cPanel has long been the go-to control panel for managing web hosting, but it is not your only option for a VPS. 

Managing a VPS without cPanel offers clear advantages. You save money because you do not need to buy a monthly license. 

You get more control over your server because nothing hides the underlying system from you. 

Plus, you also learn more about how servers work, which helps you troubleshoot problems faster.

Without cPanel, you have two paths.

You can manage everything manually via the command line, or you can install a free alternative control panel that provides a user interface without the cost. 

Both options work well, and the best choice depends on your comfort level with technical tasks.

What Managing A VPS Means 

When we talk about managing a VPS, you’ll take care of things like:

Connecting to the server: Use a protocol such as SSH to remotely access your VPS’s command line from your local computer.

Installing software: Use package managers such as apt or dnf to add the web servers, databases, and PHP versions your sites need to run.

Hosting websites: Store your site files on the VPS and configure the web server to serve them to visitors.

Managing domains: Create DNS records that tell the internet which VPS IP address corresponds to your domain name.

Setting up SSL certificates: Obtain and install free certificates from Let’s Encrypt to ensure your sites load securely over HTTPS.

Creating email accounts: Set up mail server software like Postfix and Dovecot to send, receive, and store emails for your domains.

Securing the server: Configure firewalls, disable SSH root login, and install tools such as Fail2ban to block unauthorized access.

Updating packages: Run update commands regularly to patch security holes and keep your server software up to date.

Monitoring performance: Check CPU, memory, and disk usage with tools like top or htop to spot slowdowns or resource problems.

Backing up your files: Copy your website files and databases to another location, such as remote storage or a second server.

Now, without cPanel, you handle these tasks manually or use free tools.

How to Manage VPS Manually Without cPanel

Try these alternative ways to manage a VPS without cPanel.

Manage VPS Using SSH

1) Connect To Your VPS Using SSH

Open a terminal on your computer. On Windows, you can use PowerShell or install Windows Terminal. On Mac or Linux, use the built-in terminal. 

Type this command to connect:

ssh root@your_server_ip_address

Enter your root password when prompted. If you set up SSH keys during VPS setup, the connection happens automatically.

2) Update Your Server

Once logged in, update all system packages. The command depends on your operating system.

For Ubuntu or Debian:

apt update && apt upgrade -y

For CentOS or AlmaLinux:

 dnf update -y

Run this regularly to keep your server secure.

3) Install A Web Server

Now, you need a web server. Nginx and Apache are the two most common web servers.

Nginx is lighter and faster for static files and high traffic. Apache is more flexible with configuration options.

To install Nginx on Ubuntu:

apt install nginx -y

To install Apache on Ubuntu:

apt install apache2 -y

4) Install PHP And Database Software

Most websites need a database and PHP to run. MySQL and MariaDB are the standard options.

Install MariaDB with this command:

apt install mariadb-server mariadb-client -y

Then secure your database installation:

mysql_secure_installation

Now install PHP along with the common extensions you will likely need, using

apt install php php-fpm php-mysql php-cli php-curl php-zip php-gd php-mbstring -y

5) Point Your Domain To The VPS

Head over to your domain registrar or DNS provider. Create an A record that points your domain to your VPS IP address. 

If you want to use www, create another A record for it as well.

Keep in mind that changes can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours to fully spread across the internet.

6) Create A Website Directory

Make a folder to store your website files. The standard spot is /var/www/yourdomain.com.

Use this:

mkdir -p /var/www/yourdomain.com/html

Then set the correct permissions via:

chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/yourdomain.com

7) Create A Server Block

A server block tells your web server how to handle requests for your domain. Create a new configuration file for Nginx:

nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/yourdomain.com

Paste in this basic configuration: 

server {

    listen 80;

    server_name yourdomain.com www.yourdomain.com;

    root /var/www/yourdomain.com/html;

    index index.php index.html index.htm;

    location / {

        try_files $uri $uri/ =404;

    }

    location ~ \.php$ {

        include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;

        fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php8.1-fpm.sock;

    }

}

Enable the site by creating a symbolic link:

ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/yourdomain.com /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

Test your configuration and reload Nginx:

nginx -t

systemctl reload nginx

8) Install Free SSL

Let’s Encrypt hands out free SSL certificates. Install Certbot to automate the whole process.

apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y

Then run Certbot for your domain:

certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com -d www.yourdomain.com

Follow the prompts. Certbot will retrieve your certificate and automatically update your Nginx configuration.

The system cron job handles renewals, so you do not have to worry about them.

9) Secure Your VPS

A few basic security steps go a long way. Start by disabling root login over SSH. Open the SSH configuration file: 

nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

Find this line and change it to no

PermitRootLogin no

Create a regular user account with sudo privileges:

adduser yourusername

usermod -aG sudo yourusername

Then, set up a firewall. UFW makes this easy on Ubuntu:

ufw allow OpenSSH

ufw allow 'Nginx Full'

ufw enable

Also, install Fail2ban to block repeated failed login attempts:

apt install fail2ban -y

systemctl enable fail2ban

systemctl start fail2ban

10) Back Up Your VPS

Manual backups put you in control of where your data goes. A simple script can back up your websites and databases.

Create a backup script:

nano /usr/local/bin/backup.sh

Add this content:

#!/bin/bash

tar -czf /backup/websites-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz /var/www/

mysqldump --all-databases > /backup/database-$(date +%Y%m%d).sql

Set it to run automatically with cron:

crontab -e

Add this line to run the backup every day at 2 AM: 

0 2 * * * /usr/local/bin/backup.sh

Then send your backups to remote storage, such as Google Drive, AWS S3, or another server, using rsync or rclone.

11) Monitor Your Server

Finally, keep an eye on your server resources. A few basic commands give you instant answers.

Check memory usage:

free -h

Check disc space:

df -h

Check CPU load:

top

For more detailed monitoring, install htop or Netdata. Netdata gives you a real-time web dashboard right out of the box with zero configuration needed.

Use A Free Control Panel If You Want A UI

If you don’t want to manage a VPS manually but don’t want cPanel either, you can switch to a free control panel. 

Your options:

Control Panel	Best For
Cyberpanel	WordPress and OpenLiteSpeed hosting
ISPConfig	Agencies, resellers, and multi-site hosting
Webmin	General server administration
Virtualmin	Website hosting with Webmin
CloudPanel	Lightweight VPS hosting panel

How to Manage a VPS without cPanel FAQs

Ready to Ditch cPanel? Try Truehost VPS with CyberPanel

If you want a user interface but do not want to pay for cPanel, we offer VPS plans that include CyberPanel. 

CyberPanel runs on OpenLiteSpeed, a web server that outperforms Apache and Nginx for WordPress and PHP applications. 

You get LSCache built in, which delivers full-page caching for massive speed gains.

Our CyberPanel VPS comes with a free panel license, daily backups to keep your data safe, DDoS protection, and a 100% uptime guarantee. 

You get full root access, plus support for both command-line and GUI management.

Our plans start at KES 698 per month with no hidden fees.

For example, our Cloud VPS 4 plan gives you 4 CPU cores, 8 GB of RAM, 75 GB of SSD storage, and 1 TB transfer for KES 1775 per month when billed annually.

We offer data centers in Europe and the USA.

You also get features like one-click installs for WordPress, Magento, and Joomla. 

Our panel includes a Docker manager, built-in firewalls with Fail2Ban, full email support through Rainloop and Postfix, and auto-renewing SSL certificates from Let’s Encrypt. 

You can manage DNS zones inside the panel and store backups to Google Drive, AWS S3, or FTP.

Agencies, eCommerce store owners, and bloggers all get a fast, secure VPS from us without the cPanel markup.