Reimage Your Server for CyberPanel Installation

CyberPanel is a fast and easy-to-use control panel that helps you manage your website and server from one simple dashboard. It lets you handle websites, databases, emails, and security settings without needing advanced technical skills. Bluehost Self-Managed VPS and Virtual Dedicated Server (VDS) customers can install CyberPanel instantly using our one-click tool, which automatically sets up the best operating system for you. Just keep in mind that this quick setup deletes all current data on your server, so you should install it manually using SSH instead if you want to keep your existing server files.

System Requirements

Here is what your system needs to run this software smoothly.

How to Reimage Your Server for CyberPanel Installation

1. Log in to your Bluehost Portal.
2. In the left-hand menu, click the Hosting tab.

   
    

3. Click the Manage button on the hosting package you want to reimage.

   
    

4. Click the Reimage button.

   
    

5. Select the Applications tab.

   
    

6. From the list, locate CyberPanel and click Select.

   
    

7. To confirm, type "reimage" and then click Proceed to start the process.

   
    

8. Wait a few minutes while the installation completes.

   
    

9. Once completed, you will see CyberPanel listed in the Server Image section.

   
    

How to Log In and Set Up Your First Website in CyberPanel

CyberPanel is an easy-to-use web hosting control panel. It lets you manage your websites, databases, emails, and security from a single dashboard—no complex coding required.

Follow this guide to log in and set up your first website.

Step 1: Access your CyberPanel Dashboard

After installation completes:

1. Log in to your Bluehost Portal.
2. In the left-hand menu, click the Hosting tab.

   
    

3. Look for the server you want to manage then click the View Details to see more options.

   
    

4. Click the Reset Password.

   
    

5. In the pop-up window, type your new root password, then click Reset Password again to confirm and save the changes.

   
    

6. Connect to your server via SSH.
   Use your server IP and credentials with an SSH client, follow the prompts, and enter your root password when asked:

   ssh root@your_server_ip

   Example Output:

   Welcome to Ubuntu 24.04.4 LTS (GNU/Linux 6.8.0-124-generic x86_64)
   ********************************************************************************
     CyberPanel + OpenLiteSpeed Stack
     Firewall: Ports 22, 80, 443, 8090, 7080 open
   
     Access URLs:
       CyberPanel Dashboard : https://12.1.1.123:8090
       OLS Admin            : https://12.1.1.123:7080
       Hosted Websites      : https://12.1.1.123
   
     Login:
       CyberPanel  Username : admin  Password : see /root/.app_passwords (CYBERPANEL_PASS)
       OLS Admin   Username : admin  Password : see /root/.app_passwords (OLS_ADMIN_PASS)
   
     Key Paths:
       Credentials  : /root/.app_passwords
       CyberPanel   : /usr/local/CyberCP
       Logs         : /var/log/{cyberpanel,lsws}/
       MySQL pass   : /etc/cyberpanel/mysqlPassword
   
     Quick Commands:
       systemctl {status|restart} lscpd
       systemctl {status|restart} lsws
       systemctl {status|restart} mariadb
       tail -100 /var/log/lsws/error.log
   
     For full details: /root/README.md
   ********************************************************************************

7. If you ever need to quickly review the system's deployment notes directly inside your server terminal, you can print out the original README file by running:

   cat /root/README.md

Step 2: Retrieve Initial Credentials

Before you can log into the web interface, you need to grab the unique passwords generated by the system during its initial boot.

1. View your generated passwords:

   sudo cat /root/.app_passwords

   Example Output:

   root@server-123456:~# sudo cat /root/.app_passwords
   sudo: unable to resolve host server-123456.anothertestfornvme2.com: Name or service not known
   CYBERPANEL_PASS=abc12345GJxJ3tuIJ8OA9hmx
   OLS_ADMIN_PASS=abc12345Glpin0zOfKbaloRKd

2. Sign In:

Step 3: Log In to the CyberPanel Dashboard

1. Open your web browser and navigate to: https://<your-server-ip>:8090
2. Bypass the SSL warning: You will see a security warning ("Your connection is not private") because a trusted SSL certificate hasn't been issued for the IP address yet. Click Advanced and choose Proceed to continue.

   
    

3. Log in using the following details:
   • Username: admin
   • Password: (The password you copied from Step 2)

   
    

Step 4: Point Your Domain to the Server

Before creating a website or issuing a secure SSL certificate, your domain name must point to your server's location.

1. Log in to your domain registrar.
2. Go to your domain's DNS Management / DNS Zone Editor.
3. Add or edit an A Record:
   • Host/Name: @ (or leave it blank / enter your domain name)
   • Value/Points to: <your-server-ip>
   • TTL: Automatic or 3600

Step 5: Create Your First Website

Now that your domain points to the server, you can configure the website container inside CyberPanel.

1. On the CyberPanel dashboard, click Websites in the menu, then click Create Website.

   
    

2. Fill in the required details:
   • Package: Select Default.
   • Owner: Select admin.
   • Domain Name: Enter your domain .
   • Email: Enter your email (used for important SSL renewal notifications).
   • PHP Version: Select the version required by your application.

     
      

3. Click Create Website. CyberPanel will automatically configure the virtual host, folder structures, and PHP routing.

   
    

Step 6: Secure Your Website with HTTPS (SSL)

CyberPanel gives you free, automatic SSL certificates through Let's Encrypt.

1. Log into your domain registrar (where you bought your domain) and point your domain's DNS A record to your <your-server-ip>.
2. Return to CyberPanel and go to Websites, and then click on List Websites.

   
    

3. Click the dropdown icon of the website you want to manage.

   
    

4. Click Issue SSL. CyberPanel secures your site instantly.

   
    

Step 7: Create a Database (Optional)

If your website uses a database (like WordPress), you can set it up in seconds.

1. Go to Databases & FTP, and then click on Create Database.

   
    

2. Select your website from the dropdown.

   
    

3. Enter a Database Name, Database User, and Password.

   
    

4. Click Create Database.
5. To manage your databases visually, go to Databases, and then click on phpMyAdmin in your panel.

Useful Cheat Sheet for Maintenance

Once everything is running, you can monitor and manage your services directly from the command line using these commands:

Web Server and Panel Controls

• Restart OpenLiteSpeed (No Downtime):

  /usr/local/lsws/bin/lswsctrl restart

• Restart CyberPanel Interface:

  systemctl restart lscpd

Checking Logs (Troubleshooting)

• Live CyberPanel Dashboard logs:

  journalctl -u lscpd -f

• Live Web Server error logs:

  tail -f /usr/local/lsws/logs/error.log

Additional Information and Example Documentation Output

You can run cat /root/README.md to see more information and useful commands:

root@server-123456:~# cat /root/README.md
# CyberPanel

## Description

CyberPanel is an open-source web hosting control panel powered by OpenLiteSpeed. It lets you manage websites, databases, DNS, email accounts, and SSL certificates from a modern web interface. It supports one-click WordPress installs, multi-PHP version management, Let's Encrypt SSL automation, and built-in email hosting with Postfix and Dovecot, providing a complete hosting environment without complex command-line setup.

Traffic flow:

```text
Browser (HTTPS/HTTP)
        |
        v
  OpenLiteSpeed (ports 80, 443)    managed by CyberPanel
        |
   +------------------------------+
   |  Hosted websites / apps      |
   |  (PHP, static, reverse proxy)|
   +------------------------------+

Browser -> CyberPanel management UI:
  https://server-ip:8090  (direct access)
```

CyberPanel manages SSL certificates for all hosted websites via Let's Encrypt
automatically once a domain is pointed at the server.

---

## Services

| Service       | Port(s) | Purpose                             |
| ------------- | ------- | ----------------------------------- |
| CyberPanel UI | 8090    | Management dashboard                |
| OpenLiteSpeed | 80, 443 | Website hosting and automatic TLS   |
| OLS Admin     | 7080    | OpenLiteSpeed admin panel           |
| OpenSSH       | 22      | Remote access (rate-limited by UFW) |

Ports are protected using UFW. Database and cache services are intentionally
bound to localhost only and are not accessible from outside the server.

---

## How to use

### Initial access

Open https://server-ip:8090 in your browser.

Note: Your browser may show a certificate warning on first access. This is
expected -- click Advanced and Proceed to continue. CyberPanel will provision
a trusted Let's Encrypt certificate once a domain is configured.

On first visit:

1. Retrieve the generated admin credentials:

```bash
sudo cat /root/.app_passwords
```

2. Use these credentials to log in:

| Service             | URL                      | Username | Password          |
| ------------------- | ------------------------ | -------- | ----------------- |
| CyberPanel          | https://server-ip:8090 | admin    | `CYBERPANEL_PASS` |
| OpenLiteSpeed Admin | https://server-ip:7080 | admin    | `OLS_PASS`        |

Both services automatically share the same randomized admin password generated during first boot.

3. You will land on the CyberPanel dashboard.
4. Click Websites -> Create Website to add your first site.

---

### Creating your first website

1. Go to Websites -> Create Website
2. Fill in:
   - Domain name -- your domain (e.g. example.com)
   - Email -- used for SSL certificate notifications
   - PHP version -- select the version your app needs
   - Package -- select Default
3. Click Create Website

CyberPanel sets up the virtual host, web root, and PHP configuration automatically.

---

### Enabling HTTPS for hosted websites

CyberPanel manages OpenLiteSpeed and Let's Encrypt automatically. To enable
HTTPS for a website:

1. Point your domain's DNS A record at server-ip
2. In CyberPanel, go to Websites -> List Websites
3. Click Manage on your website
4. Click Issue SSL -- CyberPanel obtains a Let's Encrypt certificate automatically

No manual certbot or nginx configuration is required.

---

### Managing databases

1. Go to Databases -> Create Database
2. Fill in the database name, username, and password
3. Click Create Database

To manage databases visually, go to Databases -> phpMyAdmin.

---

## Manage

### CyberPanel Web Interface

| URL                      | Purpose                    |
| ------------------------ | -------------------------- |
| https://server-ip:8090 | CyberPanel admin dashboard |
| https://server-ip:7080 | OpenLiteSpeed admin panel  |
| https://server-ip      | Your hosted websites       |

Both dashboards automatically share the same randomized admin password generated during first boot.

### OpenLiteSpeed

```bash
# Check status
systemctl status lsws

# Restart OpenLiteSpeed
systemctl restart lsws

# Graceful reload (no downtime)
/usr/local/lsws/bin/lswsctrl restart
```

### CyberPanel service

```bash
# Check status
systemctl status lscpd

# Restart CyberPanel
systemctl restart lscpd
```

### MariaDB

```bash
# Check status
systemctl status mariadb

# Open MySQL shell
mysql -u root

# Show all databases
mysql -u root -e "SHOW DATABASES;"
```

### Logs

```bash
# CyberPanel logs
journalctl -u lscpd -f

# OpenLiteSpeed error log
tail -f /usr/local/lsws/logs/error.log

# First boot log
cat /var/log/onboot.log
```

---

## Security

| Hardening                | Detail                                           |
| ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------ |
| UFW firewall             | Only ports 22, 80, 443, 7080 and 8090 are open   |
| SSH rate limiting        | Port 22 protected against brute-force attacks    |
| Local-only services      | Databases accessible only from the server itself |
| SSL support              | HTTPS via Let's Encrypt through CyberPanel       |
| No hardcoded credentials | Passwords are generated fresh at first boot      |

---

## Minimum resources

| Resource | Minimum |
| -------- | ------- |
| vCPUs    | 2       |
| RAM      | 4 GB    |
| Disk     | 20 GB   |

---

## Notes

- OpenLiteSpeed handles reverse proxying, SSL termination, and static content serving.
- CyberPanel automatically manages virtual hosts, PHP, and SSL certificates.
- Both CyberPanel and OpenLiteSpeed admin panels use synchronized passwords generated during first boot.
- Passwords are stored securely at `/root/.app_passwords`.
- MariaDB is intentionally bound locally for improved security.
- No nginx setup is required because OpenLiteSpeed handles web serving directly.

---

## Links

- CyberPanel Documentation: [https://cyberpanel.net/docs/](https://cyberpanel.net/docs/)
- OpenLiteSpeed Documentation: [https://docs.openlitespeed.org/](https://docs.openlitespeed.org/)
- Manage: [https://server-ip:8090](https://server-ip:8090)

Summary

CyberPanel simplifies server management by letting you handle websites, databases, and security from a single dashboard. Bluehost Self-Managed VPS and Virtual Dedicated Server (VDS) customers can install it instantly using our one-click tool under the Hosting Tab, which automatically configures the recommended operating system. However, this quick setup completely erases your server, so you must back up your data first or use a manual SSH installation to keep your current files.