{"id":5598,"date":"2020-11-17T14:12:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-17T14:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.ssdnodes.com\/blog\/?p=5542"},"modified":"2025-05-18T13:19:18","modified_gmt":"2025-05-18T13:19:18","slug":"install-directadmin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/blog\/install-directadmin\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Install DirectAdmin \u2013 Complete Installation Tutorial"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.directadmin.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DirectAdmin<\/a> is one of the fastest web control panels for Linux servers that\u2019s currently among the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/blog\/cpanel-alternatives-vps\/\" class=\"rank-math-link\">most popular cPanel alternatives<\/a>. It comes with all the basic functions you\u2019d expect from a web control panel, as well as extensive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.directadmin.com\/support.php#\" class=\"rank-math-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">documentation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>In this tutorial, we'll take you through the entire DirectAdmin installation and deployment process on your Linux VPS, with a special focus on servers hosted here at <a href=\"https:\/\/ssdnodes.com\" class=\"rank-math-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SSD Nodes<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n<p>So, without further ado \u2013&nbsp;let's jump right in: <\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-5542-_vwjao2b8n9j9\"><\/a>Requirements<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>To install DirectAdmin, your server needs to have a <strong>clean <\/strong>installation of one of the following Linux operating systems:<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>CloudLinux versions 6.x 32\/64-bit, 7.x 64-bit, and 8.x 64-bit;<\/li><li>RedHat Enterprise \/ CentOS versions 6.x 32\/64-bit, 7.x 64-bit, and 8.x 64-bit;<\/li><li>Debian 8.x 64-bit, 9.x 64-bit, 10.x 64-bit, and 11.x 64-bit ALPHA \u2013 You can also install it on a Ubuntu server if you use \u201cLinux 64-bit static\u201d OS selection for Ubuntu installs, and there\u2019s ongoing Alpha testing for Debian 11 (Bullseye) support;<\/li><li>FreeBSD 11.x 64-bit and 12.x 64-bit.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n<p>For more details on what\u2019s required to use DirectAdmin on your server, check the <a class=\"rank-math-link\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.directadmin.com\/getting-started\/installation\/installguide.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">install guide<\/a> page on their official website.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-5542-_4wgbvpqx2gda\"><\/a>Installation<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>At the very beginning, verify your license information in DirectAdmin\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.directadmin.com\/clients\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">clients<\/a> verifier. Here, you can check if your OS and server IP are correct, and also whether your license is active and verified.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>To start the installation, you will need to install some basic packages, such as gcc, g++, OpenSSL-devel, and SSH. Go through the <a href=\"https:\/\/help.directadmin.com\/item.php?id=354\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pre-install commands<\/a> for all the software you need before starting the installation. The commands you need to run vary depending on the OS you\u2019re using.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>After you have run these commands, it\u2019s time to start installing DirectAdmin. Begin by logging in as root, and then proceed by downloading the setup.sh file:<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>wget -O setup.sh https:\/\/www.directadmin.com\/setup.sh<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re using a FreeBSD Linux distribution, use <strong>fetch <\/strong>instead of <strong>wget <\/strong>when typing the above line.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Next up, you need to change the permissions of the setup.sh file:<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>chmod 755 setup.sh<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n<p>Then, run the following script:<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>.\/setup.sh auto<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n<p>After that, the system will prompt you for a client ID number, license ID number, and hostname. You should keep in mind that your hostname should not be your primary domain name, because if these two are the same thing, issues with FTP and mails will arise. For instance, if your primary domain name is <strong>domain.com, <\/strong>don\u2019t also use that for a hostname, but go for <strong>server.domain.com <\/strong>instead.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>The hostname should also resolve when you\u2019ll have your DNS set up.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>With that, your installation will be complete.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-5542-_b841xeagqac3\"><\/a>Post-Installation Steps<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>After you\u2019ve installed DirectAdmin on your SSD Nodes server, there are still some steps remaining in order for it to function properly on a VPS. Read on to find out more about them.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-5542-_2qkhdzedm87a\"><\/a>1. Entering Device Name from Ifconfig<\/h3>\n\n\n<p>First, access the DirectAdmin control panel at <strong>http:\/\/serveripaddress:2222. <\/strong>Here, you need to replace <strong>serveripaddress<\/strong> with the IP address of your server. To log in, use the Admin username and password you can find in the setup.txt file in the scripts directory.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>After you log in, go to the <strong>System Info &amp; Files <\/strong>section of the DirectAdmin dashboard and choose <strong>File Editor<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/word-image.png\" alt=\"directadmin-control-panel\" class=\"wp-image-5616\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019re in, open the <strong>\/usr\/local\/directadmin\/conf\/directadmin.conf <\/strong>file and write this line in it:<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>ethernet_dev=<strong>devicename<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/word-image-1.png\" alt=\"directadmin-devicename\" class=\"wp-image-5617\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>Here, <strong>devicename <\/strong>stands for the full device name you should replace it with. To find out what it is, run the following command:<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>\/sbin\/ifconfig<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n<p>After writing the device name line, save the file.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/word-image-2.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5618\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-5542-_ng3b1j5af1n7\"><\/a>2. Setting Up SSL Certificates<\/h3>\n\n\n<p>In case you want to use DirectAdmin with SSL, you should change set SSL=1 in the <strong>directadmin.conf <\/strong>file, and follow their instructions <a href=\"https:\/\/help.directadmin.com\/item.php?id=15\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/word-image-3.png\" alt=\"directadmin-ssl-certificates\" class=\"wp-image-5619\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-5542-_zerpu5nogw6c\"><\/a>3. Creating Your Main Domain Name<\/h3>\n\n\n<p>Next, you should set a main domain name, as no site is assigned to your server yet. To do so, access your control panel by going to <strong>http:\/\/serveripaddress:2222. <\/strong>You will need the admin user and password which you can find in the <strong>setup.txt <\/strong>file in the scripts directory.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Once inside, choose the <strong>User Panel<\/strong> from the link you will see in the top right.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/word-image-4.png\" alt=\"directadmin-domain-name\" class=\"wp-image-5620\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>Then, click on the <strong>Add New <\/strong>button.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/word-image-5.png\" alt=\"directadmin-add-new-domain\" class=\"wp-image-5621\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>In it, write your domain name and go to <strong>Create. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/word-image-6.png\" alt=\"create-domain-name\" class=\"wp-image-5622\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-5542-_uyn9a5hel432\"><\/a>4. Optional Step: Setting Nameservers<\/h3>\n\n\n<p>To set nameservers, you should start by adding another IP address to your server. Start by logging into DirectAdmin with the admin user and password. Once inside, go to <strong>IP Manager <\/strong>in the lower left.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/word-image-7.png\" alt=\"setting-nameservers-directadmin\" class=\"wp-image-5623\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>Once inside, add your second IP address by clicking on the <strong>Add New IP <\/strong>button.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/word-image-8.png\" alt=\"add-new-ip-directadmin\" class=\"wp-image-5624\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>To verify, click on <strong>Add IP<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/word-image-9.png\" alt=\"add-ip-directadmin-2\" class=\"wp-image-5625\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>After that, you will need to check all the IP address boxes, and then go to <strong>Assign to username<\/strong> in the bottom section. Here, <strong>username <\/strong>should be replaced by your admin user from the dropdown menu.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>The next step is creating the nameservers. To do so, first go to the <strong>Reseller Panel<\/strong> in the top right of the screen.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/word-image-10.png\" alt=\"directadmin-reseller-panel\" class=\"wp-image-5626\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>From there, go to <strong>Name Servers <\/strong>under<strong> Server Manager<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/word-image-13.jpg\" alt=\"server-manager-directadmin\" class=\"wp-image-5629\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>In case you already see nameservers in this section, remove them by ticking all their boxes and clicking on <strong>Delete<\/strong>. After that, check any two IP addresses, click on <strong>Create Nameservers<\/strong>, and choose the domain for nameservers.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/word-image-14.png\" alt=\"name-servers-direct-admin\" class=\"wp-image-5631\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>Finish setting up the nameservers by letting DirectAdmin know that these are going to be your primary nameservers. To do so, go back to the <strong>Admin Panel,<\/strong> and then to <strong>Administrator Settings <\/strong>under<strong> Server Manager<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/word-image-15.png\" alt=\"admin-settings-directadmin\" class=\"wp-image-5632\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>From there, navigate to <strong>Server Settings.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/word-image-18.png\" alt=\"server-settings-directadmin\" class=\"wp-image-5635\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>Here, verify that the <strong>NS1\/NS2<\/strong> fields are correct, and after you do so, click <strong>Save<\/strong>. Your nameservers are now set.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-5542-_4nlrcf4r7ig7\"><\/a>5. Setting the Email Address in Admin Control Panel<\/h3>\n\n\n<p>Lastly, you\u2019ll need to set your email address in the Admin control panel. Once there, go to <strong>Support &amp; Help <\/strong>and click on <strong>Manage Tickets. <\/strong>In this section, click on<strong> Ticket System Settings.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/word-image-20.png\" alt=\"admin-email-directadmin\" class=\"wp-image-5637\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><a id=\"post-5542-_nd7in5e3ezow\"><\/a>Here, you need to verify your email address is set correctly.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/word-image-21.png\" alt=\"ticket-system-directadmin\" class=\"wp-image-5638\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><a id=\"post-5542-_qjmwdbezwlnn\"><\/a>After that, you\u2019ll need to go to the User Panel again, then go to the <strong>Site Summary\/ Statistics\/ Logs section <\/strong>under<strong> System Info &amp; Files<\/strong> and set the address.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/word-image-23.png\" alt=\"system-info-and-files-directadmin\" class=\"wp-image-5640\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><a id=\"post-5542-_ec2s2fhxcxi7\"><\/a>With that done, you\u2019re all set! You can start using DirectAdmin on your SSD Nodes server!<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-5542-_lam2ws3sxz6\"><\/a>Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>We hope you've found this complete DirectAdmin installation tutorial helpful &amp; are able to get everything set up on your own VPS smoothly...<\/p>\n\n\n<p>If you're ever out looking for a VPS hosting provider that's both reliable &amp; accessible, we'd love for you to check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/\" class=\"rank-math-link\">SSD Nodes<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DirectAdmin is one of the fastest web control panels for Linux servers that\u2019s currently among the most popular cPanel alternatives. It comes with all the basic functions you\u2019d expect from a web control panel, as well as extensive documentation. In this tutorial, we&#8217;ll take you through the entire DirectAdmin installation and deployment process on your  &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":5602,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,30],"tags":[218],"class_list":["post-5598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-devops","category-tutorials","tag-directadmin"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5598","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5598"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5598\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13019,"href":"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5598\/revisions\/13019"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}