Froxlor Installation Guide on Linux VPS

Introduction

Froxlor is a powerful and lightweight open-source web hosting panel that allows easy management of websites, emails, databases, and servers. This guide walks you through the complete installation of Froxlor on a Linux VPS (Debian/Ubuntu).

What is Froxlor?

Froxlor is a hosting management solution that offers:

• Domain and subdomain management
• Email and FTP account management
• MySQL/MariaDB database management
• Web server configuration (Apache, Nginx, Lighttpd)
• Let's Encrypt support for SSL/TLS
• Multi-user management (admin, resellers, clients)
• Intuitive and responsive interface

Prerequisites

Before starting installation, ensure your VPS has:

• Operating System:
  • Debian 12 (Bookworm) or Debian 11 (Bullseye) - Recommended
  • Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
• RAM: At least 1 GB (2 GB recommended)
• Disk Space: 10 GB minimum (20 GB recommended)
• Root access or sudo
• Stable Internet connection
• Domain name pointing to your VPS (recommended)

Step 1: System Update

Connect to your VPS via SSH:

ssh root@your-vps-ip

Update the system:

apt update && apt upgrade -y

Reboot if necessary (especially after kernel update):

reboot

Reconnect after reboot.

Step 2: Hostname Configuration

It's important to properly configure your server's hostname.

Set the Hostname

hostnamectl set-hostname panel.your-domain.com

Replace panel.your-domain.com with your desired hostname.

Verify Hostname

hostname
hostname -f

Configure /etc/hosts

Edit the hosts file:

nano /etc/hosts

Add or modify these lines:

127.0.0.1       localhost
127.0.1.1       panel.your-domain.com panel
YOUR_VPS_IP     panel.your-domain.com panel

# IPv6 (if applicable)
::1             localhost ip6-localhost ip6-loopback

Save with Ctrl+O, then exit with Ctrl+X.

Step 3: Adding Froxlor Repository

Froxlor provides official packages via its own repository.

Installing Dependencies

apt install -y apt-transport-https lsb-release ca-certificates curl gnupg

Adding GPG Key and Repository

For Debian:

curl -sSLo /usr/share/keyrings/deb.froxlor.org-froxlor.gpg https://deb.froxlor.org/froxlor.gpg

sh -c 'echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/deb.froxlor.org-froxlor.gpg] https://deb.froxlor.org/debian $(lsb_release -sc) main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/froxlor.list'

For Ubuntu:

curl -sSLo /usr/share/keyrings/deb.froxlor.org-froxlor.gpg https://deb.froxlor.org/froxlor.gpg

sh -c 'echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/deb.froxlor.org-froxlor.gpg] https://deb.froxlor.org/ubuntu $(lsb_release -sc) main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/froxlor.list'

Updating Package List

apt update

Step 4: Installing Froxlor

Installing Froxlor via APT package will automatically install all necessary dependencies (web server, PHP, MariaDB, etc.).

apt install froxlor -y

This command will install:

• Froxlor
• Web server (Apache by default)
• PHP and necessary modules
• MariaDB (MySQL)
• Other dependencies

Installation may take a few minutes. Accept all confirmations.

MariaDB Configuration

During installation, you'll be prompted to:

1. Set a root password for MariaDB:
   • Choose a strong and secure password
   • Note it carefully
2. phpmyadmin configuration (if installed):
   • Select Apache as web server
   • Configure administrator password

Step 5: Securing MariaDB

Run the MySQL security script:

mysql_secure_installation

Answer the questions as follows:

Enter current password for root: [Enter the password you set]
Switch to unix_socket authentication: N
Change the root password?: N (if already set) or Y (to set a new one)
Remove anonymous users?: Y
Disallow root login remotely?: Y
Remove test database?: Y
Reload privilege tables now?: Y

Step 6: Creating a Privileged Database User

Froxlor needs a database user with elevated privileges.

Connect to MySQL

mysql -u root -p

Enter MariaDB root password.

Create User

In the MySQL prompt, execute:

CREATE USER 'froxlor'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'SecurePassword';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON *.* TO 'froxlor'@'localhost' WITH GRANT OPTION;
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Replace SecurePassword with a strong and unique password.

Important: Note this information, you'll need it for web installation.

Step 7: Firewall Configuration

Open necessary ports:

# If UFW is not installed
apt install ufw -y

# Allow SSH (important!)
ufw allow 22/tcp

# Allow HTTP and HTTPS
ufw allow 80/tcp
ufw allow 443/tcp

# Allow FTP (if needed)
ufw allow 21/tcp

# Allow passive FTP ports (if needed)
ufw allow 49152:65535/tcp

# Enable firewall
ufw enable

Check status:

ufw status

Step 8: Froxlor Web Installation

Access the Installer

Open your browser and go to:

http://YOUR_VPS_IP/froxlor

Or if you've configured a domain:

http://panel.your-domain.com/froxlor

You'll be redirected to the installation wizard.

Step 1: Language Selection

Choose your preferred language (French available).

Step 2: Requirements Check

The installer checks that all prerequisites are met:

• Correct PHP version
• Necessary PHP modules
• Write permissions on folders

If everything is green, click Next.

Step 3: Database Configuration

Fill in the information:

• Database host: localhost
• Username: froxlor (user created in step 6)
• Password: The froxlor user password
• Database: froxlor (will be created automatically)
• Table prefix: Leave default or customize

Click Test connection to verify.

If test succeeds, click Next.

Step 4: Administrator Account Creation

Define your administrator information:

• Admin username: admin (or customized)
• Admin password: Choose a strong password
• Password confirmation
• Admin email: Your email address

Click Next.

Step 5: Server Configuration

Configure server settings:

General Information:

• Server name: Display name (e.g., "My Web Server")
• IP address: Your public IP
• Hostname: panel.your-domain.com

Web Services:

• Web server: Apache (recommended) or Nginx
• PHP version: Select installed version (8.1, 8.2, etc.)

Email Services (if you want to manage emails):

• SMTP server: Postfix (recommended)
• IMAP/POP3 server: Dovecot

FTP Server:

• FTP server: ProFTPD (recommended) or PureFTPd

Click Next.

Step 6: SSL/TLS Configuration

If you have a configured domain:

• Check Use Let's Encrypt for SSL
• Enter your email for Let's Encrypt
• Accept terms

If no domain now, you can configure SSL later.

Click Next.

Step 7: Finalization

Installation completes:

• Database is created
• Tables are initialized
• Configuration is saved

Click Complete installation.

Removing the Installer

For security reasons, remove the installation folder:

rm -rf /var/www/html/froxlor/install

Step 9: First Login

Access the Panel

Go to:

http://YOUR_VPS_IP/froxlor

Or:

http://panel.your-domain.com/froxlor

Login

Use the administrator credentials created during installation:

• Username: admin
• Password: Your admin password

Step 10: Post-Installation Configuration

Service Configuration

After first login, Froxlor will guide you to configure services.

1. Go to System > Configuration
2. Click Configuration in the menu
3. Configure services according to your needs:
   • Web server (Apache/Nginx)
   • Email server (Postfix/Dovecot)
   • FTP server (ProFTPD)
   • DNS server (BIND/PowerDNS - optional)
4. Click Apply changes

Generating Configuration Files

1. Go to System > Configuration
2. Click Reconfigure services
3. Select all services to configure
4. Click Submit
5. Copy the generated shell commands
6. Execute them in your SSH terminal:

# Example command (yours will be different)
/usr/local/bin/froxlor-cli froxlor:config-services --create

Restarting Services

After applying configuration:

systemctl restart apache2
systemctl restart mysql
systemctl restart postfix
systemctl restart dovecot
systemctl restart proftpd

Check service status:

systemctl status apache2
systemctl status mysql

Step 11: SSL Configuration with Let's Encrypt

Enable Let's Encrypt

1. In Froxlor, go to System > Settings
2. Click the System tab
3. Find the Let's Encrypt section
4. Enable Use Let's Encrypt
5. Enter your email
6. Set Let's Encrypt server (production)
7. Save

Get a Certificate for the Panel

1. Go to Domains
2. Add your domain (panel.your-domain.com)
3. Check SSL enabled
4. Check Let's Encrypt
5. Save
6. Certificate will be generated automatically

Force HTTPS

1. Go to System > Settings
2. Panel section
3. Enable Force HTTPS
4. Save

Now access Froxlor via:

https://panel.your-domain.com/froxlor

Step 12: Creating Your First Client

Add a Client

1. Log in as admin
2. Go to Clients > Add client
3. Fill in information:
   • Login name: client_name
   • Password: Secure password
   • Name: Client full name
   • Email: Client email
   • Resources:
     • Disk space (e.g., 5000 MB)
     • Traffic (e.g., 50000 MB)
     • Domains (e.g., 5)
     • Subdomains (e.g., 25)
     • Email accounts (e.g., 50)
     • FTP accounts (e.g., 10)
     • MySQL databases (e.g., 10)
4. Click Save

Step 13: Adding a Domain

As Administrator

1. Go to Domains > Add domain
2. Fill in:
   • Client: Select client
   • Domain: example.com
   • Path: Domain path (auto-generated)
   • SSL: Enable if desired
   • Let's Encrypt: Enable for automatic SSL
3. Configure options:
   • PHP: Enabled/Disabled
   • CGI: As needed
   • Logs: Enabled recommended
4. Click Save

DNS Configuration

Configure your DNS records at your registrar:

A       @               YOUR_VPS_IP
A       www             YOUR_VPS_IP
AAAA    @               YOUR_IPv6 (if applicable)
AAAA    www             YOUR_IPv6 (if applicable)

Step 14: Email Configuration

Creating an Email Account

1. Go to Email > Email addresses
2. Click Create email address
3. Fill in:
   • Local address: contact (for [email protected])
   • Domain: Select domain
   • Password: Strong password
   • Quota: Allocated space (e.g., 1000 MB)
4. Click Save

Email Client Configuration

To use email with a client (Outlook, Thunderbird):

Incoming Server (IMAP):

• Server: mail.your-domain.com
• Port: 993
• Security: SSL/TLS
• Username: [email protected]
• Password: The password you set

Outgoing Server (SMTP):

• Server: mail.your-domain.com
• Port: 587 (STARTTLS) or 465 (SSL)
• Security: STARTTLS or SSL/TLS
• Authentication: Required
• Username: [email protected]
• Password: The password you set

DNS Records for Email

Add these DNS records:

MX      @       10      mail.your-domain.com
A       mail            YOUR_VPS_IP

# SPF
TXT     @       "v=spf1 mx a ip4:YOUR_VPS_IP ~all"

# DKIM (generated by Froxlor)
TXT     default._domainkey      "v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY"

# DMARC
TXT     _dmarc  "v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:[email protected]"

Step 15: FTP Configuration

Creating an FTP Account

1. Go to FTP > FTP accounts
2. Click Create FTP account
3. Fill in:
   • Username: ftpuser
   • Password: Strong password
   • Path: Access path (auto-filled)
   • Description: Optional description
4. Click Save

FTP Connection

Use an FTP client (FileZilla):

• Host: ftp.your-domain.com or YOUR_VPS_IP
• Port: 21
• Type: FTP - Explicit SSL/TLS
• Username: [email protected]
• Password: The password you set

Step 16: Database Management

Creating a Database

1. Go to MySQL > Databases
2. Click Create database
3. Fill in:
   • Client: Select client
   • Description: DB description
   • Database name: Auto-generated or custom
4. Click Save

Creating a MySQL User

1. Go to MySQL > Users
2. Click Create user
3. Fill in:
   • Username: Auto-generated or custom
   • Password: Strong password
   • Description: Description
4. Assign to a database
5. Click Save

phpMyAdmin Access

Access phpMyAdmin via:

http://panel.your-domain.com/phpmyadmin

Log in with:

• Username: The MySQL user created
• Password: The password you set

Step 17: Backups

Configuring Automatic Backups

1. Go to System > Settings
2. Backups section
3. Configure:
   • Backup path: /backup/froxlor
   • Frequency: Daily
   • Number of backups to keep: 7
4. Save

Manual Backup Script

Create a custom script:

nano /root/backup-froxlor.sh

Content:

#!/bin/bash

BACKUP_DIR="/backup/froxlor"
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)

mkdir -p $BACKUP_DIR

# Database backup
mysqldump -u root -p'YOUR_PASSWORD' froxlor > $BACKUP_DIR/froxlor_db_$DATE.sql

# Web files backup
tar -czf $BACKUP_DIR/www_$DATE.tar.gz /var/www/

# Configuration backup
tar -czf $BACKUP_DIR/config_$DATE.tar.gz /etc/apache2 /etc/postfix /etc/dovecot

# Keep only the last 7 backups
find $BACKUP_DIR -name "froxlor_db_*.sql" -mtime +7 -delete
find $BACKUP_DIR -name "www_*.tar.gz" -mtime +7 -delete
find $BACKUP_DIR -name "config_*.tar.gz" -mtime +7 -delete

echo "Backup completed: $DATE"

Make it executable:

chmod +x /root/backup-froxlor.sh

Automation with Cron

crontab -e

Add:

0 3 * * * /root/backup-froxlor.sh

Step 18: Advanced Security

Fail2ban

Install Fail2ban to protect against brute force attacks:

apt install fail2ban -y

Create a jail for Froxlor:

nano /etc/fail2ban/jail.d/froxlor.conf

Content:

[froxlor]
enabled = true
port = http,https
filter = froxlor
logpath = /var/www/html/froxlor/logs/login_errors.log
maxretry = 5
bantime = 3600

Create the filter:

nano /etc/fail2ban/filter.d/froxlor.conf

Content:

[Definition]
failregex = ^.*Login attempt from <HOST> for.*$
ignoreregex =

Restart Fail2ban:

systemctl restart fail2ban

ModSecurity Configuration

For Apache with ModSecurity:

apt install libapache2-mod-security2 -y

Configure basic rules:

cp /etc/modsecurity/modsecurity.conf-recommended /etc/modsecurity/modsecurity.conf

Edit configuration:

nano /etc/modsecurity/modsecurity.conf

Change:

SecRuleEngine DetectionOnly

To:

SecRuleEngine On

Restart Apache:

systemctl restart apache2

Step 19: Optimization

PHP Configuration

Optimize PHP for better performance:

nano /etc/php/8.2/apache2/php.ini

Modify these values:

memory_limit = 256M
upload_max_filesize = 64M
post_max_size = 64M
max_execution_time = 300
max_input_time = 300

Apache Configuration

Optimize Apache:

nano /etc/apache2/apache2.conf

Add or modify:

KeepAlive On
MaxKeepAliveRequests 100
KeepAliveTimeout 5

<IfModule mpm_prefork_module>
    StartServers 5
    MinSpareServers 5
    MaxSpareServers 10
    MaxRequestWorkers 150
    MaxConnectionsPerChild 3000
</IfModule>

Restart Apache:

systemctl restart apache2

OPcache

Enable OPcache for PHP:

nano /etc/php/8.2/apache2/conf.d/10-opcache.ini

Recommended configuration:

opcache.enable=1
opcache.memory_consumption=128
opcache.interned_strings_buffer=8
opcache.max_accelerated_files=4000
opcache.revalidate_freq=60

Restart Apache:

systemctl restart apache2

Step 20: Froxlor Updates

Update via APT

Froxlor updates like any package:

apt update
apt upgrade froxlor

Version Check

In Froxlor panel, go to System > About to see installed version.

Troubleshooting

Panel Doesn't Display

Checks:

1. Apache is running:

systemctl status apache2

2. Correct permissions:

chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/froxlor
chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/froxlor

3. Apache logs:

tail -f /var/log/apache2/error.log

Database Connection Error

Solutions:

1. Check MySQL is running:

systemctl status mysql

2. Test connection:

mysql -u froxlor -p

3. Check permissions:

SHOW GRANTS FOR 'froxlor'@'localhost';

Emails Not Working

Checks:

1. Postfix is running:

systemctl status postfix

2. Dovecot is running:

systemctl status dovecot

3. Check logs:

tail -f /var/log/mail.log

4. Test email sending:

echo "Test email" | mail -s "Test" [email protected]

SSL Certificate Not Generated

Solutions:

1. Check domain points to server:

dig panel.your-domain.com

2. Check ports 80 and 443:

netstat -tlnp | grep -E ':(80|443)'

3. Check Let's Encrypt logs:

tail -f /var/log/letsencrypt/letsencrypt.log

Useful Commands

Service Management

# Restart all services
systemctl restart apache2 mysql postfix dovecot proftpd

# View logs in real-time
tail -f /var/log/apache2/error.log
tail -f /var/log/mail.log
tail -f /var/log/proftpd/proftpd.log

# Check resource usage
htop
df -h
free -m

Froxlor CLI Management

Froxlor provides a command-line interface:

# View available commands
froxlor-cli list

# Reconfigure services
froxlor-cli froxlor:config-services --create

# Regenerate SSL certificates
froxlor-cli froxlor:letsencrypt --renew-all

Additional Resources

Official Documentation

• Official site: https://froxlor.org/
• Documentation: https://docs.froxlor.org/
• GitHub: https://github.com/Froxlor/Froxlor
• Forum: https://forum.froxlor.org/

Community

• Froxlor Discord
• Official forum for support
• GitHub for issues and feature requests

Tutorials

• YouTube videos on Froxlor
• Community blog articles
• Specific guides (WordPress, etc.)

Conclusion

Your Froxlor server is now installed and operational! You can now:

• Host websites
• Manage professional email accounts
• Create FTP accounts for your clients
• Manage MySQL databases
• Deliver automatic SSL certificates
• Easily administer your server via web interface

Important Points to Remember:

• Make regular backups
• Keep the system updated
• Monitor logs
• Secure your server (Fail2ban, firewall)
• Document your configurations

Welcome to the web hosting world with Froxlor!