Hosting Control Panels: Part 1 — Why You Need Them and How to Choose

A hosting control panel is a web interface for administering a server with websites. Through it you add domains, issue certificates, create databases and mailboxes, and configure backups. The panel is installed on a VPS or a dedicated server and itself adjusts the configuration of the web server, mail services and DNS. All of this can be done manually from the command line, but the panel takes over routine tasks and reduces the number of configuration errors.

What the panel does

• Sites and domains. Creates Nginx and Apache virtual hosts, subdomains and redirects, allows choosing a PHP version per site.
• Certificates. Issues and renews free Let’s Encrypt certificates.
• Databases. Creates MySQL, MariaDB or PostgreSQL databases and their users, provides access to phpMyAdmin.
• Mail. Creates mail domains and mailboxes, enables anti-spam, antivirus and webmail.
• DNS. Manages domain zones on its own DNS server.
• Files and access. File manager, FTP and SFTP users, cron jobs.
• Backups. Saves sites, databases and mail on a schedule, including to remote storage.
• Security. Firewall, brute-force protection, isolation of sites by system users.

When a panel is not needed

• The application runs in Docker. Containers and a reverse proxy are easier to describe in docker-compose.yml than to adapt to the panel’s logic.
• The server serves an application, not sites: APIs, queues, databases. In this case the panel installs unnecessary services — mail server, FTP, DNS — and increases the number of open ports.
• Configuration is managed with Ansible or another configuration management system. The panel assembles files from its templates and overwrites manual edits, so the two management methods interfere with each other.
• There is no one to administer the server and there’s no need. If you only need a site, it’s simpler to rent shared hosting where the panel is already provided by the provider.

How to choose

1. Availability and payment. As of March 31, 2026 WebPros stopped serving customers from Russia and Belarus: subscriptions to cPanel and Plesk were closed, and new licenses are not sold. For servers of Russian companies the real choices are ispmanager, FASTPANEL and open panels such as HestiaCP. Reg.ru then launched free migration of sites from cPanel and Plesk to domestic panels.
2. Operating system. The panel is installed on a clean system of specific versions, and preinstalled software can interfere with it. Check the list of supported OSes before ordering a server.
3. Number of sites and license. Paid panels are licensed by the number of sites or accounts. Free panels do not impose such limits, but support for them is via forums or for a separate fee.
4. Mail. If mail will be on the same server, you need anti-spam, DKIM signing and webmail. If mail is hosted by an external provider, it’s better not to install mail services on the server at all.
5. Reselling. To resell hosting you need reseller accounts and plans. These are available in editions for hosting providers, not in free panels.
6. Docker and applications. In ispmanager containers are available on Pro and Host plans; in Plesk — via a free Docker extension. HestiaCP and FASTPANEL do not have built-in container management; Docker is installed separately.
7. Server resources. Minimum for ispmanager, HestiaCP and FASTPANEL is one core and 1 GB of RAM. The developers of ispmanager and HestiaCP recommend 4 GB, especially if the server runs the mail antivirus ClamAV and SpamAssassin.

Summary table

Data as of September 2026.

CentOS 7 is listed for FASTPANEL by the developer, but that system has not received updates since July 2024, and deploying new servers on it is not recommended.

Conclusion

For a Russian server with multiple sites and mail there are three practical options. ispmanager is suitable if you need developer support, payment in rubles and migration from cPanel or Plesk. HestiaCP and FASTPANEL are suitable if it’s important not to pay for a license and you are ready to solve issues yourself or via the community. cPanel and Plesk remain the standard abroad, but Russian companies can no longer buy or renew them.