--- title: "What is Webmin?" description: "Webmin is a free, open-source application for Linux server administration. If you prefer to manage all aspects of your Linux VPS or dedicated server from a graphical interface instead of the command..." url: https://www.inmotionhosting.com/blog/what-is-webmin/ date: 2021-12-02 modified: 2024-12-09 author: "InMotion Hosting" categories: ["Glossary", "VPS Hosting Articles"] type: post lang: en --- # What is Webmin? ![What is Webmin and why use it?](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/webmin-what-why-1024x538.jpg) **Webmin** is a free, open-source application for Linux server administration. If you prefer to manage all aspects of your Linux VPS or dedicated server from a graphical interface instead of the command line interface (CLI), Webmin might be right for you. - [What is Webmin and Why Use it?](#what) - [Webmin Features](#features) - [Webmin Vs cPanel](#vs) - [Getting Started with Webmin](#start) ## What is Webmin and Why Use it? Diving deeper, the Perl-based server control panel is most suitable for unmanaged Linux servers: specifically Cloud Server Hosting or [Bare Metal Dedicated Server](/bare-metal-servers) Hosting. While you *could* install Webmin on a server running another control panel like DirectAdmin (assuming you have root access), it would be a waste of disk space as they serve the same purpose and edit the same system files. You’d just acquire more security vulnerabilities and waste system resources. [**Webmin**](https://webmin.com/) can be installed on multiple Linux/Unix distributions including Debian, Gentoo, and Solaris. This will relieve anyone looking to migrate from CentOS as it nears discontinuation. Alma and Rocky Linux *may* fill the void for those upset about the death of CentOS. But if you want to get ahead of the game and just need a stable web server, Ubuntu and Debian are safe bets. Webmin is easy to navigate with a small learning curve. The dashboard visualizes CPU, RAM, and disk space stats with understandable charts. The sidebar includes a search function to easily find where to make needed changes. There’s even a night mode and theme customizations to mitigate any vision related issues you might have. And of course, there’s a terminal available in case you need to do anything advanced that’s unavailable in the web interface. ![Webmin Dashboard](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/webmin-dashboard-1024x579.png) ### Webmin Features The Webmin control panel is natively stacked with essential features. **BIND DNS** server options are available for RNDC, zones, clustering, and implementing DNSSEC. ![Webmin BIND DNS Server](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/webmin-bind-dns-server-1024x394.png) **Apache web server** support includes managing virtual hosts for domains, installing Apache modules, and minimizing your server HTTP header for improved security. ![Webmin Apache Configuration](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/webmin-apache-webserver.png) **PHP** versions and variables are configurable from the dashboard once installed from the command shell. ![Webmin PHP Configuration](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/webmin-php.png) **Graphical file management **makes editing, uploading, and downloading files a breeze. And you can change file permissions to restrict access. ![Webmin File Manager](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/webmin-file-manager-1024x576.png) **Email** **servers** built on Exim, Dovecot, Postfix, or qmail are supported by default and there’s a SpamAssassin package available for spam filtering. ![Webmin SpamAssassin](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/webmin-spamassassin.png) **MySQL and PostgreSQL** database management is possible after installing the respective module from the Webmin dashboard. ![Webmin MySQL Database Server](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/webmin-mysql-database-server-1024x483.png) **Native server security features** include a IPTables firewall, log viewers, RAID configuration, directory protection, two-factor authentication (TFA), and much more when you include third party modules. There are add-ons to further extend Webmin functionality for special use cases: - **Usermin** enables creating restricted Webmin accounts for website owners to manage raw files within their root directory - **Virtualmin** serves reseller hosting businesses ## Webmin Vs cPanel cPanel is the industry standard. So how do the two server administration tools compare? **Webmin:** - Free and open-source - Compatible with multiple operating systems but not always stable - Infrequent updates - Not much documentation (official or otherwise) and much is outdated - Active community in the forum hosted at SourceForge.net **cPanel:** - Pricing based on how many cPanel accounts in WebHost Manager (WHM) - Only compatible with CentOS but very stable - Frequent updates for supporting new server technologies - Lots of documentation available due to popularity of cPanel web hosting plans - Active community in official cPanel forum As you can see, the major advantages are the price (free) and compatibility with various Linux distros. ### Getting Started with Webmin Want to try it for yourself? Here’s how to get started. 1. [Install Webmin](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/product-guides/cloud-server/how-to-install-webmin-on-ubuntu-apt/) on your Linux server. 2. [Log into Webmin](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/product-guides/cloud-server/webmin-user-login-passwords/) and change passwords as needed. 3. [Install a free SSL certificate](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/product-guides/cloud-server/ssl-errors-and-https-in-webmin/). 4. Learn how to install Webmin modules, starting with a [firewall](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/product-guides/cloud-server/firewalld-webmin/). 5. Set a [Webmin backup](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/product-guides/cloud-server/webmin-backups/) schedule. Now is also the perfect time to set up snapshots if supported by [your hosting provider](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/). We do. Just FYI. What is Webmin in Linux doing for your server environment? Let us know below. With our [Cloud Server Hosting](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/cloud-vps), you can deploy a lightning-fast, reliable cloud platform with built-in redundancy – ensuring the availability of your environment!