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Home › Giveaways & Freebies
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GIVEAWAY by AdminBolt & RackNerd! 100x FREE VPS FOR A YEAR + 20x LIFETIME LICENSES. LET'S TALK!

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Comments

  • PuDLeZPuDLeZ Member

    @Saragoldfarb said:

    @PuDLeZ said:

    @Saragoldfarb said:
    What's up with the handwriting pics ?

    It was a from a $20 credit giveaway. If you click show the previous quotes on my comment few up, I did quote Dustin's post

    Thanks for clearing that up my dear. Too late to enter :(

    Yeah, like 17-ish hours too late. I didn't enter because I didn't feel like running down 3 flights of stairs and running back up them around midnight. Though I am now prepared :lol:

  • dustincdustinc Patron Provider, Top Host, Veteran

    @dababada said:
    entry

    Why is LET the best community? Because it's where I learned a cheap VPS can beat my old shared hosting, where strangers help debug your server at 2AM for free, and where a giveaway thread turns into a 95-page party. Deals bring people here; the people are why they stay.

    We've been fortunate to have this community with us since RackNerd's early days, and it's always a pleasure giving back :) The conversations, shared knowledge, and familiar faces make these threads something I keep coming back to too!

  • dustincdustinc Patron Provider, Top Host, Veteran

    @ChrisRath said:
    Big thanks to @dustin and the team for activating the VPS so quickly!

    I just spun up AdminBolt via the One-Click Apps section in the RackNerd control panel, and the installation was completely painless. Having worked with various control panels over the years (cPanel, DirectAdmin, etc.), AdminBolt feels like a breath of fresh air. The dashboard is remarkably clean, modern, and snappy, with virtually zero bloat. Resource usage stays minimal right out of the box, and the UI layout is intuitive enough that you don't have to dig through endless submenus to find basic server metrics. Really impressed with what the team built here!

    Hi @ChrisRath -- Thank You! :) Always interesting to hear how AdminBolt feels to someone who's spent years with other panels. Glad ctrl made the install easy and the first impressions have been strong!

    What’s something you normally do in cPanel or DirectAdmin that you’re looking forward to trying in AdminBolt?

  • dustincdustinc Patron Provider, Top Host, Veteran

    @Beiji said:
    Hi everyone! I won one of the 4GB VPS in the latest batch — huge thanks to @dustinc, RackNerd and the AdminBolt team!

    Here's my feedback after installing and trying AdminBolt:

    I installed AdminBolt via one-click install from the RackNerd ctrl panel right after my VPS was activated. The whole process was incredibly smooth — fully unattended and done in just a few minutes, with the complete stack ready to go. Easiest panel installation I've done.

    First impression of the UI: beautiful and consistent design — clean, simple and elegant, everything is easy to find. It feels modern without being cluttered.

    It's also surprisingly feature-rich out of the box: websites, DNS, free SSL, email, databases, backups, firewall — I barely needed to touch the terminal.

    Two small suggestions:

    • Docker management would be a really useful addition — being able to manage containers right from the panel would make it even more complete.
    • The memory footprint is a bit on the high side for a 4GB VPS. Hopefully this can be further optimized in future releases.

    Overall, very impressed. Thanks again for the amazing giveaway!

    Hi @Beiji -- Woot woot, good stuff!

    Appreciate the suggestions too. Enjoy the VPS!

  • dustincdustinc Patron Provider, Top Host, Veteran

    @ikunlala said:
    Thanks dustinc for running this, great giveaway!

    Hi @ikunlala -- You're very welcome! :) Hopefully that F5 key is still holding up 😂 Appreciate you sticking around and joining in!

  • dustincdustinc Patron Provider, Top Host, Veteran

    @aniruddhar said:
    Thanks to @dustinc and the Racknerd team for the VPS giveaway!

    Just tried out AdminBolt through the One-Click Apps section on ctrl. The UI is really clean and snappy. It is extremely feature rich and while it will take time to try out all the features, I've really liked everything so far. While I usually don't use an admin panel for most things, this one seems really convenient and nice to use. I especially like the WhatsApp integration as well as the files features. Maybe in the future support for other messaging apps can be added.

    @aniruddhar -- Thank You for sharing this feedback, agreed the WhatsApp integration within AdminBolt is quite a nice addition :)

  • dustincdustinc Patron Provider, Top Host, Veteran

    @ikunlala said:
    Love these RackNerd giveaways, good luck everyone!

    Let's gooo! Thank You for the love <3

  • dustincdustinc Patron Provider, Top Host, Veteran

    @ciduyaw said:
    Awesome event, thanks RackNerd and dustinc!

    Boom, you got it! :) We shall keep this train going!

  • dustincdustinc Patron Provider, Top Host, Veteran

    @cidyew3 said:
    Great promo as always, count me in. Thanks!

    Hi @cidyew3 -- We'll keep the surprises coming, good luck catching the next round! ;)

  • dustincdustinc Patron Provider, Top Host, Veteran

    @tzuli said:

    @a549250828 said:

    @tzuli said:

    @darkone said:
    @dustinc Hi dustinc, hope you're well! I was one of the winners in Batch 9 (the dot-counting round, answer "seven" — my comment was the 4th valid one). Just wanted to check: have the PMs for Batch 9 gone out yet? No rush at all, just making sure I haven't missed it. Thanks a lot for the giveaway!

    Your "winning" message was almost 11 hours too late. You responded to a quote of the giveaway, not the giveaway itself

    I specifically went back to check, and he really is the fourth one.

    Incorrect. @dustinc was just quoting the previous giveaway to announce that winners had been DM'd

    Thank You for helping out here :) Appreciate the extra set of eyes @tzuli

  • dustincdustinc Patron Provider, Top Host, Veteran

    @stayforu said:
    Big thanks to @dustinc, RackNerd, and the AdminBolt team for this great experience! I did get the 3c4G VPS, that's so cool!

    I recently installed AdminBolt on my VPS, and the whole installation process was incredibly smooth. The UI looks modern and beautiful, and I really like that there are two modes to choose from at the beginning, making it suitable for both personal users and hosting providers.

    The main dashboard is also excellent — all the essential service information is clearly presented at a glance. Overall, a really impressive panel!

    Just two small suggestions for improving security:

    1. Default admin account: The initial admin username is Admin. Would it be possible to generate a random username during installation, or use something like admin + a random suffix? This could help reduce the risk of automated attacks.

    2. SSL certificate: The initial installation uses a self-signed certificate, which triggers browser security warnings. Since free IP certificates are now available, would it be possible to automatically request and configure an IP certificate during installation by default, if supported? This would make the initial setup more secure and user-friendly.

    These are just a couple of thoughts from a user, but overall, AdminBolt is fantastic. The installation experience, modern design, and clear dashboard are all excellent. Keep up the great work!

    Hi @stayforu -- Glad you got your VPS and enjoyed getting AdminBolt set up! :) Having options for both personal use and hosting customers is a nice touch, especially with the different use cases we're seeing here.

    Thank You for explaining your security suggestions too. Appreciate you taking the time to share your experience!

  • dustincdustinc Patron Provider, Top Host, Veteran

    @Dulliri said:
    crap i missed the vps giveaway!

    @Dulliri -- Ahh, we're still trying to get you that VPS to go with your credits! 😂

    More chances ahead -- hopefully the next round is yours! ;)

  • dustincdustinc Patron Provider, Top Host, Veteran

    @GenerallyClueless said:
    Here are some things I ran into on my third day using this control panel with the vps i won in this giveaway.

    Issues

    1. When logging in with an empty session, if I accidentally open the client login route instead of the admin login route, the control panel redirects me back to the client login after successful authentication instead of the dashboard. Right now the only way I can get back into the admin dashboard is to clear the session and make sure I visit the admin login page first, or just manually change the URL to /admin/dashboard, since the login page doesn't seem to check the session at all.
    2. File manager - I can't edit a file. It always throws a 403 when I try to open a file in the editor, even though I'm logged in.
    3. When creating a hosting package, I'm confused about the difference between the number of email accounts and the number of mailboxes. Aren't they the same thing?
    4. Mailing list - setting a maximum number of mailing lists for a hosting package doesn't work. The client can still create one even when I set it to 0.
    5. The PHP LiteSpeed option is still available when creating a hosting package even though I uninstalled OpenLiteSpeed.

    Suggestions

    1. An option to automatically opt out of AutoSSL for all newly added domains.
    2. Options to disable backup for a specific package.
    3. An option to use a different temporary domain.
    4. Not now, maybe in the near future, an option to disable mail, spam filter, PHP-FPM, DNS, backup, FTP, AI agent, and antivirus entirely, plus a headless mode or CLI-based management only without a web interface for low memory servers.
    5. An option to set the default TTL for all DNS records.
    6. An option to cherry-pick and update a specific feature for a customer without changing the entire package and affecting all other customers on the same package.
    7. Resource enforcement - aside from inode quota, I want to limit the amount of memory, CPU, and IO a customer can use entirely. Also, the admin should be able to freeze a site, especially when suspending an account will also suspend everything such as CPU cycles, cron jobs, etc.

    Hi @GenerallyClueless -- Thank You for coming back with a detailed update after a few days of use! This is useful feedback, especially the specific examples around login redirects, the file editor, and package limits.

    Tagging @Chris_AdminBolt to take a closer look and help with those issues, as well as comment on your suggestions. Appreciate you spending the time to test beyond the initial setup and document what you've run into :)

  • dustincdustinc Patron Provider, Top Host, Veteran

    @VGL said:

    @Dulliri said:
    crap i missed the vps giveaway!

    Me too. I also think we should hurry up and invite more people, so maybe we can persuade @dustinc to post more.

    Ooh, I love this idea 💕

    I can be convinced :)

  • dustincdustinc Patron Provider, Top Host, Veteran

    @sh97 said:
    AdminBolt feedback v1.9.2

    Quick note before I start: none of this is meant as harsh criticism. I'm just reporting things as I experienced them. I used AI to help summarise my notes and tidy up the English.

    What I liked

    • Clean install with quiet logs; the server sits almost idle and the panel is fast.
    • Everything is ready out of the box: web server, multiple PHP versions, databases, email with spam filtering, DNS and FTP.
    • Good security defaults: firewall on, brute-force protection set up, and free SSL issued automatically.
    • Setup is simple: a two-step wizard with a handy "save these details" card.
    • The Health page is excellent; it explains problems and suggests what to do next.
    • Clean UI.

    Issues I ran into

    • WordPress installer: the wizard jumps back to step 1 after submitting and nothing gets installed. I also got "The installation Path field format is invalid".
    • File Manager says "Access denied. Sign in to the panel to open the File Manager." even while I'm signed in.
    • The admin and client sides disagree: admin shows 0 domains and no SSL certificates, while the client side shows the domain active with a certificate.
    • "admin" is rejected as a reserved username during setup, but it's still the admin login, which is confusing.
    • The trial starts with only 1 day left until the email is confirmed, which is easy to miss.

    Suggestions

    • Make the trial deadline obvious (a countdown or an email reminder).
    • Add a short guided tour after setup: add a website, set up email, install WordPress.
    • Use the same wording everywhere ("Accounts" vs "Customers" vs "Hosting Account").
    • Show friendly error messages that say what went wrong and what to do next.
    • Add one-click "fix it" buttons on the Health page.
    • The UI is clean but feels very generic, like a typical AI-generated design. It would be nice to see a more original look that gives AdminBolt its own identity.

    Overall, a promising, modern panel. Fixing the WordPress installer and the File Manager would make a big difference. Thanks @dustinc and the AdminBolt team!

    Thanks @sh97 -- no need to worry about it being harsh at all, sharing what worked and where you got stuck is exactly the kind of feedback AdminBolt is, and should be looking for :) Thank You for testing this in detail, and putting your notes together.

    Tagging @Chris_AdminBolt to help with the WordPress and File Manager issues, and take a look at the other points you raised. Those two issues would understandably get in the way of putting a site online, so appreciate you mentioning this!

    Thanked by 1sh97
  • dustincdustinc Patron Provider, Top Host, Veteran

    @suut said:
    Thanks RackNerd and AdminBolt for the giveaway!

    AdminBolt is an excellent alternative to cPanel and DirectAdmin! Installing AdminBolt with "One Click Apps" on RackNerd ctrl is fantastic! It can be configured to automatically update system security patches. I can set up the website without logging in via SSH.

    I love this kind of clean, modern panel! Free from cPanel's heavy legacy burden, everything becomes remarkably simple! I will share AdminBolt with friends.

    Hi @suut -- Woot woot! Glad ctrl made the install easy and you're getting your website set up without needing SSH, that makes it a breeze!

    Thank You for sharing your experience and spreading the word to your friends -- that means a lot! Enjoy putting AdminBolt to work :)

    Thanked by 1suut
  • dustincdustinc Patron Provider, Top Host, Veteran

    @tking said:
    Big thanks to RackNerd and the AdminBolt team for the giveaway!

    Just installed AdminBolt (v1.9.2) via the One-Click Apps and spent some time exploring the client dashboard. As someone relatively new to server panels, I really like how clean and responsive the UI is. Everything from the WordPress manager, Redis, and Cloudflare integration to the AI Bot Blocking tool is neatly organized, and live resource usage (inodes, disk, bandwidth) is clearly visible on the right sidebar.

    The auto-assigned myboltip.com temporary domain is also a great touch for quick staging before pointing a real domain, and the built-in AI assistant at the top is handy when you have setup questions. Everything runs smoothly so far—looking forward to using it this year!

    You're very welcome! :) Glad you're finding your way around comfortably, especially being fairly new to panels. Being able to try things on the temporary domain before pointing your own over is a handy way to get started, too.

    Enjoy the year with your VPS -- what are you thinking of hosting first?

  • dustincdustinc Patron Provider, Top Host, Veteran

    @rumpum said:
    I tried AdminBolt using the one-click installation. The installation was quick and easy. It looks promising and offers a lot of features, - almost everything you would need.

    The UI looks good and easy to use. However, the biggest drawback is its high default RAM usage, around 1.4 GB of RAM while idle.

    After installing AdminBolt with the one-click installer, it resets the root password without informing you of the new password. As a result, you have to reset it manually using ctrl.

    I also tried the Hindi language option, but the translation was quite poor. Most of the interface appears to use literal, word-for-word translations that don't fit naturally with the UI elements and actions. While the interface is still usable in Hindi, the overall translation feels unpolished and needs significant improvement.

    The password strength estimator needs improvement. It says abcd@1234 is a very strong password.

    Hi @rumpum -- Thank You for giving it a proper try, including the Hindi interface! :) Appreciate you sharing both what worked and where it fell short.

    Tagging @Chris_AdminBolt for the idle RAM usage, translations, and password strength rating -- those are useful examples for the team to review for sure. Thanks again 👊

  • dustincdustinc Patron Provider, Top Host, Veteran

    @kyou12138 said:
    Thanks for hosting this giveaway, good luck everyone!

    More to come, more to come :)

  • dustincdustinc Patron Provider, Top Host, Veteran

    @Chris_AdminBolt said:
    Guys!

    Thank you for all the feedback since my last post: @Beiji @hahaha521 @ChrisRath @aniruddhar @stayforu @GenerallyClueless @sh97 @suut @tking @rumpum

    I've read every one of your posts, the kind words and the problem reports alike. All of it goes to the team, and we'll go through it together point by point. The write-ups with exact steps and error messages are especially helpful, because they let us reproduce a problem instead of guessing at it.

    A few topics came up more than once: memory usage on smaller VPSes, the File Manager denying access while you're signed in, the WordPress installer, the certificate warning on first login, and the default admin username. They're on the list for that discussion, together with everything else you've raised, including the suggestions.

    I'm sorry I can't reply to each of you individually. The thread is moving so fast that I can't answer and thank everyone properly, and I'd rather not leave a stack of half-answers. If I haven't replied to your post, it still hasn't been skipped.

    If something doesn't work on your server or you get stuck, tag me here (@Chris_AdminBolt) and I'll do my best to help.

    Thanks again for taking the time to try AdminBolt and write about it.

    Hi @Chris_AdminBolt -- Appreciate you keeping up with everything and for being so receptive to the community feedback :)

    And thanks to everyone else for putting AdminBolt through its paces -- the detailed reports are a big part of what makes this giveaway valuable beyond the prizes. I said it before and I'll say it again - competition in the hosting control panel space is a very good thing, so feedback which AdminBolt implements at the end of the day, will only benefit everyone, and the community! Looking forward to seeing how that input translates into future updates w/ AdminBolt :)

    Let's gooo!

  • dustincdustinc Patron Provider, Top Host, Veteran

    @lovelyserver said:
    Great thread

    Boom! Appreciate the love <3

  • ewtumaewtuma Member

    ADMINBOLT - THE SLOP HOSTING CONTROL PANEL!

  • dustincdustinc Patron Provider, Top Host, Veteran

    @borales said:
    Been running AdminBolt (v1.9.2) on the giveaway VPS since this morning, on AlmaLinux 9.8. Honest impressions after actually clicking through everything.

    The good:

    • The one-click install from RackNerd was hands-off. About 30 minutes later I had a working panel with a ZeroSSL cert already issued for the main domain, auto-renew on.
    • The dashboard is genuinely good. Live CPU/RAM/disk, per-service health, and a "Needs attention" box that doesn't just say something's wrong - it tells you why and what to do next. Mine flagged that outbound IPv6 mail falls back to IPv4 because the mail hostname has no AAAA record, with a link straight to the relevant setting.
    • Creating a subdomain took seconds. Free SSL for it took one click and the cert was issued in under a minute.
    • Creating a mailbox was instant, with a webmail login button right in the list. IMAP/Submission ports answer with valid TLS.
    • The file manager feels modern, not the usual dated panel UI.
    • There's a built-in AI assistant in the client panel. I asked how to point a domain at the server and it answered with my server's actual nameservers, not generic filler.
    • Extras I didn't expect: a cPanel/DirectAdmin migration wizard, WHMCS/Blesta/Upmind integrations, one-click modules (Softaculous, Imunify, JetBackup, terminal), per-domain PHP versions (8.4 default), ModSecurity, Rspamd.

    The not-so-good:

    • The WordPress installer failed on me twice in a row, and failed silently. The wizard just jumps back to step 1 after a minute or two - no error message, nothing in the error log, nothing in the activity log, no failed background job. If I hadn't checked "Manage WordPress" I'd have no idea what happened. This is the one real bug I hit; at minimum it needs to fail loudly.
    • A new subdomain starts with SSL disabled, and HTTPS serves a 403 until you manually click "Enable Free SSL". Works fine once you do, but the interim 403 and the "NOT SECURED" label are confusing if you don't know where to look.
    • Small stuff: the license page says it updates on its own after you confirm your e-mail, but I had to hit "Check license status now" to see the change. The subdomain dialog previews the docroot path with a double slash. After impersonating a client, admin pages show an "Impersonating user admin" banner, which reads wrong.

    Overall: for a new panel this is impressively complete, fast, and the health/attention system is the standout. Fix the WordPress installer (or at least make it fail loudly) and the trial experience is solid.

    AdminBolt dashboard

    AdminBolt license page

    Hi @borales -- Thank You for the detailed write-up and screenshots! :) I see @Chris_AdminBolt has replied to you as well -- appreciate the team following up on what you've reported.

    Glad you've found plenty to like so far, and thanks for taking the time to document the rough edges too. Enjoy the VPS!

    Thanked by 1borales
  • dustincdustinc Patron Provider, Top Host, Veteran

    @chengrose said:
    @dustinc

    Huge thanks to RackNerd and the AdminBolt team for this giveaway! I just got my VPS activated.

    The Pros

    1. Fast and Painless Installation
      The setup process is remarkably smooth and lightweight. From a bare-metal OS or fresh VPS template to a fully running panel, it took barely 10 to 15 minutes. It’s
      significantly faster and less bloated than traditional panels.
    2. Helpful Built-in AI Assistant
      The integrated AI assistant is a standout modern feature. Having intelligent guidance directly inside the dashboard simplifies server troubleshooting and everyday
      administrative tasks without having to constantly dig through documentation.
    3. Sleek & Modern UI
      The interface design is clean, polished, and intuitive. I was especially impressed with the File Manager and the Fail2ban security dashboard—both are well-designed,
      highly functional, and visually appealing.

    The Cons & Areas for Improvement

    1. Aggressive Admin Session Timeout
      The session lifetime in the Admin area feels way too short. The session frequently and abruptly expires after just brief periods of inactivity, forcing repetitive re-
      logins while working on the server.
    2. Browser Autofill Bug in Client Navigation Bar
      In the Client dashboard, the left sidebar search bar seems to lack proper autocomplete="off" attributes. Browsers mistakenly treat it as a login/credential input and
      automatically fill in saved passwords or usernames (such as "admin") on every page refresh.
      • The Result: Because "admin" is autofilled into the search box upon loading, the menu immediately filters out almost all navigation items, leaving only
      phpMyAdmin visible. At first, I genuinely thought the panel was missing features, only to realize it was an autofill bug filtering the sidebar.
    3. Limited Linux Distribution Support (Wish for Ubuntu / Debian)
      Currently, the deployment is heavily centered around Enterprise Linux (like AlmaLinux 9). While AlmaLinux is robust, many administrators and developers—myself
      included—strongly prefer and are more accustomed to Ubuntu or Debian. Expanding official support and one-click templates to Debian-based distros would significantly
      lower the barrier to entry and attract a broader user base.

    Hi @chengrose -- Thank You for the detailed feedback! :) Glad the installation went smoothly and you've enjoyed exploring the panel.

    That sidebar autofill issue would definitely be confusing at first -- appreciate you explaining what happened and how you tracked it down. Tagging @Chris_AdminBolt to look at that and the session timeout, and add your vote for Debian/Ubuntu support too!

  • dustincdustinc Patron Provider, Top Host, Veteran

    @lovelyserver said:

    AdminBolt Rocks!

    Woot woot!

    #AdminBolt Rocks!

    Thanked by 1lovelyserver
  • dustincdustinc Patron Provider, Top Host, Veteran

    @Beiji said:
    Gogogo

    :) Let's gooo!

  • dustincdustinc Patron Provider, Top Host, Veteran

    @noob404 said:

    @Saragoldfarb said:
    @noob404 game on!

    Will try to join when I can. Pretty busy this year.

    @noob404 -- There he is! Great to see you here! :) Anyone who's been around our previous Black Friday threads knows you've helped keep those parties going -- plenty of familiar faces here will be happy to see you pop in!

    Totally understand being busy. Always a pleasure catching up with you, and I hope this year's been treating you well! 👊

    Thanked by 1noob404
  • cptechcptech Member

    Hi @dustinc — thanks again for the $20 account credit, just landed in my account! Quick question: does this credit have an expiration date or a must-use-by date? Want to make sure I time my next order right. Thanks!

  • dustincdustinc Patron Provider, Top Host, Veteran

    @Beiji said:
    It's 100 pages. Congratulations. Congratulations

    Whoaaaaa, 100 pages! We did it! 🥳 Sounds like a pretty good reason to celebrate, doesn't it? ;)

  • dustincdustinc Patron Provider, Top Host, Veteran

    @VGL said:
    Wow, the number of comments on our post has reached 100 pages and is expected to increase soon. Shall we start a new round of giveaway to celebrate together? @dustinc

    This is very possible :) :)

    Thanked by 1VGL
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