Reimage Your Server for Webuzo Installation

Webuzo is a powerful and user-friendly server control panel that simplifies managing websites, applications, email accounts, databases, domains, DNS records, and other hosting services on a Self-Managed VPS and Virtual Dedicated Server (VDS). With its intuitive web interface and automation tools, Webuzo makes server administration easier while giving you complete control over your hosting environment.

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 Webuzo 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 Webuzo listed in the Server Image section.

   
    

Getting Started with Webuzo

Welcome to your new Webuzo server! Webuzo makes it easy to manage your web server, databases, domains, and applications from a single, centralized dashboard.

Step 1: Access your Webuzo 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 6.8.0-134-generic x86_64)
   
   ********************************************************************************
   
     Webuzo
   
     Admin Panel (HTTP) : http://your-server-ip:2004
     Admin Panel (HTTPS): https://your-server-ip:2005
     User Panel  (HTTP) : http://your-server-ip:2002
     User Panel  (HTTPS): https://your-server-ip:2003
   
     IMPORTANT : A Webuzo license is required before use.
                 Get a free 15-day trial at:
                 https://www.softaculous.com/clients?ca=webuzotrial
                 Once ordered, click "Refresh License" in the Admin Panel.
   
     Admin Panel  — Username: root  | Password: (stored in /root/.app_passwords)
     User Panel   — Username: webuzouser | Password: (stored in /root/.app_passwords)
   
     NOTE: Webuzo Admin Panel uses Linux PAM authentication.
           Changing the root Linux password will also change the Admin Panel password.
   
     Initialized : 2026-07-15 21:19:43
   
     UFW firewall is enabled.
     Open ports: 22, 80, 443, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
   
     First-boot log : cat /var/log/webuzo-onboot.log
     For details    : cat /root/README.md
   
     To remove this message: rm -f /etc/update-motd.d/99-webuzo

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 Your Admin and End-User Passwords

Since you are already logged into the server via SSH as root, you need to grab the auto-generated passwords created during the first boot.

Run the following command in your terminal:

cat /root/.app_passwords

Example Output:

root@server-123456:~# cat /root/.app_passwords
WEBUZO_ADMIN_USER=root
WEBUZO_ADMIN_PASS=abdc1234TZ7HeWargoTmWBDcj
WEBUZO_USER_NAME=webuzouser
WEBUZO_USER_PASS=abc1234h3oxmBy0EZ

Step 3: Access the Admin Panel

1. Open your web browser.

2. Navigate to the Webuzo Admin Panel using your server's IP address on port 2004 (HTTP):

   http://<your-server-ip>:2004

   
    

3. Log in with the following credentials:

   • Username: root
   • Password: (The Admin password you retrieved in Step 2)
   Quick Tip: Log In Without a Password Using SSH

   Webuzo has a built-in feature that lets you skip the login screen entirely. If you are locked out of your account or forgot your password, you can generate a special one-time login link directly from your server's command line.

   Just open your terminal, connect to your server, and run this command:

   webuzo --sso

   Note: Copy the link that appears in your terminal and paste it into your browser. If the link doesn't open, just change the server name in the address bar to your server's actual IP address.

Step 4: Complete the Initial Setup

Once logged in, you will see a banner stating: "Webuzo initial setup is not completed."

1. Click the link in that banner.

   
    

2. Configure your primary panel settings:

   • Admin Email Address: Enter your email to receive system alerts.
   • Fully Qualified Hostname: Enter a valid domain name pointing to your server (panel.yourdomain.com).

Step 5: Secure the Panel with SSL (HTTPS)

To stop using unsecured HTTP and switch to HTTPS (port 2005), set up a Let's Encrypt SSL certificate for the panel:

1. Inside the Admin Panel, navigate to SSL/TLS and then select Manage Service Certificates.
2. Select Let's Encrypt CA.
3. Enter your domain name (the hostname you set in Step 3).
4. Click Install.

Once complete, you can securely access your admin panel by opening your web browser and navigating to:

https://<your-domain-or-ip>:2005

Step 6: Access the End-User Panel

The End-User panel is where you actually manage websites, databases, and emails.

1. Navigate to the End-User Panel using your server's IP address on port 2002 (HTTP) or port 2003 (HTTPS). For example: http://<your-server-ip>:2002

2. Log in with the following credentials:

   • Username: webuzouser
   • Password: (The End-User password you retrieved in Step 2)

Step 7: Configure SSL for Your Hosted Websites

When you start hosting actual websites under the End-User panel, you can easily secure them:

1. Log in to the End-User Panel using port 2002 (HTTP) or port 2003 (HTTPS).
2. Inside the End-User Panel, navigate to SSL and then select Automatic SSL.
3. Select your hosted domain and click Install.

System Maintenance and Support

If you ever need to check on the health of your Webuzo server from the command line, keep these commands handy:

• Check Webuzo Status: Verifies if the Webuzo panel service is currently running or has errors.

  systemctl status webuzo

• Restart Webuzo: Reboots the Webuzo panel service to apply updates or resolve glitches.

  systemctl restart webuzo

• Check Firewall Rules: Displays the current status and active rules of your server's firewall.

  ufw status

• View Installation Logs: Displays the initial installation setup output to troubleshoot deployment issues.

  cat /root/webuzo-install.log

• View First-Boot Logs: Shows the initialization logs created during the server's very first boot.

  cat /var/log/webuzo-onboot.log

Additional Information and Example Documentation Output

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

## Description

Webuzo is a multiuser hosting control panel that simplifies web server management and application deployment on Linux servers. It provides a centralized interface for managing websites, databases, email accounts, DNS, FTP, and one-click application installation via Softaculous. Webuzo supports Apache, MariaDB, PHP, and many other services out of the box.


## Services

| Service          | Port(s)       | Purpose                        |
|------------------|---------------|--------------------------------|
| Admin Panel      | 2005 (HTTPS)  | Webuzo administrator interface |
| Admin Panel      | 2004 (HTTP)   | Webuzo administrator interface |
| End-User Panel   | 2002 (HTTP)   | Webuzo end-user interface      |
| End-User Panel   | 2003 (HTTPS)  | Webuzo end-user interface      |
| Apache/Web       | 80, 443       | HTTP and HTTPS web traffic     |
| SSH              | 22            | Secure shell access            |


## Minimum Resources

| Resource | Minimum  |
|----------|----------|
| CPU      | 2 vCPUs  |
| RAM      | 2 GB     |
| Disk     | 30 GB    |


## How to Use

SSH into your server using your cloud provider credentials and the server public IP:
    ssh root@your-server-ip
On first boot, Webuzo automatically generates admin and end-user passwords and stores them in /root/.app_passwords. Retrieve them with:
    cat /root/.app_passwords
After the VM boots, access the Webuzo Admin Panel at:
    http://your-server-ip:2004
Login with username root and the password from /root/.app_passwords.
On first login, a banner will appear stating "Webuzo initial setup is not completed." Click the link in the banner to configure panel settings, including setting an admin email address and a fully qualified hostname (e.g. server.example.com).
Access the Webuzo End-User Panel at:
    http://your-server-ip:2002
Login with username webuzouser and the end-user password from /root/.app_passwords.


## SSL Configuration

Webuzo includes built-in SSL management. HTTPS is available on the Admin Panel (port 2005) and End-User Panel (port 2003) using Webuzo's own internal certificate management. No external certbot or nginx configuration is required.

To configure SSL for the Webuzo panel:

1. Log in to the Admin Panel at http://your-server-ip:2004
2. Navigate to SSL/TLS -> Manage Service Certificates
3. Select Let's Encrypt CA and enter your domain
4. Click Install to request and install the certificate automatically

To configure SSL for hosted websites:

1. Log in to the End-User Panel at http://your-server-ip:2002
2. Navigate to SSL -> Automatic SSL
3. Select your domain and click Install

Note: A valid domain name pointing to the server IP is required for Let's Encrypt certificates.


## Useful Commands

Check Webuzo service status:
    systemctl status webuzo
View first-boot log:
    cat /var/log/webuzo-onboot.log
View Webuzo installation log:
    cat /root/webuzo-install.log
Restart Webuzo:
    systemctl restart webuzo
Check UFW firewall status:
    ufw status


## Notes

- Webuzo manages Apache, MariaDB, PHP, DNS, FTP, and email services internally. Do not install these separately as they will conflict with Webuzo.
- Admin and end-user passwords are auto-generated on first boot and stored in /root/.app_passwords (mode 600).
- First-boot events are logged to /var/log/webuzo-onboot.log.


## Links

* Manage: [https://{server_ip}:2005](https://{server_ip}:2005)
* Documentation: [https://webuzo.com/docs/](https://webuzo.com/docs/)
* Installation Guide: [https://webuzo.com/docs/installing-webuzo/install/](https://webuzo.com/docs/installing-webuzo/install/)
* Webuzo website: [https://webuzo.com/](https://webuzo.com/)

Summary

Managing your Bluehost Self-Managed VPS and Virtual Dedicated Server (VDS) is easier with Webuzo’s powerful and intuitive control panel. It provides everything you need to manage websites, applications, email accounts, databases, domains, DNS records, SSL certificates, and server settings from a single dashboard. Whether you’re hosting a personal website, managing client projects, or running business applications, Webuzo simplifies server administration while giving you the flexibility and control of a Self-Managed VPS and Virtual Dedicated Server (VDS).