DirectAdmin as a control panel for server management

When it comes to professional control panels for server management, most users usually only know two names. Plesk and cPanel are among the market leaders in this field, with cPanel by a wide margin taking first place. A lesser-known alternative is the control panel DirectAdmin. However, the lower profile should not be taken to mean that this software is a less powerful solution compared with its competitors. The following article shows which features the application offers and which users it is suitable for.

What is DirectAdmin?

DirectAdmin is a control panel that provides features for effective server management. The software is distributed by the Canadian tech company JBMC Software, based in Edmonton.

After the designers first introduced the panel in 2003, they have continuously developed it further. New features have been added steadily.

In addition to JBMC Software's active development, DirectAdmin regularly undergoes Security Audits by Rack911 Labs. In the area of control panels for server management, DirectAdmin is one of the few solutions that the US-based internet security company can recommend.

Thus, users get a secure and comprehensive tool for administering complex server environments.

Features of DirectAdmin

The panel from JBMC Software impresses with numerous features in the base version that cover most use cases. However, if additional functionality is required, the software can be extended with various plugins.

General features of the programme include:

• an integrated ticket support system,
• a two-factor authentication via smartphone app.
• automatic live updates,
• a fully customisable graphical interface and
• a plugin system, that allows the software to be extended with additional modules.

In addition to the standard functions provided by the panel, it is possible to define three user roles. These are

• Administrator,
• Reseller and
• User.

Each role is characterised by specific access rights and options. The three roles offered by DirectAdmin are explained in more detail below.

Administrator

Users with the Administrator role have maximum access rights to the software. These should be experienced IT specialists who can handle complex software structures.

Administrators in DirectAdmin can

• create and edit additional administrators or resellers,
• create reseller packages and thereby define the feature set of reseller accounts,
• manage all user accounts in the system,
• manage DNS records and IP addresses,
• view, stop, start or reboot system and server services,
• use the numerous integrated tools to protect the system from spam and
• manage licences and updates.

Reseller

The Reseller role is primarily intended for employees of a web hosting provider who add the specific customer offers to the system.
For this purpose, resellers can, in DirectAdmin

• Create, edit and delete user accounts,
• Create packages for user accounts,
• Send messages to users,
• Assign IP addresses to specific customers,
• Create personalised nameservers for customers,
• Integrate design skins for the graphical user interface and
• View system and server information in the form of various statistics.

User

Behind the user role User are the customers of hosting providers, who need a clear and logically structured dashboard to manage their product. DirectAdmin offers numerous features for this, so that users

• Create, manage and delete email mailboxes and addresses,
• Create FTP accounts,
• Manage DNS records,
• Create subdomains,
• Edit, save and delete files via a File Manager and password‑protect the corresponding directories,
• Install SSL certificates,
• Administer MySQL databases and
• be able to configure various PHP options.

System requirements for DirectAdmin

The control panel from Canada requires a Linux architecture as its base. It runs optimally on Debian‑based systems such as Ubuntu. CentOS, CloudLinux or AlmaLinux are also possible alternatives. Additionally, a web server such as Apache 2 or Nginx must be installed on the system.

DirectAdmin requires at least 2 GB of disk space and 4 GB of RAM. A processor of at least 500 MHz is recommended by the vendor. As the software is intended to simplify server management, resources for servers and websites must also be planned.

How much does DirectAdmin cost?

JBMC Software offers the control panel in 4 different licences. The cheapest (Personal) is 1 USD per month. This includes the software and an administrator account. Additionally, 10 domains can be created.

With each higher licence the number of possible admin accounts and internet addresses increases. There are also additional services such as installation and configuration of the software by the developer company.

Thus the Standard licence for 29 USD per month provides unlimited accounts and domains as well as a complete installation on a cloud or a dedicated server.

Use our Web hosting control panel comparison to find out which admin tool best suits your individual requirements.

Our article is based on our own experience and research as well as information from external sources.

Quellenangaben & weiterführende Links zum Thema:
https://www.directadmin.com/ (official website of DirectAdmin)