How to Install aaPanel / BaoTa Panel on a Linux Server: One-Click Install, Open Ports and Log In

BaoTa Panel (known internationally as aaPanel) is a popular web-based control panel for Linux servers. It lets you deploy Nginx, Apache, MySQL and PHP with one click and manage websites, databases, FTP and SSL certificates from your browser. This guide shows how to install aaPanel / BaoTa Panel on a Linux server — preparation, running the official install script, opening ports, finding the login URL and using the bt command — on Debian 11/12, Ubuntu 20.04/22.04/24.04, CentOS 7 and Rocky Linux / AlmaLinux 8/9.

Step 1: Prepare the server for the aaPanel installation

We recommend at least 1 GB of RAM and 10 GB of free disk space, logged in over SSH as root. Update the package index and install the download tools:

Debian / Ubuntu:

apt update && apt install -y wget curl screen

CentOS / Rocky Linux / AlmaLinux:

yum install -y wget curl screen

Installation takes several minutes, so run it inside a screen session to survive an SSH disconnect:

screen -S bt

Step 2: Run the one-click install script

The install scripts are updated from time to time, so always copy the latest command from the official website. For the English aaPanel edition, go to the install page on aapanel.com and copy the command shown there; it follows this pattern:

URL=https://www.aapanel.com/script/install_panel_en.sh && if [ -f /usr/bin/curl ];then curl -ksSO $URL ;else wget --no-check-certificate -O install_panel_en.sh $URL;fi;bash install_panel_en.sh

For the Chinese BaoTa edition, the commonly used universal script from bt.cn looks like this (use either wget or curl):

wget -O install_panel.sh https://download.bt.cn/install/install_panel.sh && bash install_panel.sh

curl -sSO https://download.bt.cn/install/install_panel.sh && bash install_panel.sh

When the script asks whether to install into /www, type y and press Enter. At the end it prints the external panel URL, internal URL, username and password — copy them somewhere safe right away.

Step 3: Open the aaPanel port in the firewall

Recent versions generate a random panel port (older versions used 8888), so use the port printed by the installer. Websites also need ports 80 and 443, plus SSH on 22. Using 8888 as an example:

Debian / Ubuntu (ufw):

ufw allow 22/tcp
ufw allow 80/tcp
ufw allow 443/tcp
ufw allow 8888/tcp
ufw status

CentOS / Rocky / AlmaLinux (firewalld):

firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=8888/tcp
firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=http --add-service=https
firewall-cmd --reload

The installer usually opens the panel port automatically, but if you also filter traffic at the network level, open it there too.

Step 4: Log in to aaPanel

Open the external panel URL from the install output in your browser. It typically looks like http(s)://server-IP:port/security-entrance. The security entrance is a random path and must be typed in full, otherwise you will see an entrance verification error. After logging in, the panel suggests an LNMP or LAMP stack; LNMP (Nginx + MySQL + PHP) is a good choice for most users. The Chinese BaoTa edition additionally asks you to bind a bt.cn account on first login.

If you forget the URL or password, display them again over SSH:

bt default

Step 5: Manage the panel with the bt command

The installer adds a bt command-line tool. Type bt to open an interactive menu and choose an option by number (restart panel, change password, change port, show default info and more — numbers may vary between versions, so read the menu). Common commands:

bt
bt default
/etc/init.d/bt restart
/etc/init.d/bt stop
/etc/init.d/bt start

FAQ

The panel URL does not open in my browser.

Make sure the panel port is open in the system firewall, the security entrance is complete, and restart the panel with /etc/init.d/bt restart. You can also run curl -I http://127.0.0.1:port on the server to confirm the panel is running.

What is the difference between BaoTa and aaPanel?

They are built by the same team: BaoTa is the Chinese edition and aaPanel the English international edition, with slightly different plugins and features. Pick the language you prefer, and do not install both on the same server.

What server size do I need?

The panel itself is lightweight, but running MySQL and websites calls for at least 1 vCPU and 1 GB RAM; 2 GB or more is better for several sites or larger databases.

If you run into problems installing or logging in, submit a ticket to IMIDC 24/7 technical support with your OS version and a screenshot of the error.