Getting Started with CyberPanel: Initial Server Setup Guide

CyberPanel is a free, OpenLiteSpeed-based control panel popular on unmanaged VPS plans for its speed and simplicity. Here’s what to do in your first session.

Logging in for the first time

Access CyberPanel at https://your-server-ip:8090 using the admin credentials from your VPS welcome email. You’ll be prompted to change the password on first login — do this immediately, and make it long and unique.

Update the system first

Before creating any websites, SSH into the server and run your distribution’s update command (e.g. apt update && apt upgrade on Ubuntu/Debian, or yum update on AlmaLinux/CentOS) to make sure the OS and CyberPanel itself are on current, patched versions.

Basic security housekeeping

• Change the default SSH port and disable root password login in favor of key-based authentication (see our VPS security guide for the full walkthrough).
• Enable CyberPanel’s built-in firewall (CSF) if it isn’t already active, and confirm ports 8090 (panel), 80/443 (web) and your SSH port are the only ones open by default.
• Set up a non-root admin account for day-to-day panel access rather than using the default admin account long-term.

Creating your first website

Under Websites > Create Website, enter your domain, choose a package (resource limits), and CyberPanel provisions the vhost, DNS zone (if using CyberPanel’s own DNS), and an SSL certificate automatically via its built-in Let’s Encrypt integration.

What to check weekly at first

Keep an eye on CyberPanel > server status for resource usage while your site finds its normal traffic pattern, and confirm scheduled backups are configured under Backup — CyberPanel supports both local and remote backup destinations.

Once comfortable with the basics, our companion guide on creating a website in CyberPanel covers the per-site setup in more depth.