There could be nothing better than having a tool that does its job perfectly. And when such a tool comes without a price tag, it almost blows our mind.
There are many web hosting control panels that are absolutely free to use and set up, primarily used for managing the VPS or dedicated server. Nowadays, control panels are such a success because they are great at helping webmasters manage interactively with the web project’s environment. In addition, control panels also do not require thorough expertise. Before we dig deeper, let’s understand the basics.
What Are Web Hosting Control Panel?
In simple words, it can be described as a web interface or software that are primarily used b web administrators for managing file transfer protocols, systems, databases, emails domains, and several other functions. It is also called web control panel, panel, admin panel, or control panel by users.
How to Choose the Right Web Control Panel?
Few points that will help determine which web control panel is the best for you are mentioned below:
- Budget: There are some control panels that are few, while some aren’t. We are going to discuss the free ones in this article. Depending on the budget you have, you can go for the ones listed here or choose a paid one.
- Operating System: Keeping the OS in mind, you need to decide which web control panel you need.
- Features: There are few features that are common in all control panels, while some are not. Keep these features in mind when looking for the right one.
Few features are common in web control panels, such as administration, FTP management, database, email, and DNS. But, some features are only available in certain panels, like multi-server management or IPv6. To help you understand the free web hosting panels better, we are going to discuss the best ones further in this article.
ISPConfig
Created by ISPConfig UG, this is a very popular form of open source control panel coming under the BSD license. It uses a web-based interface for enabling the normal panel tasks, usually for Linux users.
People who want a multilingual panel, ISPConfig is the best option. With 22 languages to offer, it could come handy in several situations. It is also user-friendly and offers easy delivery. When it comes to managing multiple servers, like email, client, administrator, or reseller user, it can do the job perfectly. ISPConfig is designed to manage the VPS servers for Nginx and Apache users.
Ajenti
Ajenti, being another open source control panel, can manage VPS servers efficiently. It offers higher performance and faster remote access. It also has pre-installed modern tools like file manager, terminal access, code manager, and text editor. They are known for increasing web management efficiency. People can configure and manage servers like Munin, Squid, and Samba easily.
Users also get to install packages and use virtual emails that come with Courier IMPA and auto-configuration of EXIM 4. It also works on many operating systems like, PHP, Ruby, and Python applications.
CentOS Web Panel
This web panel is known for being freely available and open source. It supports CloudLinux and CentOS/RHEL 6.x distribution. With its advanced features, CentOS simplifies the web hosting management. Installing it is also very easy and fast.
With respect to security, it has a great Linux Firewall with features such as complete database management, automated backups, IP access control, and live monitoring. It also has a file system lock feature that keeps the website secure from hackers.
This control panel offers features like dovecot mailboxes, MySQL with phpMyAdmin Panel, and postfix.
Virtualmin
Virtualmin is a better version of Webmin. It is widely used and has an open source.
Thousands of people have downloaded it and most of them are active users. It is great for operating systems like BSD extensions, Linux distributions, and UNIX operating systems. It is available in three different product versions, namely Cloudmin professional, Virtualmin Professional, and Virtualmin GPL. Regardless of the one you choose to use, Virtualmin is great for virtual servers and domain hosting like KEN and OpenVZ.
Webmin
As mentioned earlier, it is also a great web hosting as it well-known for its flexibility. It normally supports UNIX and other systems that are similar. Some of the recent versions also cater to Windows. You can find companies online where you can get Windows VPS for cheap.
As compared to others, this control panel has a very high-level programming language. It is open source as well as commercial. Its used mainly for basics, but the extensibility helps in managing multiple tasks. It also has an excellent interface and modules that are geared towards server, email, domain, and file configuration.
The good news about open source web control panels is that any novice can administrate the server and manage it with the help of a few clicks. Depending on your requirements, make an informed decision.
