Install Webmin on Ubuntu 18.04: Web Control Panel Setup Guide

Webmin is an open-source, browser-based control panel for Linux server administration. Instead of managing your server purely through the command line, Webmin gives you a graphical web interface where you can manage users, groups, disk quotas, file permissions, and common server services, all from any browser.

It covers a wide range of modules out of the box, including configuration for Apache, Nginx, MySQL, FTP, email, DNS, and more. Webmin is a practical choice for system administrators who want a visual overview of a server, or for teams where not everyone is comfortable working in the terminal.

This guide shows you how to install Webmin on Ubuntu 18.04, open the required firewall port, and access the dashboard.

<strong>Prerequisite:</strong>&nbsp;You need sudo access.

Install Webmin on Ubuntu

Webmin is not available in Ubuntu’s default repositories. The recommended approach is to add the official Webmin repository and install it through apt.

Update the package list and install the required tools:

bashsudo apt updatesudo apt install software-properties-common apt-transport-https wget

Import the Webmin GPG signing key to verify package integrity:

bashwget -q https://www.webmin.com/jcameron-key.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add -

Add the official Webmin repository to your system’s source list:

bashsudo add-apt-repository "deb [arch=amd64] https://download.webmin.com/download/repository sarge contrib"

Install Webmin:

bashsudo apt install webmin

When the installation finishes, you will see a confirmation message:

Webmin install complete. You can now login to https://your_server_ip_or_hostname:10000/as root with your root password, or as any user who can use sudo to run commands as root.

The Webmin service starts automatically. No additional configuration is required to get it running.

Open the Firewall Port

Webmin listens on port 10000 by default. If your server runs a UFW firewall, open that port to allow incoming connections:

bashsudo ufw allow 10000/tcp

Access the Webmin Dashboard

Open your browser and navigate to:

https://your_server_ip_or_hostname:10000/

Your browser will display a certificate warning because Webmin uses a self-signed SSL certificate by default. This is expected behavior on a fresh install, accept the warning to continue. For production use, replace the self-signed certificate with a trusted one from Let’s Encrypt or another certificate authority.

Log in using your root credentials or any user account with sudo privileges. After logging in, you are taken to the Webmin dashboard, which shows a live overview of your server: CPU usage, memory, disk space, running processes, and active services.

From the left sidebar, you can navigate to any module. Commonly used ones include System > Users and Groups, Servers > Apache Webserver, Networking > Firewall, and Hardware > Disk Quotas.

Keep Webmin Updated

Because Webmin was installed from its official repository, updating it is the same as updating any other apt package:

bashsudo apt updatesudo apt upgrade

Run this regularly to pick up security patches and new features.

Webmin is now installed and accessible on your Ubuntu 18.04 server. You can manage users, configure services, and monitor system health all from your browser. Leave a comment below if you run into any issues during setup.