/HTTPS):

sudo firewall-cmd --add-service=ssh --permanent
sudo firewall-cmd --add-service=http --permanent
sudo firewall-cmd --add-service=https --permanent
sudo firewall-cmd --add-port=1500/tcp --permanent

4. Apply the configuration:

sudo firewall-cmd --reload
sudo firewall-cmd --list-all

Step 3 — Install ISPmanager

1. Install wget:

Debian and Ubuntu
AlmaLinux 9 and Rocky Linux 8
sudo apt -y install wget

2. Download the ISPmanager installation script:

wget https://download.ispmanager.com/install.eu.sh -O install.eu.sh

3. Run the installer:

sudo sh install.eu.sh

During installation:

  • Choose the stable branch.
  • Select the edition (Lite/Pro/Host) with recommended components.
  • Choose your preferred web server and database.
  • The installer installs necessary dependencies (this may take several minutes).

"Incorrect hostname" message during installation

If the following message appears during installation:

You have incorrect hostname: vps-xxxx-vps-ovh-net  
Enter new hostname (or Ctrl+C to exit):

This means your server's hostname is not a fully qualified domain name (FQDN). To proceed, enter a valid domain name pointing to your server, for example:

ispmanager.mondomaine.ovh

If you do not yet have a domain name linked to your VPS, consult our guide "Edit an OVHcloud DNS zone" to point your domain name to your VPS's IP address.

Step 4 — First connection

Once installation is complete, enter the URL https://<IP_VPS>:1500/ispmgr in your browser, replacing <IP_VPS> with your VPS's IP address.

Info

On first access, a self-signed certificate is used. Accept the browser warning to continue.

The following interface appears:

ispmanager install

By default, the first connection to the ISPmanager interface uses the server's root system account. If you connect via SSH with a non-root user (e.g., almalinux, debian, ubuntu) and root has no password, run the following commands:

Switch to root:

sudo -i

Set a password for the root user:

passwd root

On the ISPmanager login interface, enter the following:

  • Username: root.
  • Password: the password for the root account you just set.

Accept the license agreement that appears to continue. Installation is complete, and the ISPmanager administration interface is accessible at https://<IP_VPS>:1500/ispmgr.

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