VPS control panel

A free, open-source VPS control panel

Laranode gives developers, webmasters and self-hosters a clear interface for running websites on an Ubuntu VPS. It manages the routine work—sites, PHP, SSL, MySQL, users, firewall rules and backups—while keeping the underlying server understandable.

Updated October 2026. Written by the Laranode maintainer; product comparisons are intentionally explicit about where another panel is the better fit.

Laranode is a good fit if…

  • ✓ You manage websites on your own Ubuntu VPS
  • ✓ You want a free, open-source panel with no licence tiers
  • ✓ You need per-site PHP versions, SSL, MySQL, firewall rules and off-server backups
  • ✓ Your email and DNS already live with dedicated providers

Choose a broader panel if…

  • ✓ You need built-in mailboxes, webmail and DNS hosting
  • ✓ You run resellers or a shared-hosting business
  • ✓ You need Nginx, OpenLiteSpeed, Docker or multiple Linux distributions
  • ✓ You require a commercial support contract

What this VPS control panel manages

Websites and PHP

Create websites, isolate them with individual PHP-FPM pools and select PHP 7.4–8.5 per site.

SSL and domains

Issue Let's Encrypt certificates from the UI after pointing the domain at the server.

MySQL databases

Create databases and credentials without working directly in the MySQL shell.

Backups

Schedule account, website and database backups locally or to S3 and SFTP.

Firewall and access

Manage UFW rules, Linux users, SSH access, SFTP and the browser file manager.

Live server stats

Watch CPU, memory, disk space and load from a clean browser dashboard.

A focused alternative to cPanel-style suites

A VPS control panel should remove repetitive server work without hiding the shape of the server. Laranode creates real Linux users, Apache virtual hosts and separate PHP-FPM pools. You can still use SSH, inspect configuration and understand where files live.

The scope is deliberate. Laranode does not install an email server or authoritative DNS service, and it does not try to be reseller billing software. That keeps the panel smaller for developers and site owners who already use external mail and DNS providers.

How to get started

  1. Provision a fresh Ubuntu 24.04+ VPS.
  2. Point a hostname at the server and connect as root over SSH.
  3. Run the Laranode installer, sign in and create the first account.
  4. Add a website, choose PHP, create its database and issue SSL.
  5. Configure an S3 or SFTP backup destination before moving production traffic.

Frequently asked questions

What is a VPS control panel?
A VPS control panel is a browser-based interface for common server tasks such as creating websites, choosing PHP versions, issuing SSL certificates, managing databases, viewing resource usage and scheduling backups.
Is Laranode a free VPS control panel?
Yes. Laranode is free and open source under the MIT licence. There are no per-server, per-site or per-account licence fees.
Which operating system does Laranode support?
Laranode supports Ubuntu 24.04 and newer. Install it on a fresh server because the installer configures the web and database stack.
Does Laranode include email and DNS hosting?
No. Laranode focuses on website and server management. Use a dedicated mail provider and manage DNS with your registrar or a service such as Cloudflare.
Can I manage multiple PHP versions?
Yes. Laranode supports PHP 7.4 through 8.5 and lets you choose a version for each website.
Can Laranode back up a VPS?
Laranode backs up accounts, websites and databases to local storage, S3 or SFTP with schedules and retention. It does not replace a full infrastructure snapshot from your VPS provider.

Try Laranode on your VPS

Explore the limited live demo, or install Laranode on a fresh Ubuntu 24.04+ server as root:

curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/crivion/laranode/refs/heads/main/laranode-scripts/bin/laranode-installer.sh | bash

You can also deploy it in one click on DigitalOcean.

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