Pre-installing a control panel when you order your VPS

Pre-installing a control panel when you order your VPS

Yes. When you order a Hostworld London VPS you can ask us to pre-install a control panel for you. If you prefer to add a panel later, you can install one yourself from Virtualizor after your VPS is running. Provisioning is instant and your VPS is ready to log into about a minute after you order, then the control panel installation completes and you can sign in once it finishes.

This picks up from a server you can already reach over SSH. If you are ordering now, the first steps explain how to request a panel at checkout. If your VPS is already running, skip to installing a panel from Virtualizor.

Before you start

• Our order form for London VPS includes control panel choices: cPanel, CentOS Web Panel (CWP), Webmin, Plesk, InterWorx and ISPConfig. Pick one during checkout and we configure it before your first login. cPanel licences are charged separately.
• Choose an operating system that your panel supports. From the panels above:
  • cPanel & WHM supports Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and AlmaLinux 9.
  • Plesk 18 supports AlmaLinux 9 and Ubuntu 24.04.
  • InterWorx 8 supports Enterprise Linux 9 such as AlmaLinux 9. InterWorx does not support Ubuntu.
  • ISPConfig supports Ubuntu 24.04 and AlmaLinux 9 among other versions.
  • CWP and Webmin support varies by release. Check the vendor documentation for the version you intend to use.
• Provisioning is instant. Your VPS is ready to log into about a minute after you pay. Panel installation takes longer. Plesk is usually around 15 minutes. cPanel varies more, from about 10 to 15 minutes on a tuned image to closer to an hour on a fresh build, depending on resources and network speed. Wait for completion before you try to sign in to the panel.
• cPanel requires a fresh, minimal OS. cPanel has no uninstaller. If you change your mind after installing, the remedy is to reformat by reinstalling the OS. Plan before you install.
• If you install cPanel yourself, set a valid, resolvable fully qualified domain name (FQDN) hostname before you start. cPanel needs this and may fail or auto-assign a temporary hostname if it is missing.
• If you reinstall the OS in Virtualizor, it is destructive. Virtualizor’s Re-Install OS action creates a fresh VPS with no data. Make a backup first and verify it.
• When installing a panel from Virtualizor on a KVM VPS, use Shutdown then Start. Do not use Restart. Virtualizor requires a clean start for panel installation.
• On AlmaLinux 9 and other EL9 systems, do not disable NetworkManager based on old guides. The cPanel installer supports EL9 without disabling it.
• If you want us to handle the install for you, or you would like to discuss licences, open a support ticket so it is logged to your account: open a support ticket.

Step 1: Decide when to get your control panel

You have two straightforward routes and both work well. Pick the one that fits where you are now.

• At checkout. Choose a panel on the order form and we set it up before your first login. This is the most hands-off route. It avoids any need to prepare the OS yourself.
• After your VPS is running. Install a panel from your Virtualizor console. This is useful if you changed your mind or if you want to start from a fresh OS you have prepared. For KVM VPS, remember to Shutdown then Start before the install.

Step 2: Match your panel to a supported OS

Pick the OS that your panel supports before you order, or confirm what is installed now if you already have a VPS. Getting this right prevents failed installs.

If your VPS is already live and you want to confirm its OS version before you choose a panel, check it from SSH.

These commands display the installed operating system and version.

• AlmaLinux 9:

# Show the OS name and version from the standard release file
cat /etc/os-release

• Ubuntu 24.04:

# Show the OS name and version from the standard release file
cat /etc/os-release

Step 3: Order a London VPS with a panel pre-installed

This route takes care of the control panel for you. You choose the panel at checkout and we configure it before your first login.

1. Start your order. Go to Linux VPS and pick a plan. The order form is our WHMCS client area. Panel selections appear as configurable options that you choose during checkout.

2. Choose the OS and control panel. Select AlmaLinux 9 or Ubuntu 24.04 to match your panel. Then choose a panel from the list. The options are cPanel, CentOS Web Panel (CWP), Webmin, Plesk, InterWorx and ISPConfig. If you select cPanel, the licence is billed separately.

3. Complete payment and provision. Provisioning is instant. The VPS is ready to log into about a minute after you order. We then install and configure your chosen panel. Give it time to finish. Plesk is usually around 15 minutes. cPanel can take longer depending on resources and network speed.

4. Sign in once the panel is ready. For Plesk, you complete a short Welcome screen on first login and apply a licence. Plesk provides a trial key by default. For cPanel & WHM, the first boot can take several minutes the first time you open WHM. If you see timeouts, wait and try again.

If anything looks stuck or you need us to confirm progress, open a support ticket from your Hostworld account so we can check the build logs.

Step 4: Add a control panel later from Virtualizor

If your VPS is already online without a panel, you can install one from Virtualizor. For cPanel installs, sort the hostname first.

4.1 Prepare the server for cPanel (hostname and updates)

Set a valid, resolvable FQDN hostname, add a hosts entry for safety, then update the OS. Replace the example values with your own IP and hostname.

• AlmaLinux 9:

# Set the system hostname to a resolvable FQDN (replace with your hostname)
hostnamectl set-hostname server.example.com

# Add or ensure an /etc/hosts entry mapping your main IP to the FQDN and short name
# This appends a line. If an entry already exists, edit /etc/hosts instead of appending.
echo "203.0.113.10 server.example.com server" >> /etc/hosts

# Verify the kernel sees the FQDN
hostname --fqdn

# Check that name resolution returns your server's IP
getent hosts server.example.com

# Update installed packages to current versions
dnf update -y

• Ubuntu 24.04:

# Set the system hostname to a resolvable FQDN (replace with your hostname)
hostnamectl set-hostname server.example.com

# Add or ensure an /etc/hosts entry mapping your main IP to the FQDN and short name
# This appends a line. If an entry already exists, edit /etc/hosts instead of appending.
echo "203.0.113.10 server.example.com server" | sudo tee -a /etc/hosts

# Verify the kernel sees the FQDN
hostname --fqdn

# Check that name resolution returns your server's IP
getent hosts server.example.com

# Update installed packages to current versions
apt update && apt -y upgrade

Do not disable NetworkManager on AlmaLinux 9. The cPanel installer works with it on EL9 and disabling it can break networking.

4.2 Install the panel from Virtualizor

1. Open Virtualizor for your VPS. Log in to the Hostworld client area at portal.hostworld.uk, open your VPS, then launch the Virtualizor console.

2. Start the panel install. In Virtualizor, go to Install then Control Panel. Pick the panel you want to install, for example cPanel, confirm, and begin the installation. For KVM VPS, use Shutdown then Start before you run the install. Do not use Restart.

3. Wait for completion. Keep the VPS online and let the installer run to completion. Plesk is often around 15 minutes. cPanel varies and can be much longer on a first build. Trying to log in before the installer finishes will fail.

If the installer fails because the OS is the wrong type or already has incompatible software, reinstall the OS and try again.

Step 5: Reinstall the OS if you need a clean start

Some panels, notably cPanel, must be installed on a fresh, minimal OS. If the OS has already been customised or you chose the wrong distribution, reinstall, then install the panel.

1. Back up your data off the VPS. Virtualizor’s Re-Install OS action creates a fresh VPS without any data. Copy anything you need to keep to a safe place first and verify that you can restore it.

2. Reinstall from Virtualizor. In Virtualizor, use the Re-Install OS action. Choose AlmaLinux 9 or Ubuntu 24.04 to match your panel. Confirm the reinstall. This destroys existing data.

3. Install the panel. Once the VPS is back up, follow Step 4. If you are installing cPanel, set the hostname first, then start the panel install from Install then Control Panel.

If you prefer us to reinstall and install the panel for you, tell us which OS and panel you want and we can handle it. Please open a support ticket.

Step 6: First login and what to expect

• cPanel & WHM. On first boot WHM completes some background work. The first page is the initial setup. If it times out, wait a few minutes and refresh. You will manage accounts from WHM and users log in to cPanel.
• Plesk. You see a short Welcome screen where you set an admin password and apply a licence. Plesk provides a trial key by default and you can add your own licence later.
• InterWorx, ISPConfig, CWP, Webmin. Follow the post‑install prompts. Check each project’s documentation for the first‑run steps and recommended hardening.

What next

If you are ready to order, start on our Linux VPS page and choose the panel at checkout. If your VPS is already running, install from Virtualizor and use the notes above for hostname and OS choices.

For more server tasks, browse our VPS guides. If you run into a problem or want us to take over an install, please open a support ticket so we can help from your account history.

Next step: add your first site and DNS in your chosen panel, then harden SSH and keep the OS updated.