A clean operating system is essential for a smooth cPanel/WHM installation. The steps below cover everything from preparing your VPS to running the installer and completing the first-run wizard. The process works on any LumaDock KVM VPS with AlmaLinux 8/9, Rocky Linux 8/9, or Ubuntu 22.04.
Before you begin
Check the basic requirements before starting:
Supported OS: AlmaLinux 8/9, Rocky Linux 8/9, CloudLinux 8/9, or Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.
Minimum recommended resources: 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, and 80 GB disk for hosting multiple sites.
Access: SSH as root and a reachable public IPv4.
License: cPanel requires a valid license, although trials are available.
Clean system: Do not install your own web stack beforehand.
Set a proper hostname (FQDN)
Use a fully qualified domain name that points to your server IP. Avoid using the root domain.
hostnamectl set-hostname server1.example.com \
hostnamectl status \
hostname -f
Update the system
Install all updates and reboot if the kernel changes.
# AlmaLinux / Rocky
dnf -y update
reboot
# Ubuntu
apt update && apt -y full-upgrade
reboot
Install basic packages
The installer requires Perl, curl, and tar.
Install them before starting the setup.
# AlmaLinux / Rocky
dnf -y install perl curl tar
# Ubuntu
apt -y install perl curl tar
You can optionally install screen or tmux to protect your session during installation.
Run the cPanel installer
Move to /home, download the installer, and execute it.
cd /home \
curl -o latest -L https://securedownloads.cpanel.net/latest \
sh latest
The installation usually takes 20–45 minutes depending on resources. Avoid interrupting the process.
Access WHM and complete the setup wizard
Once installation finishes, open the WHM interface:
https://YOUR.SERVER.IP:2087
Log in as root. Then follow the wizard to:
Accept the license agreement.
Enter a contact email.
Configure DNS resolvers.
Add nameservers and A records.
Choose initial service settings.
You can enable AutoSSL within WHM after the wizard completes.
Open required firewall ports
If you use a software firewall, make sure essential cPanel ports are allowed.
Some commonly used ports include:
22/tcp for SSH
80/tcp and 443/tcp for web traffic
2087/tcp for WHM
2083/tcp for cPanel
2096/tcp for webmail
25/465/587/tcp for mail sending
110/995 and 143/993 for POP3/IMAP
20–21/tcp for FTP
53/tcp+udp for DNS
3306/tcp for remote MySQL access
LumaDock’s network layer already includes DDoS protection. You can layer CSF or firewalld on top as needed.
Create your first hosting account
In WHM:
Go to Packages → Add a Package and define limits.
Go to Account Functions → Create a New Account to add your first domain.
Access cPanel for that account at
https://YOUR.SERVER.IP:2083.
Make sure your domain points to the correct DNS records at your registrar.
Recommended post-install tasks
These adjustments improve performance, email reliability, and security.
Enable AutoSSL and verify certificates for all hosted domains.
Use EasyApache 4 to choose PHP versions and enable needed extensions.
Configure backups in WHM → Backup Configuration and add remote storage if needed.
Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for each sending domain.
Enable cPHulk protection and keep the system updated regularly.
Consider enabling PHP-FPM, OPcache, and HTTP/2 for better performance.
Troubleshooting
If the installer fails, verify you are using a clean supported OS and that enough RAM and disk are available.
Hostname warnings usually indicate the FQDN does not resolve.
If WHM shows ports blocked, adjust your firewall rules.
Mail issues often relate to missing PTR, SPF, DKIM, or restricted outbound SMTP.
If license errors appear, confirm the server IP matches your cPanel license.
This guide gives you a complete, clean starting point for running cPanel/WHM on your LumaDock VPS. After the installation, continue tuning and securing WHM as your hosting environment grows.