As an owner of the website it is very difficult to manage multiple websites without a control panel. However to suit the needs, we need a custom hosting plan.
A Web hosting control panel is a totally web-based interface which has capability to manage your web services under a single location. These web based control panels can manage email accounts, FTP accounts, file management functions, creation of subdomains, disk space monitoring, bandwidth monitoring, create backups and many more.
The web hosting control panels provides a elegant solution to Linux newbies to host multiple websites on VPS (Virtual Private Servers) and Dedicated Servers. This kind of hosting panel offers easy to use management software’s to simplifies the process of handling servers without the need of expert knowledge of sever administration.
The most famous and powerful control panels are cPanel and Plesk. These two popular panels are paid software’s and hosting provider will charge a monthly fee for installing it on the server. Fortunately, there are few more alternate open source control panels available to download at no cost with similar features.
Now, let’s move further to explore the 18 most preferred open source/paid control panels one-by-one. For your reference I’ve included the screen grabs along with relevant links to each portal.
1. cPanel
cPanel is a Unix based hosting control panel. The Graphical interface helps you to manage your Website and web hosting accounts very easily and quickly. The automation tools are designed to simplify the process of website.
cPanel give you a complete control over the various aspects of website and administration through a standard web browser and also streamlines the process such as Creating database, setting up email account and auto responder and managing website files.
cPanel Homepage
2. Plesk
Plesk is a hosting control panel similar to cPanel which allows you to manage your hosting account through web based interface. You can use this panel with VPS, Shared and Dedicated server. Plesk also enables you to control thousands of virtual host under a single machine. The control panel allows you to automate many tasks which in turn reduce the cost and resources. It also increases the profitability, efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Features
Pleask Homepage
3. ISPConfig
ISPconfig is an open source multilingual control panel which enables you to manage multiple servers under one control panel. ISPConfig is licensed under the BSD license. This open source control panel is also capable of managing FTP, SQL , BIND DNS, Database and Virtual servers.
Features
ISPConfig Homepage
4. Ajenti
Ajenti, the only open source feature rich, powerful and lightweight control panel that provides responsive web interface for managing small server set-ups and also best suitable for Dedicated and VPS hosting. It comes with many built-in pre-made plugins for configuring and managing server software’s and services such as Apache, Nginx, MySQL, FTP, Firewall, File System, Cron, Munin, Samba, Squid and many other programs like File Manager, Code Editor for developers and Terminal access.
5. Kloxo
Kloxo is one of the advanced and free web control panel for Redhat and Cent OS distribution. It is featured with leading control panels like FTP, spam filter, PHP, Perl, CGI, and much more. Features like messaging, back up restore and ticketing system modules are inbuilt in kloxo.
It helps end user to manage/run a combination of Apache with BIND and switch the interface between these programs without losing your data.
6. OpenPanel
OpenPanel is an open source web based control panel licensed under GNU General Public. It has an attractive and easy to use interface. It can manage Apache, AWStats, Bind DNS, PureFTPD, Postfix, MySQL databases, IPTables firewall and Courier-IMAP e-mails and more.
OpenPanel Homepage
7. ZPanel
Zpanel is a free to download and easy to use enterprise class web hosting control panel for Linux, UNIX, MacOS and Microsoft Windows.
Zpanel is written in purely PHP language and runs on Apache, PHP and MySQL. It comes with core set of essential features to run your web hosting service. The core features includes Apache Web Server, hMailServer, FileZilla Server, MySQL, PHP, Webalizer, RoundCube, phpMyAdmin, phpSysInfo, FTP Jailing and many more.
ZPanel Homepage
8. EHCP
EHCP (Easy Hosting Control Panel) is a free web hosting software for maintaining a web based hosting server. With the use of EHCP you can manage MySQL databases, email accounts, domain accounts, FTP accounts and much more.
It is the only control panel that has built-in support for Nginx and PHP-FPM with completely throw out Apache and provides good performance for low end servers.
9. ispCP
ispCp is a free/open source project founded to built a multi server control and admin panel without any limitations. It is Linux/Unix based web hosting server which is featured with all functions you might expect from a professional hosting tool. ispCP allows you to manage all the server like domains, email accounts, FTP accounts, database on its own.
ispCP Homepage
10. VHCS
VHCS is also an open source web based interface control panel for Linux especially designed for IT professionals and hosting service providers. VHCS is written in PHP, Perl and C, which gives you full control over resellers, end user. Within a minute you can configure your servers, create user with domain. You can also manage emails, FTP, Apache vhost, statistic and much more.
VHCS Homepage
11. RavenCore
Ravencore is a simple hosting panel for Linux which aims to get rigid from expensive commercial software’s like Cpanel and Plesk. The GUI is coded in PHP and the backend in Perl and Bash. It also includes projects like MySQL, Apache, phpMyAdmin,Psotfix and Awstats.
RavenCore Homepage
12. Virtualmin
Virtulamin is one of the most popular web based hosting control panel for Linux and Unix. The system is especially designed to manage Apache virtual hosts, MySQL databases, BIND DNS Domains, Mail Boxes with Sendmail or Postfix and the entire Server from one friendly interface.
Virtualmin Homepage
13. WebMin
WebMin a super functional and powerful web hosting control panel. The software tool is designed to manage Unix and Linux platform in a simple way. WebMin is capable enough to manage various components of web based environment from setting a webserver to maintaining FTP and email server.
Features
14. DTC
Domain Technologie Control (DTC) is a GPL web hosting control panel especially for admin and accounting hosting services. With the help of this web GUI control panel DTC can delegate task like creating emails,FTP accounts, subdomains, database and many more. It manages a MySQL database which contains all hosting information.
DTC Homepage
15. DirectAdmin
DirectAdmin is an open source web hosting control panel that provides graphical admin interface to manage unlimited websites, emails accounts etc. the tasks are automated means DirectAdmin can manage your task automatically to set up and manage websites easily and quickly.
Features
DirectAdmin Homepage
16. InterWorx
InterWorx is a Linux server management system and web hosting control panel. InterWorx has a set of tolls that provides admin user to command their own servers and the end users can over view the operation of their website. This Control panel is basically divided into two operating modes.
Nodeworx Screenshot
Siteworx Screenshot
InterWorx Homepage
17. SysCP
System Control Panel (SysCP) is ISP server management tool written in PHP and MySQL. SysCP is an open source web hosting service provider that enables customers to manage their subdomains, email address various essential tolls for website configuration.
SysCP Homepage
18. BlueOnyx
BlueOnyx is an open source Linux distribution based on CentOS 5.8, CentOS 6.3 and/or Scientific Linux 6.3. It aims to deliver a turnkey server appliance for webhosting.
This web based hosting comes with GUI interface that allows you to manage your emails FTP and webhosting clients. BlueOnyx is released under Sun modified BSD license.
BlueOnyx Homepage
That’s it for now, these are the best 18 Open Source/Commercial control panels, which I’ve gathered from the web according to their popularity. From the list you can choose the best, that suits your requirements and also do tell us which control panel you’re using to manage your Linux Servers and also tell us if you know any other tool that is not listed in this list via comment section.