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Learn how to deploy Virtualmin on AlmaLinux VPS! This article provides a how-to guide to deploy Virtualmin on AlmaLinux VPS. What is Virtualmin? Virtualmin is a powerful open-source web hosting control panel built on top of Webmin. It supports: Multi-domain virtual hosting Apache or Nginx PHP versions & FPM MariaDB/MySQL & PostgreSQL DNS, email, FTP Let’s Encrypt SSL Backups & automation Cloud-Init & CLI installs On AlmaLinux, Virtualmin is fully compatible and extremely stable. ⭐ Prerequisites Requirement Details OS AlmaLinux 8 or AlmaLinux 9 (minimal installation recommended) User Root or sudo user RAM Minimum 2 GB (4 GB+ recommended for email hosting) Disk 20 GB minimum FQDN Example: server.yourdomain.com Ports 22, 80, 443, and 10000 (Webmin UI) How to Deploy Virtualmin on AlmaLinux VPS To deploy Virtualmin on AlmaLinux VPS, follow the steps below: Update the System sudo dnf update -y sudo dnf install epel-release nano firewalld -y Reboot to ensure kernel updates apply: sudo reboot Set the Hostname Virtualmin requires a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN). sudo hostnamectl set-hostname server.yourdomain.com Add it to /etc/hosts: sudo nano /etc/hosts Add: YOUR.SERVER.IP server.yourdomain.com server Disable “Cloud Linux” or Third-Party Repos (If Present) Virtualmin requires stock repos. Check for nonstandard repos: dnf repolist Disable anything you don’t recognize: sudo dnf config-manager --set-disabled REPO-NAME Install Required Utilities sudo dnf install wget curl vim git unzip -y Download the Official Virtualmin Installer Virtualmin provides an auto-installer tailored for AlmaLinux. wget https://software.virtualmin.com/gpl/scripts/install.sh chmod +x install.sh Run the Virtualmin Installer 🟦 This installs Webmin, Virtualmin, Postfix, Dovecot, MariaDB, BIND, PHP-FPM, Apache or Nginx, firewall rules, SSL, and more. Run the installer: sudo ./install.sh You will be asked: Install Virtualmin GPL or Pro? (Default is GPL) LAMP or LEMP? (Choose based on preference) DNS configuration? (Recommended: Yes) Installer takes 10–25 minutes depending on server speed. Open Required Firewall Ports If using firewalld: sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-servicehttp sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-servicehttps sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port10000/tcp sudo firewall-cmd --reload Login to Virtualmin Login to Virtualmin from browser Open a browser: https://server.yourdomain.com:10000/ Login as: Username: root Password: root password Complete the Post-Installation Wizard Virtualmin will guide you through: Recommended Wizard Choices Option Recommended Value Database size Large system MariaDB optimization Yes Run email server? Yes (if needed) Run ClamAV/SpamAssassin? Yes if RAM ≥ 4 GB Accept IPv6? Yes Let’s Encrypt setup Yes Enable Let’s Encrypt SSL Virtualmin can issue LE certificates for: Hostname All hosted domains FTP Webmail Admin panel For server hostname: Go to: Webmin → Webmin Configuration → SSL Encryption → Let's Encrypt Check: Request certificate for hostname DNS must already resolve! Click Request Certificate. Create Your First Virtual Server (Website) Go to: Virtualmin → Create Virtual Server Fill in: Domain name Description Admin password Features (DNS, email, web, DB) Click Create Server. This automatically sets up: Apache/Nginx vhost PHP-FPM pool DNS zone Mailboxes FTP user LeSSL auto-renew MariaDB database Switch Between Apache and Nginx (Optional) Virtualmin defaults to Apache. To use Nginx instead: sudo dnf remove httpd -y sudo dnf install nginx -y sudo systemctl enable --now nginx Then re-run installer with LEMP flag: sudo ./install.sh --bundle LEMP Install Multiple PHP Versions Virtualmin supports multiple versions cleanly. AlmaLinux 8: sudo dnf module reset php -y sudo dnf module enable php:remi-8.3 -y sudo dnf install php php-fpm php-cli php-mysqlnd php-opcache php-xml php-zip -y AlmaLinux 9: Use Remi repo: sudo dnf install https://rpms.remirepo.net/enterprise/remi-release-9.rpm -y sudo dnf module enable php:remi-8.3 -y sudo dnf install php php-fpm php-mysqlnd -y Virtualmin autoconfigures the pools. Configure Automatic Backups Go to: Virtualmin → Backup and Restore Create: Daily full backup Weekly incremental Offsite storage: S3, SSH, FTP Recommended schedule: Full: weekly Incremental: daily Retention: 14–30 days Enable Fail2Ban (Recommended) sudo dnf install fail2ban -y sudo systemctl enable --now fail2ban Enable Webmin/Virtualmin protection: sudo nano /etc/fail2ban/jail.local Add: enabled true port 10000 filter webmin-auth logpath /var/log/secure maxretry 5 Restart: sudo systemctl restart fail2ban Set Up Email DKIM, SPF, DMARC Virtualmin → Email Settings → DomainKeys Identified Mail Enable for all domains. Add the following DNS records: SPF vspf1 mx ~all DMARC vDMARC1; pnone; ruamailto:postmaster@yourdomain.com Setup Automatic Security Updates sudo dnf install dnf-automatic -y sudo systemctl enable --now dnf-automatic.timer Useful Troubleshooting Commands Restart Webmin: sudo systemctl restart webmin Restart Virtualmin services: sudo virtualmin check-config View system logs: journalctl -xe Optional: Harden the Server (Security Enhancements) Disable root login via SSH: sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config Set: PermitRootLogin no Restart: sudo systemctl restart sshd Enable 2FA in Webmin: Webmin → Webmin Configuration → Two-Factor Authentication Use Google Authenticator or Authy. 🎉 Virtualmin Deployment Complete Your AlmaLinux VPS is now running a full-featured hosting panel with: DNS Email Databases Multi-PHP SSL automation Backups Security hardening Web-based administration Conclusion You now know how to deploy Virtualmin on AlmaLinux VPS.