How to Install DirectAdmin

What DirectAdmin needs before the first command

DirectAdmin is a commercial hosting control panel sold by licence and installed on a server you own. The installer builds Apache, PHP, MySQL, mail and DNS around the panel, so it expects a clean machine with a hostname and a licence already in hand.

• OS: AlmaLinux 8 or 9, Rocky Linux 8 or 9, CloudLinux 8 or 9, Debian 11 or 12, Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04. Minimal install, no panel on it.
• Specs: 2 GB RAM minimum, 4 GB comfortable, 2 vCPU and 20 GB disk for a small reseller box.
• A licence key tied to the server IP, bought from DirectAdmin or a reseller.
• A fully qualified hostname such as server.example.com, with an A record pointing at the server.

DirectAdmin 1.71x is the current line. The install script pulls the latest build for your OS, so the panel version is decided by the script rather than by you.

Set the hostname and run the installer

Three commands plus one long command run as root. The hostname must be a real FQDN with a dot in it, or setup aborts at the first check.

1. SSH in as root: ssh root@SERVER-IP.
2. Set the hostname: hostnamectl set-hostname server.example.com, then confirm with hostname -f.
3. Update the OS: apt update && apt -y upgrade on Ubuntu or Debian, dnf -y update on AlmaLinux and Rocky.
4. Download the installer: wget -O setup.sh https://download.directadmin.com/setup.sh and chmod 755 setup.sh.
5. Run it with four arguments: ./setup.sh LICENSE_KEY server.example.com eth0 SERVER-IP. Replace eth0 with the interface from ip -o link show.
6. Wait 15 to 40 minutes. The script compiles services and installs the panel; do not close the SSH session.

Use tmux or screen before starting. A dropped SSH connection mid-compile leaves a half-built stack that is faster to rebuild than to repair.

Log in and finish the post-install steps

The installer prints a URL and a one-time login link at the end. Open it within the window it allows, or go straight to port 2222.

1. Browse to https://SERVER-IP:2222 and accept the self-signed certificate warning.
2. Log in as admin with the password the installer generated, then change it immediately.
3. Set the main domain for the server and the admin email address in the panel.
4. Create the nameservers if this box will answer DNS, and add glue records at the registrar.
5. Set the panel to issue certificates for its own hostname, so the 2222 warning disappears.

Open the ports DirectAdmin and mail need

A panel that will not load at 2222, or mail that will not connect, is usually a closed port. Open these in the provider firewall and in the OS firewall.

Confirm the install worked

Check the service before you check the browser. A running service with a login page is a finished install.

1. Run systemctl status directadmin. It should be active and enabled.
2. Print the build: /usr/local/directadmin/directadmin v shows the version and compile options.
3. Log in at 2222 and create a test user with a domain you control.
4. Load the domain in a browser. You know it worked when the default page appears over HTTP, and then over HTTPS after you issue a certificate.

Install WordPress and SSL on DirectAdmin

WordPress is a one-click install when Softaculous or Installatron is on the licence. From the user level, open Softaculous, choose WordPress, fill the domain, directory, database and admin email, and install. Without Softaculous, upload WordPress to public_html, create a database and user in MySQL Management, and run the installer.

For SSL, open the domain's SSL Certificates page, choose Free and automatic (Let's Encrypt), tick the domain and www, and save. The panel requests the certificate and installs it. You know it worked when https loads without a warning and the padlock shows the domain name. A failed issuance is almost always a DNS record that does not yet point at this server.

Common DirectAdmin install failures and fixes

These five account for most installs that stop at the first screen.

The getLicense.sh step is: cd /usr/local/directadmin/scripts && ./getLicense.sh. Run it after any IP change, then systemctl restart directadmin.

DirectAdmin or cPanel for a new server

DirectAdmin is cheaper per licence and lighter on RAM, which is why it suits resellers on a 2 GB VPS. cPanel has the larger third-party plugin market and more staff who already know it. The features overlap for websites, mail and DNS; the difference is licence cost, memory and familiarity.

Run it on a WebJi VPS with a clean supported image, and read the WordPress on DirectAdmin walkthrough once the panel is up. If you would rather not manage a licence and a panel at all, cPanel hosting covers the same job with support included.