Installing Webuzo V3 on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

Webuzo is a shared hosting control panel designed for multiple users. It simplifies deploying applications and managing server resources across different users. The panel offers an intuitive interface that allows users to launch apps, handle domains, automate tasks, set up databases, and control user access — all without needing advanced admin knowledge.

This guide walks through the process of setting up Webuzo Version 3 on a new Ubuntu 20.04 LTS server instance.

Prerequisites

• Launch a new server running Ubuntu 20.04
• Point your domain name to the server
• Access the server via SSH as the root user
• Ensure your server system is up to date

Step 1: Webuzo Installation

Webuzo provides a convenient installation script for setting up the control panel and related services.

Start by downloading the installation script:

# wget http://files.webuzo.com/install.sh

Make the script executable:

# chmod 700 install.sh

Begin the installation process with:

# ./install.sh –v3

This command installs Webuzo V3, downloading all necessary packages, dependencies, and the LAMP stack.

If you want to install the LEMP stack instead, use the --lemp option:

# ./install.sh –lemp

The process typically takes between 10 to 15 minutes. Once complete, a message will appear in your SSH session showing the login URL.

----------------------------------------------------------------
 /$$      /$$ /$$$$$$$$ /$$$$$$$  /$$   /$$ /$$$$$$$$  /$$$$$$ 
| $$  /$ | $$| $$_____/| $$__  $$| $$  | $$|_____ $$  /$$__  $$
| $$ /$$$| $$| $$      | $$  \ $$| $$  | $$     /$$/ | $$  \ $$
| $$/$$ $$ $$| $$$$$   | $$$$$$$ | $$  | $$    /$$/  | $$  | $$
| $$$$_  $$$$| $$__/   | $$__  $$| $$  | $$   /$$/   | $$  | $$
| $$$/ \  $$$| $$      | $$  \ $$| $$  | $$  /$$/    | $$  | $$
| $$/   \  $$| $$$$$$$$| $$$$$$$/|  $$$$$$/ /$$$$$$$$|  $$$$$$/
|__/     \__/|________/|_______/  \______/ |________/ \______/
----------------------------------------------------------------

Success! Webuzo has been installed.

To finalize the setup, go to:

http://SERVER-IP:2004/

----------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for choosing Webuzo !
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Step 2: Setting Up UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall)

Webuzo utilizes several network ports. It’s important to only allow necessary ports for security purposes.

• Ports 2002–2005: Webuzo admin/client panel
• Port 21: FTP
• Port 22: SSH
• Port 25: SMTP
• Port 53: DNS
• Port 80: HTTP
• Port 143: IMAP
• Port 443: HTTPS
• Port 465: SMTPS
• Port 993: IMAPS
• Port 3306: MySQL

If you don’t need services like FTP, you can skip enabling their ports.

To allow required service ports:

# ufw allow 80,443,3306,21,22,53,25,143/tcp

To open Webuzo access ports:

# ufw allow 2003:2004/tcp

Note: This guide uses ports 2003 and 2004 for Webuzo. Ports 2002 and 2005 are alternatives and not enabled here.

To check your firewall rules:

# ufw status

The expected output will look similar to this:

Status: active

To                         Action      From
--                         ------      ----
22                         ALLOW       Anywhere
80/tcp                     ALLOW       Anywhere
21,22,25,53,80,143,443,3306/tcp ALLOW  Anywhere
2003:2004/tcp              ALLOW       Anywhere
22 (v6)                    ALLOW       Anywhere (v6)
80/tcp (v6)                ALLOW       Anywhere (v6)

Finally, reload UFW to apply the changes:

# ufw reload

Step 3: Webuzo Setup and Panel Configuration

With Webuzo now installed and required ports open, you can proceed to configure the web-based control panel.

Open a browser and access the following URL:

http://SERVER-IP:2004

Administrator Login

Sign in using the root credentials of your server. Upon successful login, the dashboard of the Webuzo control panel will be displayed, allowing for further customization.

Change the Administrator Password

It is recommended to assign a different password to the Webuzo root account. This separates control panel access from the main server root access.

1. Go to Settings.
2. Select Change Root Password on the left sidebar.
3. Enter and confirm a secure new password.
4. Click Change Password to apply the update.

Log out and sign back in with the updated password to confirm the change.

Configure Panel Settings

Navigate to Panel Config in the settings menu. Provide the domain name, server IP, and name servers for your setup.

Click Update to save your configuration.

Adjust Webuzo Preferences

Now that the panel is set up, you can proceed with user management and service configuration.

Creating Hosting Accounts for End-Users

To distribute server resources among different users, set up end-user accounts with permissions to host domains and applications.

Create a Hosting Plan

Start by setting up a hosting plan, which defines the resource limits for each user. Without a plan, Webuzo allocates all server capacity to a single user.

1. Go to Plans in the left sidebar and choose Add Plan.
2. Name your plan and assign resource quotas such as disk space (MB), inodes, monthly bandwidth, number of FTP and email accounts, MySQL databases, and domain limits (addon, parked, subdomains).

In the Settings section, define the home directory, select a default theme and language, enable additional features, and then click Save Plan.

Create a New End-User

1. Go to Users in the side menu and choose Add Users.
2. Fill in the Username, Email, Password, and Domain.
3. Associate the new user with one of your predefined hosting plans.
4. Click Save User.

You can now log in as this new user either from List Users or by visiting:

http://SERVER-IP:2003

Install Applications via Client Panel

As an end-user, browse the applications section and launch Softaculous to install web apps from a variety of available scripts.

Other tasks include:

• Database creation
• Email management
• SSL certificate requests
• Log access
• Security enhancements (IP Block, Mod Security, Hotlink Protection, etc.)

At minimum, access the PHP INI Editor under Configuration to customize PHP settings based on your application’s requirements.

Create Reseller Hosting Accounts

To further extend the use of your control panel, set up reseller accounts. These accounts can oversee and provision multiple end-user accounts, depending on their assigned hosting plans.

Establish a Reseller Account

1. Navigate to Users and create a new user account.
2. Under Settings, click Make Reseller.

Set Reseller Privileges

Assign how many accounts a reseller can create, allocate total disk space, and monthly data usage based on your server capabilities.

To verify, go to List Resellers, log in with a reseller account, and test account creation and resource allocation capabilities.

Purchasing a Webuzo License

Webuzo’s paid plans offer additional features, including a larger library of installable apps, backup utilities, and advanced security tools like Spam Assassin.

To obtain a license key:

1. Go to the Webuzo website and choose your preferred package.
2. Click Buy Now, and you will be redirected to Softaculous.
3. Create a Softaculous account, verify your email, and complete the purchase.
4. The activation key will be sent to your registered email.

Final Thoughts

Well done — you have now installed and configured Webuzo on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. With this platform, it’s possible to host and manage web services for multiple users on a single server efficiently and securely.