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I just gave VirtualMin a try, after using cPanel for years (at least for everything that needed a panel). I am impressed. Installation was flawless the UI is quite nice and it seems as if it has a ton of features. I am a bit overwhelmed but the sheer mass of configuration options, but I remember that it was the same with my first cPanel installation. I will use it for some weeks to learn more about it. Seems really worth the effort.
It will grow on you , and TBH , it has made me better at managing servers , i now use a lot of CLI instead of virtualmin GUI , but it was virtualmin GUI that helped me learn linux CLI better .
Their pricing is nice now and the resource usage is low , and can be lowered more if you turn off some options .
The support forum is awesome even for free version you get support that in onpar(sometimes even better) with paid applications.
When not using webmin/virtualmin , you can turn it off from from the command line when you dont need it.
Most important thing is , virtualmin has stood the test of time and is ever improving , @SwellJoe and team is always ready to take on challenges .
You might find this interesting if your new to Virtualmin http://www.lowendtalk.com/discussion/18133/virtualmin-security-guide-part-one-22-images
Small update: 2 days later. Damn. I really like VirtualMin. It was a bit of a hell for a long-term cPanel user to get the grip on how things tick here, but I really, really like it. In fact, cPanel feels like a huge "work-around" compared to VirtualMin. It's not logical in so many ways and VirtualMin seems not to fully overtake your system, offering more freedom to the admin.
I still prefer to do as much via console as possible. But if I need a server with a panel (other users besides me) and if VirtualMin continues to please me as it did the last 48 hours, then I see cPanel disappear from my inner landscape...
Thanks to @mpkossen for bringing VirtualMin back to my focus!
Thanks for the kind words, and we're super glad Virtualmin is working well for you.
We built the panel we wanted, and that was a panel that allowed command line ways of working, alongside it. There are some things you shouldn't do, but most of them are pretty intuitive (e.g. you shouldn't change user-related stuff outside of Virtualmin, because Virtualmin may become confused about who owns what). But, most of the time, Virtualmin will just read in the same config files you're poking at and know to leave your changes alone. It's a side effect of being based on Webmin, which understands config files and needs the ability to change one option at a time without damaging existing configuration. At the time when we launched the project, no other control panel worked this way (they all spit out entirely new configs from templates every time you made a change with no regard for what was already there). Most of the big ones still do it this way.
Don't hesitate to chat with us in our forums about things that could be improved. We know usability is a problem for new users; Virtualmin is so vast it can be incredibly intimidating at first. We're thinking hard about how to solve that without dumbing it down to the simplistic panels that always get mentioned when someone says they like how easy some panel is to use. ;-)
Cheers,
Joe
@SwellJoe I use Webmin/Virtualmin a fair bit, but have no immediate need for the Pro version.
Is there a way to make a donation as I couldn't find anything on your site?
Here you go - https://www.virtualmin.com/node/25411
That page has the paypal donation button .
I have already asked them to place donation link somewhere more accessible in the comments section of that page.
Just wanted to pitch in that I've been using Virtualmin for years hosting a couple of websites for some friends and maybe 50 or so email-accounts. Working great ever since Debian Lenny, even through dist-upgrades!
That's funny, I had the same question in mind! I even thought about using the GPL version while paying for a smaller PRO license. But a donation button is nice, too. It should really be more prominent on their website!
Is the PRO more suitable for public (reseller) web hosting now?
@swelljoe if I create a new "virtual server" (user) the home dir is set correctly, but it also gives them SSH access by default, which isn't a problem. but when they log in, they can see every file/directory on the server, even
/ etc/ passwdandmy.cnf(SQL password formysqldump) and everything in/ var/ www(including PHP files with MySQL passwords in)Yes, have this problem too.
How to make them stick in their public_html?
And what about the reseller usefulness?
@hostnoob, @webcraft:
I think it is meant to be as it is (Unix style). If you feel uncomfortable with it (like it do), try the following:
1.) Go to Webmin->System->Users & Groups
and set the shell for the users in question to "/usr/bin/scponly". This will restrict the SSH access for the users to scp only, so no "real" ssh access any longer. (Which run-of-the-mill webhosting user needs full ssh access anyway?)
then
2.) Go to Webmin->Servers-ProFTPD Server->Files and Directories
and set "Limit users to directories" to "Home directory".
then
3.) Go to Webmin->System->Users and Groups
and set all users that you only want to have (S)FTP access to their home directories to "/bin/false" as shell.
That "workaround" works for me and my requirements, but it limits the possibilities of the users quite a lot. Maybe it helps you too. I am sure that this could be automated for new VirtualServer creations, will have to find out how...