How to Secure HestiaCP with SSL

Prerequisites

Before securing HestiaCP with SSL, make sure you have:

• SSH access to your VPS
• A domain name pointing to your server IP
• Root or sudo privileges

Method 1: Using Let's Encrypt (Recommended)

Step 1: Connect to Your VPS

ssh hxroot@YOUR_SERVER_IP -p 22

Step 2: Add a Domain for HestiaCP

If you haven't already, add a subdomain for your control panel (e.g., cp.yourdomain.com) in HestiaCP or via DNS.

Step 3: Install SSL Certificate via Command Line

/usr/local/hestia/bin/v-add-letsencrypt-domain admin cp.yourdomain.com ' ' yes

Step 4: Update HestiaCP Configuration

nano /usr/local/hestia/conf/hestia.conf

Add or update:

WEB_SSL='yes'
WEB_SSL_CERT='/home/admin/conf/web/ssl.cp.yourdomain.com.pem'
WEB_SSL_KEY='/home/admin/conf/web/ssl.cp.yourdomain.com.key'

Step 5: Restart HestiaCP

systemctl restart hestia
systemctl restart hestia-nginx

Method 2: Using Custom SSL Certificate

Upload your certificate files to the server, then run:

/usr/local/hestia/bin/v-add-web-domain-ssl admin cp.yourdomain.com /path/to/certificate.crt /path/to/certificate.key

Method 3: Via HestiaCP Web Interface

1. Log in to HestiaCP
2. Go to WEB → Click on your domain
3. Scroll to SSL Support
4. Click Install/Update SSL Certificate
5. Select "Get automatic certificate from Let's Encrypt"
6. Click Save

Verify SSL Installation

After configuration, access HestiaCP at:

https://cp.yourdomain.com:8083

You should see a valid SSL certificate (padlock icon).