Top free Cockpit linux alternative web-based server manager tools

Check out some best Cockpit alternative tools for Ubuntu, CentOS, RHEL, and other Linux to manage servers using Web GUI locally or remotely.

The cockpit, a web-based Linux server manager comes out of the box in some RHEL and its based distros such as CetnOS, Rocky Linux, and AlmaLinux. Whereas other distribution users such as Debian, Ubuntu, etc can also install it. Using Cockpit, the system admin can conveniently administer and control servers remotely using a browser. It is an open-source tool and source code is available on the GitHub page.

Furthermore, you can also switch to the command line at any time, for example, to start the web server, or create new user accounts; apart from that, the admins can also take a look at the system journal, check the load, or start and stop services using a terminal with root access. Thanks to the responsive design of Cockpit, the user interface automatically adapts to different screen sizes, which in turn enables convenient access via smartphones. It can also be used to manage several Linux systems by simply installing Cockpit on other servers, and connecting them to the main server running with Cockpit.

However, Cockpit is not the only open-source application that is available to server management platforms there are few good Cockpit alternatives available. And here we will learn what are those.

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Best Opensource Cockpit Alternative for Server Management

When it comes to getting a perfect alternative to Cockpit it is difficult to find one exactly like it. Because most of them are control panels with heavyweight and are meant generally for web hosting services instead of simply managing a Server. Thus, we tried to list some closest possible options. However, if you are looking for a tool to manage a hosting server, then see our 10 Best open-source web hosting control panel list…

1. aaPanel

aaPanel is the best Cockpit alternative to manage server services and files. Just like Webmin, it can also manage web host services such as databases, websites, and more. It is light in weight and simple to use. After installing aaPanel, setting and running up a website becomes very easy, with just one click we can set up LANMP/LAMP (Linux, Apache/Nginx, MySQL, PHP) or OpenSpeed Lite environment for testing or developing web apps. With the help of aaPanel, the headache of running various commands for creating databases, creating and managing Docker, websites, FTP servers, and Python projects will not be anymore and all of them can be managed using just a few clicks of the mouse.

To extend features a wide range of extensions are available to enable right from aaPanel Dashboard.

Key Features:

The modular framework thus supports extensions
Resource monitoring
free anti-spam gateway, Nginx WAF, SSH login reminder, and security extensions
online inbuilt code editor
One-Click Deployment of WordPress, Laravel, Joomla, Drupal, and Roundcube
Creatable and manageable Docker
Terminal access

Learn – How to install aaPanel Server Manager CentOS or Ubuntu

Aapanel best Cockpit alternative software min

2. Ajenti Server Admin Panel

Like Cockpit, Ajenti is also a lightweight Server admin management panel installed on all popular Linux operating systems, including Ubuntu and CentOS. It is an open-source project and allows managing and configuring various server functions such as firewalls, File systems, Services, Hosts, name servers (if you using a webserver), Networks, Packages Cron jobs, and more. Ajenti also offers a Terminal option to directly access the command-line interface and issue various commands to the server.

Key Features:

Offers plugins for system and software configuration, monitoring, and management.
Easily extensible using Python
Easy to install
Doesn’t override with existing server configuration
Responsive and modern web interface
Consume less computing power
Based on Google’s AngularJS

Website link

Ajenti like cockpit software opensource min

3. Webmin as a Cockpit alternative

Webmin doesn’t need an introduction, it is one of the popular server management and can be considered as the best Cockpit alternative to performing the various tasks on a server using a web browser, remotely. It supports all modern browsers and with the help of just a few clicks, one can set key server functions such as Apache, File sharing, DNS, Database, and more. To extend the functionality, Webmin also offers module integration.

Webmin package is available to install for both Deb and RPM-based systems such as Debian, Ubuntu, RHEL, CentOS, and other similar Linux.

Key Features:

Managing records in the DNS domain
Configuring a DHCP server
Managing databases such as MySQL and PostgreSQL server
Viewing Sendmail email aliases
Configuring an SSH server
Support Windows clients with Samba
Allow Scheduled backup
Two-Factor Authentication
Allows third-party module integration to extend functions

Website Link

4. froxlor Server Management Panel

Froxlor is another open-source tool to manage server and PHP-based web applications running on it. It is more like a popular Cpanel for hosting servers and provides features that will help control a server via the web interface. It lets users run remote auto-update, corn jobs, rebuild configuration files, manage Apache & Nginx, Database, Domains, and more… Although it is not a direct alternative to Cockpit but a good option for hosting servers.

Key Features: