Install VectorPanel

VectorPanel installs on a fresh Linux server in under a minute. This guide walks through prerequisites, the install command, and first-login.

Prerequisites

A server running Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (recommended), Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, or Debian 12
At least 1 vCPU and 1 GB RAM
Root or passwordless sudo access
Port 8443 open inbound (this is the panel UI)
Ports 80 and 443 open for the sites you'll host

Tip: Start with a clean VPS. VectorPanel will install and manage Nginx, PHP, databases, and firewall rules itself — running it alongside an existing stack is supported but not recommended.

Install command

SSH into your server and run:

curl -fsSL https://get.servervector.com | sudo bash

The installer will:

Detect your distribution and available package manager
Install the VectorPanel agent, core services, and dependencies
Generate a self-signed TLS certificate for the panel
Create the first admin user and print a one-time login link to your terminal

When it finishes, you'll see something like:

✓ VectorPanel is ready
  Open https://203.0.113.42:8443/setup?token=abc…
  This link expires in 15 minutes.

First login

Open the link in your browser. You'll accept the self-signed certificate warning (a proper cert is issued once you add your first domain), set an admin password, and enable two-factor authentication.

After that, paste your Premium license key from your dashboard to unlock Premium features — or stay on Free.

Unattended install

For automation (CI, Terraform, Ansible) you can bypass the interactive setup by passing a license key and admin credentials as environment variables:

curl -fsSL https://get.servervector.com | sudo \
  VECTORPANEL_LICENSE=SVP-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX \
  VECTORPANEL_ADMIN_EMAIL=ops@example.com \
  VECTORPANEL_ADMIN_PASSWORD_FILE=/run/secrets/vp_admin \
  bash

Uninstalling

To completely remove VectorPanel and all of its managed services:

sudo vectorpanel uninstall --purge

This deletes the panel, agent, managed sites, and databases. Back up first.

Troubleshooting

The installer fails on "Detecting distribution"

Your system may be reporting an unexpected /etc/os-release. Run cat /etc/os-release and open a support ticket with the output.

I can't reach the panel on port 8443

Check your cloud provider's security group / firewall first, then run sudo ufw status locally. You can override the port with VECTORPANEL_PORT=9443 during install.

Next: Deploy your first site →

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