Manage server with Ajenti

In one of our articles, we already talked about how to manage a server using Webmin. This control panel is one of the most popular, as it is completely free, has open source code, and a large community. But this is not the only solution of this kind. Today we’ll tell you about another control panel that works in a similar way but has a number of distinctive features that many may like.

Just like Webmin, Ajenti control panel can work on many operating systems of Linux and BSD families, making life easier for system administrators thanks to a simple and clear user interface. Compared to Webmin, it has fewer features, but Ajenti is a modular system, so missing features can be added in most cases with a few clicks of the mouse.

Installing

You can install Ajenti on the operating system using a convenient script that will perform all the necessary actions automatically:

curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ajenti/ajenti/master/scripts/install.sh | sudo bash -s -

Alternatively, you can use another script that additionally creates a virtual Python environment and places the necessary versions of packages for Ajenti to work in it. This will allow you not to change the versions of packages already installed in the operating system, on which software may depend. However, the developers themselves indicate that this script is in test status, and therefore may not work correctly. But we didn’t encounter any problems when using it:

curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ajenti/ajenti/master/scripts/install-venv.sh | sudo bash -s -

After installation, the panel should start working immediately. You can check this with the following command:

sudo systemctl status ajenti

If the status for some reasons differs from active (running), then restart the service:

sudo systemctl restart ajenti

Now you can open a web browser and go to the following address:

https://[IP-address]:8000

The login and password of any existing user are used as Ajenti credentials.

Using

Linux operating systems always have a superuser called root, who can perform any operations, even those considered dangerous. So in everyday life, you should not work under the root name. Distributions such as Ubuntu are configured out of the box to work with the sudo application, which temporarily elevates the privileges of a regular user to root.

When you first enter some sections of Ajenti, you may encounter a warning message: “Superuser access required”. This simply means that you need to temporarily elevate your privileges. To do this, click on the circle with the user and select Elevate. The system will ask for the superuser password and then unlock previously inaccessible functions:

If you look at the Plugins section, you can immediately evaluate the capabilities of the newly installed panel. By default, it includes the system core, a simple text editor, a file manager, and a dashboard:

Most often, system administrators have to set up secure file exchanges with a remote server. Ajenti can boost a file manager with an intuitive interface and the ability to easily edit file and directory attributes:

The built-in editor has syntax highlighting and line numbers, which make editing text configuration files and scripts much easier. Files that are opened most often can be added to favorites by clicking on the icon with the bookmark image:

As in Webmin, there is a separate option for direct access to the console using the Terminal plugin. This allows you to manage the server without having to install a separate SSH client:

Ajenti allows you to conveniently manage processes. By opening the Services item, you immediately get a visual representation of all processes, and management of each of them:

Instead of using the standard package manager from the console, new applications can be installed directly from the web interface. First, you should update the package cache using the UPDATE PACKAGE LIST button (analogous to the console command $ sudo apt update). Then, enter the name of the desired application in the search bar, and if it is in the connected repositories, the system will display it in a separate line. Installation is performed by simply clicking on the corresponding icon:

Conclusion

The Ajenti panel makes a good impression overall. The well-thought-out web interface helps you get used to it quickly, and the modularity helps expand the standard capabilities of the application. Compared to Webmin, there are certainly fewer functions, but all of them have been carefully selected based on the most frequently used administration tasks. So, if you want to have a simple and free web panel that isn’t overloaded with dozens of different features, then you can pay close attention to Ajenti.

Manage server with Ajenti

Installing

Using

Conclusion

Still have questions? Write to us!