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System Management

Creating and Managing Websites

Website Management The Websites page is your primary workspace for creating, configuring, and managing all your hosted websites. HostsNix supports multiple frameworks out of the box — from simple static…

Creating and Managing Websites

Website Management#

The Websites page is your primary workspace for creating, configuring, and managing all your hosted websites. HostsNix supports multiple frameworks out of the box — from simple static HTML sites to fully configured WordPress, Laravel, and Drupal installations.

Websites Overview#

When you navigate to Websites from the sidebar, you’ll see a table listing all your hosted sites. Each row displays:

  • Domain — The website’s domain name (clickable link to visit the site)
  • Type — The framework/CMS (WordPress, Laravel, Drupal, or Static HTML)
  • Root Path — The document root directory on the server
  • Databases — Linked databases for this website
  • PHP Version — Currently active PHP version (8.1, 8.2, or 8.3)
  • Status — Active or Inactive badge
  • SSL — Enabled or Disabled badge
  • Actions — Settings gear, power toggle, and delete

Creating a New Website#

To create a new website, click the “+ Add New Website” button in the top right corner. A dialog will appear with the following options:

  1. Domain Name — Enter your domain (e.g., example.com). Make sure your domain’s DNS A record points to this server’s IP address before creating the site
  2. PHP Version — Choose from PHP 8.1, 8.2, or 8.3. For most CMS platforms, PHP 8.2 is recommended as the best balance of compatibility and performance
  3. Framework/Type — Select what you want to install:
    • Static HTML — Creates an empty website with a default index.html page. Ideal for custom-built sites or manually installed applications
    • WordPress — Automatically downloads, installs, and configures WordPress with your provided admin credentials. A database is created and linked automatically
    • Laravel — Creates a fresh Laravel project with Composer dependencies installed, .env configured, and application key generated
    • Drupal — Installs Drupal CMS with the standard installation profile
  4. Create Database — Toggle this to automatically create a MySQL database and link it to the website. This is enabled by default for WordPress and Laravel

Click “Create” and HostsNix will automatically:

  • Create the document root at /rknix/www/yourdomain.com/htdocs
  • Generate an optimized Nginx virtual host configuration
  • Configure PHP-FPM with the selected PHP version
  • Install the chosen framework/CMS
  • Create and link a database (if selected)
  • Set proper file permissions and ownership

???? Tip: If you’re creating a WordPress site, have your site title, admin username, and admin email ready. These will be configured automatically during installation.

Website Settings#

Click the gear icon (⚙️) in the Actions column for any website to open the Edit Website dialog. You’ll see three configuration sections:

1. Vhost Configuration

Edit the Nginx virtual host configuration directly. This is useful for adding custom headers, configuring redirects, setting up reverse proxies, or modifying caching rules. The built-in editor shows the current Nginx config file with syntax highlighting.

⚠️ Warning: Incorrect Nginx configuration can make your website inaccessible. Always test your configuration changes and know how to revert them before saving.

2. PHP Settings

Change the PHP version for this website or edit the php.ini configuration. You can:

  • Switch between PHP 8.1, 8.2, and 8.3 instantly (no downtime)
  • Modify PHP settings like upload_max_filesize, memory_limit, max_execution_time
  • Enable or disable PHP extensions

3. SSL Management

Manage SSL certificates for this specific website. HostsNix supports two methods:

  • Automatic (Let’s Encrypt) — Generate a free SSL certificate automatically. Your domain must point to this server. Buttons available: Generate Certificate, Renew Certificate, Revoke Certificate
  • Manual Certificate Upload — Upload your own SSL certificate and private key files. Useful for wildcard certificates or enterprise SSL

See the SSL Certificate Management guide for detailed instructions.

Managing Existing Websites#

Beyond the settings gear, each website row has additional action buttons:

  • Power Toggle (⏻) — Enable or disable a website without deleting it. Disabled websites return a “Site Unavailable” page to visitors. Useful for maintenance or temporary suspension
  • Delete (????️) — Permanently remove the website. This deletes the Nginx configuration and can optionally remove all website files from the server. This action cannot be undone
  • Visit Site — Click the domain name link to open the website in a new tab

WordPress-Specific Features#

WordPress sites get additional features in the HostsNix panel:

  • One-Click Admin Login — Instantly access the WordPress admin dashboard without entering credentials. This feature uses a secure, time-limited auto-login token
  • WordPress Version Display — See which WordPress version each site is running
  • Database Auto-Linking — The WordPress database is automatically linked and visible in the Databases column

Troubleshooting#

Website shows “502 Bad Gateway”: This usually means PHP-FPM has crashed or is overloaded. Check your error logs in the Logs page and consider increasing PHP memory limits.

Website shows “403 Forbidden”: File permissions may be incorrect. Standard permissions should be 755 for directories and 644 for files. Use the File Manager to check and fix permissions.

Domain not resolving: Make sure your domain’s DNS A record points to your server’s IP address. DNS changes can take up to 24-48 hours to propagate globally.

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