How to install webmin on Ubuntu 18.04

Are you averse to running commands on a terminal and instead prefer managing your Linux system from a Graphical interface? Webmin is a free and open source web-based control panel that gives users the ability to check the system’s performance. We can manage users and groups, manage quotas, update the system, install and remove software packages. We can also configure databases and crucial services such as email, FTP and web to mention just a few. in this guide, you will learn how to install Webmin on Ubuntu 18.04.

Step 1: Updating the system and installing system dependecies

Before you proceed to install Webmin, it’s recommended to first update the system repositories as shown

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# sudo apt update -y

Sample output<

Next, run the command below to upgrade the system

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# sudo apt upgrade -y

Sample output

Then, install the dependencies required before you can install Webmin

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# sudo apt install software-properties-common apt-transport-https wget

Sample output

Step 2: Importing Webmin GPG key

Using the wget command, import Webmin’s GPG key as shown

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# wget -q http://www.webmin.com/jcameron-key.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add -

Sample output

Then enable Webmin’s repository by executing the command

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

Sample output

Step 3: Installing Webmin

You can now proceed to install the latest version of Webmin by running

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sudo apt install webmin

Sample output

At the end of the installation, the following message will be displayed confirming that you’ve successfully installed Webmin.

The Webmin service should start automatically. you can verify this using the command

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# systemctl status webmin

If the service is not running, start and enable it to start on boot using the following commands’

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# systemctl start webmin

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# systemctl enable webmin

Sample output

Again, verify if the Webmin service is running

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# systemctl status webmin

Sample output

Additionally, you can confirm if Webmin is listening to its default port – Port 10000 – using the netstat command as shown

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# netstat -pnltu

Sample output

Awesome! Webmin service is up and running normally. Now it’s time to set it up on a browser!

Step 4: Adjusting the firewall

Before finally setting up Webmin on a browser, you need to allow port 10000, which os Webmin’s port, on the firewall. To accomplish this run

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# Sudo ufw allow 10000/tcp

Thereafter, reload the firewall and check the status of the firewall.

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sudo ufw reload

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sudo ufw status

Sample output

Step 5: Setting up Webmin on a browser

Open your favorite browser and browse your server’s URL as shown

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https://your_server_ip_or_hostname:10000/

You will get a warning that the connection is not private. This is because the server does not have an SSL certificate installed to encrypt the connection on https protocol.

Nevertheless, we can still connect and move on. to do this, navigate at the bottom and click on the ‘Advanced‘ button.

Then click on ‘proceed to server-ip‘ link

This will take you to Webmin’s login page. Log in using your root credentials

And voila! there goes your Webmin’s crisp and intuitive dashboard giving you an overview of your system’s CPU, Memory and Disk space. You will also get system information such as:

1. System hostname
2. Sytem date and time
3. Webmin version
4. No. of running processes
5. Status of packages
6. CPU load averages

And so much more!

That wraps up this tutorial on how to install Webmin on Ubuntu 18.04 server.

About Pankaj

I love Open Source technologies and writing about my experience about them is my passion. You can connect with me directly on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.