This guide walks you through installing Panelica on a fresh server. The entire process takes about 3 minutes.
Prerequisites: Make sure you've read the Server Requirements first.
Open a terminal (macOS/Linux) or PuTTY (Windows) and SSH into your server:
ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IPIf your provider gave you a different SSH port:
ssh -p PORT root@YOUR_SERVER_IPYou must be logged in as root. If you're logged in as a regular user with sudo access, switch to a root shell first:
Code:
# Either of these will work — use whichever your OS supports:
sudo -i
# or
sudo su -You'll know you're root when your terminal prompt shows
root@ or ends with # instead of $.Copy and paste this single command:
curl -sSL https://latest.panelica.com/install.sh | bashThat's it. The installer will:
- Check your operating system (Ubuntu 22.04+, Debian 12+)
- Verify you have enough RAM (1 GB minimum) and disk space (15 GB minimum)
- Install required system packages
- Disable conflicting services (systemd-resolved, existing ClamAV, etc.)
- Create service users (postgres, mysql, redis, nginx, mail, etc.)
- Download and extract the Panelica package (~2.4 GB)
- Verify all critical files are present
- Create the directory structure under
/opt/panelica/ - Set correct file permissions and ownership
- Generate the configuration file with random passwords
- Set up shared library paths
- Generate SSL certificates for the panel (self-signed, 10-year validity)
- Initialize PostgreSQL database and run migrations
- Initialize Redis cache
- Initialize MySQL and create phpMyAdmin tables
- Install all 26 systemd services
- Configure PHP system wrappers for all versions (8.1-8.5)
- Configure Postfix, Dovecot, and OpenDKIM (mail disabled by default)
- Set up firewall rules (nftables)
- Apply system tuning (inotify, cgroup controllers)
- Start all services in the correct order
- Wait for the backend API to become healthy
- Display the access URL
The installer shows a progress spinner for each step. A typical output looks like:
Code:
=== Panelica Server Panel Installer ===
[1/27] Checking system requirements... OK
[2/27] Installing dependencies... OK
[3/27] Disabling conflicting services... OK
...
[25/27] Starting services... OK (20/20)
[26/27] Waiting for backend... OK
[27/27] Final checks... OK
Installation Complete Successfully!
Access Your Panel:
https://203.0.113.10:8443
Install time: 2m 34sAt the end of installation, you'll see your panel URL:
https://YOUR_SERVER_IP:8443Save this URL. You'll need it in the next step.
Important: The panel uses HTTPS with a self-signed certificate. Your browser will show a security warning — this is normal. Click "Advanced" and then "Proceed" (or "Accept the Risk" in Firefox). Once you add your own domain and SSL certificate, this warning goes away.
Open your browser and go to:
https://YOUR_SERVER_IP:8443You'll see the Panelica Setup Wizard. Continue to the Setup Wizard Guide for the next steps.
If anything goes wrong, the full installation log is saved at:
/tmp/panelica-install.logYou can view it with:
cat /tmp/panelica-install.logIf you need help, copy the last 50 lines and post them in Bug Reports:
tail -50 /tmp/panelica-install.log| Command | What It Does |
|---|---|
pn-service status all | Check status of all 20 services |
pn-service restart backend | Restart the panel backend |
pn-service restart nginx-customer | Restart the website web server |
panelica version | Show installed Panelica version |
Everything lives under
/opt/panelica/. Nothing touches your system directories.| Path | Contents |
|---|---|
/opt/panelica/bin/ | All executables (panelica-server, pn-service, CLI tools) |
/opt/panelica/services/ | All 20 services (nginx, php, mysql, postgresql, redis, etc.) |
/opt/panelica/etc/ | Configuration files |
/opt/panelica/var/ | Runtime data (databases, logs, backups, SSL, uploads) |
/opt/panelica/panelica.conf | Master configuration file (auto-generated, do not edit manually) |
Your panel is installed and running. Now complete the Setup Wizard: Setup Wizard Guide
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Questions? Ask in General Discussion.
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