Here are some popular alternatives to cPanel:
DirectAdmin: DirectAdmin is a web hosting control panel that is often cited as a cPanel alternative due to its similar interface and functionality.
Plesk: Plesk is a web hosting control panel that is popular among web hosting providers and website owners. It is user-friendly and offers a range of features, including website and server management.
ISPConfig: ISPConfig is a free and open-source web hosting control panel that provides multi-server management, reseller capabilities, and support for various web technologies.
Webmin: Webmin is a free and open-source web hosting control panel that allows you to manage your server and system administration tasks through a web-based interface.
VestaCP: VestaCP is a free and open-source web hosting control panel that provides an easy-to-use interface for managing your server, websites, and email accounts.
VestaCP
VestaCP is a free and open-source web hosting control panel that is designed to simplify server management tasks. It offers a user-friendly interface for managing websites, email accounts, databases, DNS, and other server-related tasks.
One of the key features of VestaCP is its lightweight and fast performance. It is optimized to work on low-end hardware and uses a minimal amount of system resources, making it ideal for smaller websites and personal projects.
VestaCP also provides several security features to protect your server and websites. It comes with a built-in firewall and anti-spam protection, as well as the ability to create and manage SSL certificates.
In addition, VestaCP offers support for multiple languages, including English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian. It also has a robust community of users and developers who provide support and regularly update the software with bug fixes and new features.
Overall, VestaCP is a great option for those who are looking for a free and open-source cPanel alternative that is lightweight, easy to use, and provides essential server management features.
Who is developing the VestaCP and where are they from?
VestaCP is developed by a team of developers and contributors from around the world. The project is led by Sergey Shabanov, who is a Russian software developer and system administrator. He created VestaCP in 2012 as a personal project to simplify server management tasks for his clients.
Since then, the project has grown into a popular open-source web hosting control panel, with contributions from developers and users from various countries, including Russia, the United States, Germany, and Brazil.
The development of VestaCP is primarily driven by the community of users and developers who contribute to the project through GitHub. The project is licensed under the GNU General Public License, which allows anyone to use, modify, and distribute the software freely.
Overall, VestaCP is a great example of a successful open-source software project that is developed and maintained by a global community of contributors.
DirectAdmin
DirectAdmin is a web hosting control panel that provides an easy-to-use interface for managing web hosting services. It is a popular cPanel alternative due to its similar interface and functionality.
DirectAdmin offers a wide range of features that make it a robust web hosting control panel. Some of its key features include:
User-friendly interface: DirectAdmin has a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate and use. It provides a dashboard that displays all important information and tools in one place, making it easy for users to manage their web hosting services.
Multi-domain support: DirectAdmin allows users to host multiple domains on a single server. It also supports unlimited subdomains, email accounts, and FTP accounts.
Customization: DirectAdmin provides customization options that allow users to customize the interface and features based on their specific needs.
Security: DirectAdmin provides security features such as anti-spam protection, firewall protection, and SSL certificates to secure websites and data.
Integration: DirectAdmin integrates with popular software such as Softaculous, which allows users to easily install and manage applications such as WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal.
DirectAdmin is also known for its fast and reliable performance. It is optimized to work on low-end hardware and uses minimal system resources, making it an ideal choice for smaller websites and personal projects.
DirectAdmin is developed by DirectAdmin LLC, a privately owned software company based in Michigan, USA. The company was founded in 2003 and has since then been providing web hosting solutions and services to customers worldwide.
Overall, DirectAdmin is a great cPanel alternative that provides a robust and user-friendly web hosting control panel with a wide range of features and customization options.
Plesk
Plesk is a popular web hosting control panel that is used by web hosting providers, system administrators, and website owners to manage their web hosting services. It is often cited as a cPanel alternative due to its similar interface and functionality.
Plesk offers a wide range of features that make it a powerful web hosting control panel. Some of its key features include:
User-friendly interface: Plesk has a user-friendly interface that is easy to use and navigate. It provides a dashboard that displays all important information and tools in one place, making it easy for users to manage their web hosting services.
Multi-platform support: Plesk supports multiple platforms such as Linux, Windows, and Cloud. It also supports a wide range of web technologies such as PHP, Node.js, and Ruby on Rails.
Customization: Plesk provides customization options that allow users to customize the interface and features based on their specific needs. It also supports third-party extensions and integrations.
Security: Plesk provides security features such as anti-spam protection, firewall protection, and SSL certificates to secure websites and data.
Automation: Plesk provides automation features that help to simplify and streamline web hosting tasks. It supports automatic updates, backups, and server monitoring.
Plesk is also known for its fast and reliable performance. It is optimized to work on low-end hardware and uses minimal system resources, making it an ideal choice for smaller websites and personal projects.
Plesk is developed by Plesk International GmbH, a software company based in Switzerland. The company was founded in 1999 and has since then been providing web hosting solutions and services to customers worldwide.
Overall, Plesk is a great cPanel alternative that provides a powerful and user-friendly web hosting control panel with a wide range of features and customization options.
ISPConfig
ISPConfig is a free and open-source web hosting control panel that provides an easy-to-use interface for managing web hosting services. It is a popular alternative to cPanel and other web hosting control panels.
ISPConfig offers a wide range of features that make it a powerful and versatile web hosting control panel. Some of its key features include:
Multi-server management: ISPConfig allows users to manage multiple servers from a single interface. It also supports clustering and high-availability setups.
User-friendly interface: ISPConfig has a user-friendly interface that is easy to use and navigate. It provides a dashboard that displays all important information and tools in one place, making it easy for users to manage their web hosting services.
Multi-platform support: ISPConfig supports multiple platforms such as Linux and Unix. It also supports a wide range of web technologies such as PHP, MySQL, and Apache.
Customization: ISPConfig provides customization options that allow users to customize the interface and features based on their specific needs. It also supports third-party plugins and integrations.
Security: ISPConfig provides security features such as firewall protection, SSL certificates, and user authentication to secure websites and data.
Automation: ISPConfig provides automation features that help to simplify and streamline web hosting tasks. It supports automatic updates, backups, and server monitoring.
ISPConfig is also known for its stability and reliability. It is optimized to work on low-end hardware and uses minimal system resources, making it an ideal choice for smaller websites and personal projects.
ISPConfig is developed by the ISPConfig team, which is a group of developers and contributors from around the world. The project is licensed under the BSD license, which allows anyone to use, modify, and distribute the software freely.
ISPConfig was founded by Till Brehm, who is a software developer and system administrator from Germany. Till Brehm started the project in 2005 as a way to simplify the process of managing web hosting services. Since then, the project has grown in popularity and has become a widely-used web hosting control panel. Today, Till Brehm and a team of developers and contributors continue to develop and maintain the project, making it a popular and reliable cPanel alternative.
Webmin
Webmin is a free and open-source web-based system administration tool that provides an easy-to-use interface for managing a Linux or Unix-based server. It is a popular alternative to cPanel and other web hosting control panels.
Webmin offers a wide range of features that make it a powerful and versatile system administration tool. Some of its key features include:
User-friendly interface: Webmin has a user-friendly interface that is easy to use and navigate. It provides a dashboard that displays all important information and tools in one place, making it easy for users to manage their server.
Multi-platform support: Webmin supports multiple platforms such as Linux, Unix, and even Windows. It also supports a wide range of server technologies such as Apache, MySQL, and Postfix.
Customization: Webmin provides customization options that allow users to customize the interface and features based on their specific needs. It also supports third-party modules and plugins.
Security: Webmin provides security features such as SSL encryption, two-factor authentication, and user access control to secure the server and data.
Automation: Webmin provides automation features that help to simplify and streamline server administration tasks. It supports automatic updates, backups, and system monitoring.
Webmin is also known for its stability and reliability. It is optimized to work on low-end hardware and uses minimal system resources, making it an ideal choice for smaller servers and personal projects.
Webmin is developed by Jamie Cameron, who is a software developer and system administrator from Canada. Jamie Cameron started the project in 1997 as a way to simplify the process of managing a Linux server. Since then, the project has grown in popularity and has become a widely-used system administration tool. Today, Jamie Cameron and a team of developers and contributors continue to develop and maintain the project, making it a popular and reliable cPanel alternative.
Which of the panel alternatives on the list has the most developed security system?
All of the web hosting control panels we have discussed, namely VestaCP, DirectAdmin, Plesk, ISPConfig, and Webmin, offer security features to protect websites and data hosted on servers. However, it is difficult to compare the security systems of each panel since they may have different approaches to security and may vary in terms of the number of security features they provide.
That being said, Plesk is known for its strong security system and has won awards for its security features. Plesk provides advanced security features such as built-in firewalls, malware detection, and automatic updates to ensure that websites hosted on Plesk servers are secure. Plesk also supports SSL encryption and two-factor authentication to further enhance security.
However, it is important to note that the security of a web hosting control panel depends not only on the features provided but also on the server and website configurations and the practices of the users. Therefore, it is crucial to follow best practices for server and website security, regardless of the web hosting control panel used.
Plesk – built-in firewalls
Plesk offers a built-in firewall solution called Plesk Firewall that provides advanced security features to protect websites and data hosted on servers. Plesk Firewall is designed to provide robust protection against common types of attacks, including brute force attacks, DDoS attacks, and malware attacks.
Some of the key features of Plesk Firewall include:
Advanced filtering: Plesk Firewall uses advanced filtering techniques to identify and block malicious traffic. It provides several pre-configured filter sets for common scenarios and also allows users to create custom filter sets.
Brute force protection: Plesk Firewall provides brute force protection to prevent unauthorized access to websites and applications hosted on the server. It can automatically detect and block repeated login attempts from the same IP address.
DDoS protection: Plesk Firewall provides DDoS protection to prevent denial-of-service attacks that can overload the server and cause downtime. It can detect and block traffic from known malicious IP addresses and also uses behavioral analysis to identify and block abnormal traffic patterns.
Real-time monitoring: Plesk Firewall provides real-time monitoring of network traffic and system activity to detect and respond to security threats. It can send notifications to users when suspicious activity is detected.
In addition to these features, Plesk Firewall is also easy to use and provides a user-friendly interface for managing firewall settings. It integrates seamlessly with other security features provided by Plesk, such as SSL encryption and two-factor authentication, to provide a comprehensive security solution for websites and applications hosted on Plesk servers.
Does any of the above have a captcha system for login pages?
Yes, some of the web hosting control panels we have discussed do offer captcha systems for login pages as an additional security measure to protect against brute force attacks.
For example, both DirectAdmin and Plesk provide captcha protection for their login pages. DirectAdmin provides an optional captcha system that can be enabled by the server administrator. Plesk, on the other hand, provides captcha protection by default for its login pages, and users can also configure additional security settings such as two-factor authentication.
It is important to note that while captcha systems can provide additional security, they are not foolproof and can still be bypassed by determined attackers. Therefore, it is crucial to follow best practices for server and website security, such as using strong passwords, limiting access to sensitive areas, and regularly monitoring server activity.
You may also want to read: How to protect the DirectAdmin login page?