User Management and Permissions

User Management#

HostsNix supports multi-user access with role-based permissions, making it ideal for teams, agencies, and managed hosting providers. The Users page lets administrators create accounts with specific access levels, ensuring each team member can only see and manage what they need.

User Roles#

HostsNix defines three user roles, each with increasing levels of access:

Admin

Full, unrestricted access to every feature in the panel. Admins can:

• Create, modify, and delete any website or database
• Manage all security settings (firewall, WAF, SSL)
• Create and manage backups for all sites
• Create and manage other user accounts
• View all logs and analytics
• Access server-level settings

Only grant Admin access to trusted team members who need full server control.

Manager

Can manage websites, databases, files, backups, and security, but cannot manage other users or server-level settings. This role is suitable for:

• Senior developers who need broad access but shouldn’t manage user accounts
• Site administrators responsible for day-to-day operations
• DevOps team members who handle deployments and backups

User

The most restrictive role. Users can only access websites and databases that have been explicitly granted to them. They cannot see or interact with any resources they don’t have permission for. Ideal for:

• Junior developers assigned to specific projects
• Freelancers working on individual client websites
• Clients who need limited self-service access to their own sites

Creating a User Account#

1. Navigate to Users from the sidebar (Admin only)
2. Click “Create User”
3. Fill in the account details:
   • Username — A unique login identifier
   • Email — The user’s email address (used for password recovery)
   • Password — Set an initial password. Recommend using a strong, unique password
   • Role — Select Admin, Manager, or User from the dropdown
4. Click “Create”

The new user can immediately log in with the provided credentials.

Website and Database Permissions#

For users with the “User” role, you need to explicitly grant access to specific websites and databases. Without permissions, the user will see an empty dashboard.

To manage permissions:

1. Click the “Manage Permissions” button next to the user
2. You’ll see two sections: Website Permissions and Database Permissions
3. Toggle the checkboxes to grant or revoke specific access:
   • View — Can see the website/database in their dashboard
   • Edit — Can modify settings (PHP version, Nginx config)
   • Files — Can access the file manager for this website
   • SSL — Can manage SSL certificates
   • Backup — Can create and restore backups
   • Delete — Can permanently delete the website/database
4. Click “Save Permissions”

???? Tip: Use the principle of least privilege — give users only the minimum permissions they need to do their job. You can always add more permission later, but it’s harder to undo damage from excessive access.

Managing Existing Users#

• Edit User — Change email, role, or password for any user
• Manage Permissions — Add or remove website/database access (User role only)
• Delete User — Permanently remove a user account. This does not affect any websites or databases — only the user’s access is removed

Security Best Practices#

• Use strong, unique passwords for every user account
• Remove accounts for team members who no longer need access
• Use the User role instead of Manager/Admin whenever possible
• Review user permissions periodically, especially after project handoffs
• Keep the number of Admin accounts to a minimum (ideally 1-2)