🚀 Deploy Poweradmin on AlmaLinux VPS (5 Minute Quick-Start Guide)

Below is a complete, production-ready, step-by-step guide for how to deploy Poweradmin on AlmaLinux VPS.

What is Poweradmin?

Poweradmin (PowerAdmin) is an open-source, web-based DNS management interface for PowerDNS.

What it does

PowerAdmin provides a graphical UI that allows administrators and users to manage DNS zones and records stored in a PowerDNS backend (typically MySQL or PostgreSQL) without using the command line.

Core features

• Create, edit, and delete DNS zones
• Manage DNS records (A, AAAA, MX, CNAME, TXT, SRV, NS, etc.)
• User and permission management (admin vs regular users)
• Zone templates for fast provisioning
• Supports PowerDNS Authoritative Server
• Works with MySQL or PostgreSQL backends
• Lightweight PHP application (no daemon)

What it is not

• ❌ Not a DNS server itself
• ❌ Not a registrar or domain reseller
• ❌ Not a full hosting control panel

PowerAdmin only manages DNS data that PowerDNS serves.

Typical use cases

• Managing authoritative DNS for VPS and dedicated servers
• Replacing manual BIND zone editing
• Internal DNS management for infrastructure
• Hosting providers (including multi-tenant DNS environments)
• PowerDNS deployments behind an API or reverse proxy

Architecture overview

Browser
  ↓
PowerAdmin (PHP)
  ↓
MySQL / PostgreSQL (DNS records)
  ↓
PowerDNS Authoritative Server

Why people use PowerAdmin

• Simple and fast compared to full control panels
• Open-source and self-hosted
• Direct database control over PowerDNS zones
• Ideal companion to PowerDNS API setups

How to Deploy Poweradmin on AlmaLinux VPS

This guide covers:

• Installing PowerDNS (Authoritative)
• Configuring MariaDB backend
• Setting up Poweradmin (web interface)
• Securing with firewall + SELinux considerations
• Optional: API, zone templates, DNSSEC, performance tuning

Works on AlmaLinux 8 & AlmaLinux 9.

1. 🧩 System Preparation

   sudo dnf update -y
   sudo dnf install epel-release -y
   sudo dnf install wget curl unzip -y
   

2. 🗄 Install and Configure MariaDB

   Poweradmin requires a SQL backend.

   1. Install MariaDB server

      sudo dnf install mariadb-server mariadb -y
      sudo systemctl enable --now mariadb
      

   2. Secure MariaDB

      sudo mysql_secure_installation
      

      Choose:

      • Remove anonymous users: Y
      • Disallow remote root login: Y
      • Remove test DB: Y
      • Reload privileges: Y

   3. Create PowerDNS database + user

      mysql -u root -p <<EOF
      CREATE DATABASE powerdns;
      CREATE USER 'pdns'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'STRONGPASSWORD';
      GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON powerdns.* TO 'pdns'@'localhost';
      FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
      EOF

3. 💿 Install PowerDNS Authoritative Server

   1. Enable PowerDNS official repo

      sudo curl -o /etc/yum.repos.d/powerdns-auth-50.repo https://repo.powerdns.com/repo-files/el-auth-50.repo
      

      For AlmaLinux, CentOS repo works.

   2. Install the server + MySQL backend

      sudo dnf install pdns pdns-backend-mysql -y
      

4. 📝 Configure PowerDNS to Use MariaDB Backend

   Edit the configuration file:

   sudo nano /etc/pdns/pdns.conf
   

   Add the following:

   launch=gmysql
   
   gmysql-host=127.0.0.1
   gmysql-dbname=powerdns
   gmysql-user=pdns
   gmysql-password=STRONGPASSWORD
   
   api=yes
   api-key=YOURSUPERSECRETAPIKEY
   webserver=yes
   webserver-address=0.0.0.0
   webserver-port=8081
   

   Save and exit.

5. 🏗 Import PowerDNS Database Schema

   mysql -u root -p powerdns < /usr/share/pdns-backend-mysql/schema/schema.mysql.sql
   

6. 🚀 Start and Enable PowerDNS

   sudo systemctl enable --now pdns
   sudo systemctl status pdns
   

7. 🌐 Install Web Server + PHP for Poweradmin

   Poweradmin requires Apache + PHP.

   dnf module reset php
   dnf module -y enable php:8.1
   sudo dnf install httpd php php-mysqlnd php-gd php-xml php-mbstring php-json -y
   sudo systemctl enable --now httpd
   

8. 📦 Download & Deploy Poweradmin

   cd /var/www/html
   sudo wget https://github.com/poweradmin/poweradmin/archive/refs/heads/master.zip
   sudo unzip master.zip
   sudo mv poweradmin-master poweradmin
   sudo rm -f master.zip
   

   Fix permissions:

   sudo chown -R apache:apache /var/www/html/poweradmin
   sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/poweradmin
   

9. ⚙️ Configure Poweradmin Installer

   Create config directory:

   sudo mkdir /var/www/html/poweradmin/inc
   sudo chmod 777 /var/www/html/poweradmin/inc
   

   (This will be secured after installation.)

10. 🌐 Run Poweradmin Installer

    Visit:

    http://YOUR-SERVER-IP/poweradmin/install/
    

    

    Provide:

    • Database Settings

      • Host: localhost
      • DB name: powerdns
      • User: pdns
      • Password: STRONGPASSWORD

    • PowerDNS Settings

      • Hostmaster: your email
      • Primary nameserver: ns1.yourdomain.com
      • Secondary nameserver(s)
      • Add default zone templates: Yes

    • Admin Login Creation

      Choose username/password.

      After installation, Poweradmin creates:

      /var/www/html/poweradmin/inc/config.inc.php
      

11. 🔒 Secure Poweradmin Paths

    Remove installer:

    sudo rm -rf /var/www/html/poweradmin/install
    

    Restrict permissions:

    sudo chmod 755 /var/www/html/poweradmin/inc
    sudo chmod 640 /var/www/html/poweradmin/inc/config.inc.php
    sudo chown apache:apache /var/www/html/poweradmin/inc/config.inc.php
    

12. 🔥 Firewall Configuration

    Allow DNS + HTTP traffic:

    sudo firewall-cmd --add-service=dns --permanent
    sudo firewall-cmd --add-service=http --permanent
    sudo firewall-cmd --reload
    

    If API port needed:

    sudo firewall-cmd --add-port=8081/tcp --permanent
    sudo firewall-cmd --reload
    

13. 🛡 SELinux Adjustments (If Enforcing)

    sudo setsebool -P httpd_can_network_connect 1
    sudo chcon -t httpd_sys_rw_content_t /var/www/html/poweradmin/inc/ -R
    

14. 🧪 Test PowerDNS Correct Operation

    1. Check service:

       systemctl status pdns
       

    2. Query locally:

       dig @127.0.0.1 yourdomain.com
       

15. ⚙️ Optional: Enable DNSSEC

    In pdns.conf:

    gmysql-dnssec=yes
    

    Initialize:

    pdnsutil create-zone yourdomain.com
    pdnsutil secure-zone yourdomain.com
    pdnsutil show-zone yourdomain.com
    

16. 📦 Optional: Enable Zone Templates in Poweradmin

    Inside Poweradmin interface:

    Admin → Zone Templates → Add

    Templates help automate:

    • A, AAAA, CNAME records
    • NS/SOA structure
    • Default TTLs

17. ⚡ Optional: Performance Tuning for PowerDNS

    • Increase cache size

      cache-ttl=20
      negquery-cache-ttl=60
      max-cache-entries=2000000
      

    • Enable packet caching

      packetcache=yes
      packetcache-ttl=3600
      

      Restart:

      sudo systemctl restart pdns
      

🎉 Deployment Complete

You can now access the PowerDNS Administration Panel:

http://YOUR-SERVER-IP/poweradmin/

Use your admin login.

Conclusion

You now know how to deploy Poweradmin on AlmaLinux VPS.