XCV Panel is a popular control panel that allows users to easily manage their website and server.
This article will take an in-depth look at what XCV Panel is, its key features, and how it compares to other similar control panels.
What is the XCV Panel?
At its core, it is a web-based control panel that gives you complete control over your server and website directly from your web browser.
It provides a single, user-friendly interface for managing all aspects of your server like websites, domains, emails, databases, and more.
Some key things to know about XCV Panel
- It is free and open-source software that runs on Linux-based web servers like Ubuntu, CentOS, Debian, etc.
- The XCV Panel interface is simple and intuitive, making it easy for beginners to use.
- It has a modern responsive design that works well on any device from tablets to desktops.
- Regular security and software updates are pushed automatically to keep your server and sites protected at all times.
- Support is available through an active online community, tutorials, and support tickets.
Key Features of XCV Panel
Here are some of the main features available through the XCV Panel:
Website Management
With XCV Panel, you can easily create, manage and delete websites hosted on your server. Features include one-click installation of popular CMS platforms like WordPress, Joomla, etc. You also get email accounts, databases, and statistics for each site.
Domain Management
Add, configure or delete domains without touching server files. features include DNS zone editor, domain forwarding/masking, WHOIS lock, and more.
Email Accounts
Setup unlimited email accounts with options like auto-responders, filters, catch-all addresses and more. It syncs with Roundcube and RainLoop webmail clients.
File Manager
Access and manage all server files through a user-friendly file browsing interface. Features include search, upload/download, permissions editing and more.
Backup and Restore
Schedule automatic backups of databases, files or full servers. Restore from any point in time with a single click from the backup archive.
Security and Monitoring
Defense options like firewall, SSH keys, security advisories, login alert and fail2ban intrusion protection. System stats on CPU, memory, disk usage etc.
Software Manager
Install and update over 150 commonly used software like PHP, MySQL, Ruby, Python and more with a single click from XCV Panel’s repositories.
It provides a full range of features to manage all aspects of your server and websites through its user-friendly control panel interface.
How Does the XCV Panel Compare?
It competes with other popular free and open-source control panels like cPanel, Plesk, DirectAdmin etc. Here’s a quick comparison:
- cPanel & Plesk – More full-featured than XCV Panel but also more complex and not completely free for commercial use.
- DirectAdmin – Similar feature set to XCV Panel but built for commercial support whereas XCV Panel is community supported.
- Webmin – Older and more minimalist interface compared to the modern design of XCV Panel. Not ideal for non-technical users.
- ISPConfig – Very powerful but higher learning curve. Lacks the beginner-friendly interface of XCV Panel.
- VestacP – Also full-featured but lacks some tools like website installers and has a steeper learning curve.
Overall, these panels provides a great balance of features versus ease-of-use. Out-of-the-box it handles common tasks very well without a steep learning curve.
And being open source means flexibility and option for self-hosting. For both personal and small business sites, it offers a very cost effective solution compared to paid control panels.
Installing and Setting Up XCV Panel
Installing and configuring is straightforward and well documented with it:
- Ensure your server meets minimum requirements like a 64-bit LAMP stack.
- Download the latest XCV Panel package from xcvsh.com or use one-click install script if on a supported hosting control panel.
- Run the install script and follow prompts to configure database, admin account during setup.
- After setup, log in and go through the onboarding wizard to set up basics like domain, mail server etc.
- Install software like PHP/MySQL from XCV Panel package library as needed.
- Create a website using one of the one-click installers or upload files manually.
- Configure other server settings and security features as per your needs from the XCV Panel dashboard.
- Add more websites, databases, email accounts as your requirements grow over time from within XCV Panel.
With just basic Linux/server administration knowledge, anyone can get up and running with these Panels in minutes. Comprehensive documentation and community forums provide additional help if needed.
Software that can be Installed with a Single Click from XCV Panel’s Repositories
Here are some examples of commonly used software that can be installed with a single click from XCV Panel’s repositories:
- PHP – Popular server-side scripting language. XCV Panel allows installing different PHP versions like PHP 7.x, 8.x with a click.
- MySQL – Open-source relational database. Users can easily install and manage multiple MySQL instances.
- Nginx – Lightweight high performance web server. Nginx installs, configures, and manages seamlessly with the XCV Panel.
- Apache – Alternative open-source web server for hosting websites and web apps. Can be installed from the XCV Panel.
- phpMyAdmin – Easy to use interface for managing MySQL/MariaDB databases. Can be quickly set up through the XCV Panel.
- Ruby – Versatile programming language used for web apps. Multiple Ruby versions can be installed.
- Python – Cross-platform programming language for general purpose coding. Both Python 2 and 3 are supported.
- Node.js – Javascript runtime for building scalable web apps. LTS versions available for single click install.
- MariaDB – Community developed fork of MySQL relational database.
- Postfix – Popular MTA (mail transfer agent) for Linux. Helps configure email on the server.
Conclusion
XCV Panel provides a powerful yet simple to use control panel solution for managing Linux servers and websites.
With its modern responsive interface, wide range of built-in tools and regular security updates, it offers great value particularly for personal, non-commercial and budget VPS/Dedicated servers.
Its active community provides additional long term support. For new users and smaller deployments, It is an excellent free and open-source choice over paid platforms.