ArcPanel installs the whole hosting stack of a server: web, DNS, mail, databases and firewall. It needs a server of its own, with nothing else installed on it.
Operating system
| System | Versions |
|---|---|
| Debian | 12, 13 |
| Ubuntu | 22.04, 24.04, 26.04 LTS |
Use the minimal or standard server image of your provider. Other systems, including Red Hat, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux and non-LTS Ubuntu releases, are refused by the installer.
Processor
64-bit x86 (amd64) only. The installer stops on arm64 servers, such as Ampere or Graviton machines and Raspberry Pi.
Memory and disk
The installer does not check memory or disk size. We recommend at least:
| Use | Memory | Disk |
|---|---|---|
| Web and databases, no mail filtering | 1 GB | 20 GB |
| Web and mail with spam filtering | 2 GB | 40 GB |
| Web and mail with spam and virus scan | 4 GB | 40 GB |
The installer picks the mail filters from the memory it finds: SpamAssassin from about 1.5 GB, ClamAV from about 3 GB. With less than 1 GB and no swap, it creates a 1 GB swap file.
Plan the disk for backups as well: the nightly backup is kept on the server, and making one needs free space of about twice the size of the account (Schedule backups).
Virtualization
KVM, VMware, Hyper-V and dedicated servers work without extra steps. In LXC containers, the host's AppArmor profile must allow the container to remount /proc; the installer tells you when it cannot. OpenVZ and Virtuozzo containers work with limits set by the host.
A fresh server
Install ArcPanel on a new server, right after the operating system. The installer stops when it finds:
- an existing ArcPanel installation;
- a web, mail or database server installed before (Apache, NGINX, Exim, Postfix, MariaDB), or
ufwon Ubuntu; it offers to remove them, which you should only accept on a server without data; - a system user or group with the administrator name you choose.
There is no in-place upgrade from HestiaCP or from ArcPanel 1.x. Install ArcPanel 2 on a new server and move the accounts with their backups.
Host name
The server needs a fully qualified host name with at least three parts, such as panel.example.com, and an A record for it that points to the server's IP address. The panel is reached at that name, Let's Encrypt issues its certificate for it, and mail is sent from it.
Ask your provider to set the reverse DNS (PTR) of the IP address to the same name, so that other mail servers accept your mail.
Network
- A public IPv4 address. Port 25 must be open outbound if the server sends mail; some cloud providers block it until you ask.
- Access to
apt.arcpanel.organd to GitHub, from which the installer and the packages are downloaded. - SSH access as
root, or as a user that can usesudo.
ArcPanel turns on its own firewall and opens these ports, leaving out the services you do not install:
| Port | Service |
|---|---|
| 22 | SSH |
| 80, 443 | Web |
| 8083 | The panel |
| 8086, 8087 | Webmail, phpMyAdmin |
| 21, 12000–12100 | FTP |
| 25, 465, 587 | SMTP |
| 110, 995, 143, 993 | POP3, IMAP |
| 53 (TCP and UDP) | DNS |
If your provider has a firewall of its own in front of the server, open the same ports there.
Next steps
When the server is ready, go on with the Installation.