# Panelica — Complete Reference

> Panelica is a Linux hosting control panel and a direct alternative to cPanel, Plesk, DirectAdmin, aaPanel and CyberPanel. Built with Go 1.24 and React 19. Free forever for personal use. The only panel combining 5-layer resource isolation, a built-in AI co-pilot, native mobile apps and a browser extension.

## What Is Panelica?

Panelica is a modern, security-first Linux server management panel for hosting providers, agencies, VPS owners and self-hosters. It provides complete server control through a single Go binary covering domains, mail, DNS, MySQL, SSL, WordPress, Docker, Node.js, Git deploy, security and backups — 40 first-class modules across 200+ pages, no plug-in marketplace, no per-add-on charges.

Key differentiators:
- 5-layer resource isolation (Cgroups v2 + Namespaces + SSH chroot + per-user PHP-FPM + Unix permissions), unique in combination
- Built-in Docker container manager with 99 one-click templates
- OpsAI — built-in AI co-pilot with 15 specialist experts trained on 1,263 Panelica API endpoints, runs locally, no data leaving the server
- Native iOS and Android apps, plus Panelica Control, an official Chrome/Edge browser extension that manages up to 500 servers from a side panel
- Universal, discovery-based migration pipeline from cPanel, Plesk, CyberPanel, and more, preserving email and database password hashes byte-for-byte
- eBPF kernel bandwidth limiter, cgroup-pinned
- 1,263 API endpoints across the internal, external, and CLI surfaces, full CLI parity
- 31 languages
- 4-tier RBAC (ROOT > ADMIN > RESELLER > USER)
- Cloudflare integration: 8 tabs (Settings, Quick Actions, DNS, Zones, Analytics via GraphQL, Firewall, Page Rules)
- Official WHMCS module, or PNLCS — a free, MIT-licensed, self-hosted billing platform built by the same team

## Product Pages

- [Home](https://panelica.com/): Overview, install command, 40-module index
- [Features](https://panelica.com/features): All 40 modules across 200+ pages
- [Pricing](https://panelica.com/pricing): Starter free forever (3 domains), Professional $4.99/mo, Business $9.99/mo, Enterprise $24.99/mo — flat license, no per-account fees
- [Screenshots](https://panelica.com/screenshots): Visual dashboard tour
- [Demo](https://panelica.com/demo): Try the panel without installing
- [Documentation](https://panelica.com/documentation): Install guide, setup wizard, API and CLI reference, migration guides
- [OpsAI](https://panelica.com/opsai): Built-in AI co-pilot, 15 specialist experts, trained on 1,263 endpoints
- [Roadmap](https://panelica.com/roadmap): Released, in progress, and planned features, verifiable against git history
- [Changelog](https://panelica.com/changelog): Every release with date and feature list

## Solutions Pages

Five audience-specific landing pages, all built on the same panel:

- [Solutions overview](https://panelica.com/solutions): How Panelica adapts to each audience
- [For Hosting Providers](https://panelica.com/solutions/hosting-providers): Flat per-server licensing, 5-layer customer isolation, official WHMCS module or the open-source PNLCS billing platform, white-label branding, migration from cPanel/Plesk/DirectAdmin
- [For Agencies](https://panelica.com/solutions/agencies): Git deploy with staging, one-click WordPress, the Panelica Control browser extension for multi-server management, granular one-file backup restore
- [For VPS Owners](https://panelica.com/solutions/vps-owners): Six-minute install identical across 9 supported OS releases, free Starter plan for 3 domains, PHP 5.6-8.5 version management, Repair Tool and Rescue Mode
- [For Self-Hosters](https://panelica.com/solutions/self-hosters): 99 one-click Docker templates, automatic HTTPS, mail and DNS included, free Starter plan
- [For Developers](https://panelica.com/solutions/developers): SSH, Git deploy, Docker, Node.js, full CLI and 1,263 API endpoints, free Starter plan for 3 domains

## Comparison Pages

15 pages under /compare, each with its own meta, schema and hardcoded feature data:

- [All Comparisons](https://panelica.com/compare): Side-by-side matrix vs every panel below
- [Panelica vs cPanel](https://panelica.com/compare/cpanel)
- [Panelica vs Plesk](https://panelica.com/compare/plesk)
- [Panelica vs DirectAdmin](https://panelica.com/compare/directadmin)
- [Panelica vs CyberPanel](https://panelica.com/compare/cyberpanel)
- [Panelica vs aaPanel](https://panelica.com/compare/aapanel)
- [Panelica vs CentOS Web Panel (CWP)](https://panelica.com/compare/cwp)
- [Panelica vs HestiaCP](https://panelica.com/compare/hestiacp)
- [Panelica vs CloudPanel](https://panelica.com/compare/cloudpanel)
- [Panelica vs VestaCP](https://panelica.com/compare/vestacp)
- [Panelica vs Virtualmin](https://panelica.com/compare/virtualmin)
- [Panelica vs OpenPanel](https://panelica.com/compare/openpanel)
- [Panelica vs Coolify](https://panelica.com/compare/coolify)
- [Panelica vs RunCloud](https://panelica.com/compare/runcloud)
- [Panelica vs EasyPanel](https://panelica.com/compare/easypanel)

## Technology Stack

### Backend
- Language: Go 1.24
- Framework: Gin v1.11 (HTTP), GORM v1.31 (ORM)
- Database: PostgreSQL 17 (panel data), MySQL 8 (customer databases)
- Cache: Redis 7
- Codebase: 215,000+ lines of Go code
- API: 1,263 endpoints across the internal, external, and CLI surfaces, plus 4 WebSocket channels
- Auth: JWT (15min access) + Refresh Tokens (7-day) + TOTP 2FA
- Encryption: AES-256-GCM (secrets), HMAC-SHA256 (external API)

### Frontend
- Framework: React 19 + TypeScript 5.8
- Build: Vite
- UI: Bootstrap 5.3.7 + Reactstrap + SASS
- State: Redux Toolkit + React Context
- Components: 560+ TSX/TS files, 293 pages
- Charts: ApexCharts + ECharts
- Editor: CodeMirror
- Terminal: xterm.js (WebSocket)

### Database Schema
- 145+ tables
- 264 migration files
- 162 seed files
- UUID primary keys (gen_random_uuid)

## 5-Layer Resource Isolation Architecture

Panelica combines five isolation layers:

### Layer 1: Cgroups v2
- Per-user CPU, memory, I/O, and PID limits enforced at the kernel level
- Path: /sys/fs/cgroup/panelica.slice/panelica-user.slice/panelica-user-{username}.slice/
- Controls: cpu.max, memory.max, io.max, pids.max

### Layer 2: Linux Namespaces
- PID and Mount namespaces per user
- CageFS-style rootfs isolation
- Users cannot see other users' processes

### Layer 3: SSH Chroot
- SFTP-only (sshjailed) or full bash+chroot (sshfull)
- Jailed SSH sessions with restricted filesystem view

### Layer 4: PHP-FPM Per-User Pools
- Separate PHP-FPM process per user per PHP version
- Independent open_basedir, disable_functions, resource limits
- Runs as the site owner's Linux user, not a shared web server user

### Layer 5: Unix Permissions
- UID/GID isolation per user
- Home directories with 700 permissions
- File operations through a user-context service (root writes to temp, then chown)

## Managed Services

- Web: Nginx (panel + customer), Apache
- PHP: 5.6 through 8.5, native PHP-FPM pools for modern versions, transparent Docker-isolated runtimes for legacy versions, one-click per-domain switching, no CloudLinux license required
- Database: PostgreSQL 17 (port 5433), MySQL 8 (port 3306), Redis 7 (port 6479)
- DNS: BIND9 (port 53)
- Email: Postfix (SMTP), Dovecot (IMAP/POP3), OpenDKIM
- FTP: ProFTPD (port 21)
- Security: Fail2ban, ClamAV, ModSecurity + OWASP CRS
- Tools: phpMyAdmin, pgAdmin4

## Email System

Complete email stack included at no extra cost:
- SMTP: Postfix with virtual domain hosting
- IMAP/POP3: Dovecot with Maildir storage
- Authentication: DKIM, SPF, DMARC
- Webmail: Roundcube, integrated at /webmail
- Spam: SpamAssassin plus custom blacklist/whitelist
- Virus: ClamAV scanning on incoming mail
- Autoresponder: Dovecot Sieve (vacation extension)
- Mailing lists: built-in, with moderation and archive
- Queue: real-time Postfix queue management
- Per-account: toggle IMAP/POP3/SMTP independently, IP restrictions, quota management

## PHP Management

- Versions: 5.6 through 8.5, side by side
- Isolation: per-user per-version PHP-FPM pools
- Extensions manager and a php.ini editor per site
- Bulk: change PHP version across multiple domains in one action
- System PHP: wrapper scripts (not symlinks) to prevent extension conflicts

## Node.js Hosting

Node.js application management is a first-class integration alongside PHP: see the [Node.js hosting announcement](https://panelica.com/blog/introducing-nodejs-application-hosting-in-panelica). Included on Professional, Business and Enterprise plans.

## Docker Management

- 99 one-click application templates
- Container lifecycle: create, start, stop, restart, remove
- Image, volume and network management
- RBAC-enforced: containers tagged with user labels
- Cgroups integration: containers run inside the user's cgroup slice
- Subdomain routing: automatic Nginx reverse proxy for containers
- See: [Docker Manager and 99 templates](https://panelica.com/blog/docker-manager-160-app-templates-panelica)

## WordPress Management

- One-click installation with WP-CLI
- Redis-backed caching (object cache + full-page cache)
- Staging environments and cloning
- Security toolkit: malware scanning, file integrity monitoring, hardening
- Auto-updates management

## SSL/TLS Management

- Let's Encrypt ACME v2 automation (HTTP-01 challenge)
- Auto-renewal with exponential backoff
- Custom certificate upload with key-cert validation
- Self-signed fallback for development
- HSTS and Force HTTPS per domain
- Mail server SSL (separate certificate)

## Database Management

- MySQL 8: full lifecycle management
- Role-based privileges
- phpMyAdmin SSO: one-click login with a single-use token
- Remote access: IP/wildcard whitelist
- Backup: mysqldump + gzip with download
- Password encryption: AES-256-GCM

## Security Features

- Firewall: nftables with rule management
- WAF: ModSecurity + OWASP Core Rule Set
- IDS: Fail2ban with automatic IP blocking
- Malware: ClamAV
- AppArmor: profile management
- IP management: block/allow lists, geo-blocking
- Audit: comprehensive action logging
- 2FA: TOTP authenticator support

## Migration System

Universal, discovery-based migration pipeline from cPanel, Plesk, CyberPanel, and more -- the engine discovers accounts, domains, mail, and databases on the source server, so it is not limited to a fixed panel list:

1. Connect over SSH or panel API
2. Discover every site automatically
3. Carry over file ownership, mailboxes, MySQL databases, DNS zones, SSL certificates
4. Preserve email password hashes (SHA512-CRYPT) and database password hashes byte-for-byte
5. Cut over at the registrar or DNS; end users keep their existing credentials

A 7-step pipeline, tested with customer accounts up to 100 GB each. See also: [Full server migration to Panelica](https://panelica.com/blog/full-hosting-server-migration-to-panelica-cpanel-plesk-and-directadmin).

## Backup System

- Manual and scheduled backups (server-level and database-level)
- Granular restore: browse into any backup and pull out exactly one file, folder, database, or mailbox, with a SHA-256 preview before confirming — no need to restore the whole backup. See: [Granular backup restore](https://panelica.com/blog/granular-backup-restore-recover-one-file-not-the-whole-backup)
- Remote destinations

## Recovery Tools

- Repair Tool: one-click diagnostics and fixes for common server problems. See: [Panelica Repair Tool](https://panelica.com/blog/panelica-repair-tool-one-click-server-diagnostics-and-fixes)
- Rescue Mode: an independent recovery service on port 8444 with its own binary, no dependency on the panel backend, database, or Nginx — stays reachable, gives a system overview, the Repair Tool's fix engine, and a full root terminal from the browser. See: [Rescue Mode](https://panelica.com/blog/rescue-mode-how-panelica-recovers-when-the-panel-goes-down)

## Cloudflare Integration

8-tab integration inside the panel: Settings, Quick Actions, DNS, Zones, Analytics (GraphQL), Firewall, Page Rules.

## Billing Platforms

- Official WHMCS module: automated provisioning, SSO, client self-service. See: [WHMCS module writeup](https://panelica.com/blog/panelica-whmcs-module-automated-provisioning-sso-client-self-service)
- [PNLCS](https://github.com/Panelica/pnlcs): a free, MIT-licensed, self-hosted hosting billing platform built and maintained by the Panelica team on Laravel 13 and MySQL 8, for anyone who does not want to pay for billing software at all

## Native Mobile Apps and Browser Extension

- iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/panelica/id6758764906
- Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.panelica
- Panelica Control (browser extension for Chrome and other Chromium browsers such as Microsoft Edge): https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/panelica-control-%E2%80%94-server/bbbbohhjfjglmiadbcemddadkighmdil — opens as a side panel, connects to up to 500 Panelica servers over the same HMAC-signed API used by the mobile app. See: [Browser extension writeup](https://panelica.com/blog/panelica-browser-extension-manage-servers-from-chrome-edge)

Mobile app features: push notifications for incidents, biometric login, server health gauges, domain and user lists, offline action queue.

## API Architecture

Triple architecture — every endpoint available in three ways:
1. Internal API (port 3001): panel UI consumption
2. External API (port 3002): migration and inter-panel communication (HMAC-SHA256 auth)
3. CLI (panelica command): terminal-based management

1,263 API endpoints across the internal, external, and CLI surfaces, which is also the number OpsAI is trained on.

## OpsAI

OpsAI is the built-in AI co-pilot inside the panel: 15 specialist experts (domain, SSL, mail, WordPress, Docker, Git, database, security, performance, and more) trained on the panel's 1,263 API endpoints. OpsAI operates through the same RBAC-aware panel API a human admin would, with a sandbox demo mode that previews any destructive action before it runs. The runtime is local to the binary — no external API key, no data leaving the server.

## Pricing

| Plan | Price | Domains |
|------|-------|---------|
| Starter | Free forever (14-day full-feature trial, then 3 domains stay free) | 3 |
| Professional | $4.99/mo or $49.70/yr | 15 |
| Business | $9.99/mo or $99.50/yr | 50 |
| Enterprise | $24.99/mo or $248.90/yr | Unlimited |

All plans include email, DNS, SSL, databases, backups and the core security stack. Flat license, no per-account fees. See [Pricing](https://panelica.com/pricing) for the full feature breakdown per plan.

## System Requirements

- OS: Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04 or 26.04 LTS; Debian 12 or 13; AlmaLinux 9 or 10; Rocky Linux 9 or 10 (9 supported releases)
- RAM: 2 GB minimum
- Installation: single one-line command, about six minutes

```
curl -sSL https://latest.panelica.com/install.sh | bash
```

## Community & Support

- [Forum](https://forum.panelica.com): official community forum
- [Blog](https://panelica.com/blog): technical articles and tutorials
- [Contact](https://panelica.com/contact): sales and support
- [Partnership](https://panelica.com/partnership): white-label rights, revenue share, reseller program
- Email: info@panelica.com

## Blog (Selected Technical Articles)

- [Complete Email Hosting](https://panelica.com/blog/complete-email-hosting-built-in-mail-server-dkim-spf-dmarc): Postfix, Dovecot, DKIM, SPF, DMARC, Roundcube
- [Multi-PHP Management](https://panelica.com/blog/multi-php-version-management-per-user-isolation): PHP 5.6-8.5 with per-user isolation
- [5-Layer Isolation](https://panelica.com/blog/zero-trust-hosting-5-layer-isolation-architecture): complete isolation architecture explained
- [Docker without the chaos](https://panelica.com/blog/docker-without-the-chaos-how-containers-work-inside-a-managed-panel): managed containers with RBAC
- [Docker Manager, 99 templates](https://panelica.com/blog/docker-manager-160-app-templates-panelica)
- [Introducing Node.js application hosting](https://panelica.com/blog/introducing-nodejs-application-hosting-in-panelica)
- [Panelica Repair Tool](https://panelica.com/blog/panelica-repair-tool-one-click-server-diagnostics-and-fixes)
- [Rescue Mode](https://panelica.com/blog/rescue-mode-how-panelica-recovers-when-the-panel-goes-down)
- [Granular backup restore](https://panelica.com/blog/granular-backup-restore-recover-one-file-not-the-whole-backup)
- [Panelica Control browser extension](https://panelica.com/blog/panelica-browser-extension-manage-servers-from-chrome-edge)
- [Official WHMCS module](https://panelica.com/blog/panelica-whmcs-module-automated-provisioning-sso-client-self-service)
- [Full server migration to Panelica](https://panelica.com/blog/full-hosting-server-migration-to-panelica-cpanel-plesk-and-directadmin)
- [The hidden licensing math of cPanel](https://panelica.com/blog/hidden-licensing-math-500-cpanel-accounts-real-annual-cost)
- [Cloudflare Integration](https://panelica.com/blog/complete-guide-cloudflare-management-panelica): DNS, SSL, WAF, Analytics