Both of these systems are free, still developed, often used. What to prefer and why? VestaCP seems easier, like a simple solution with fast installator. Webmin/Virtualmin seems more powerful. Are there any kill-features in one of these variants, that other doesn’t have?
I have used the following quite a bit…
webmin/virtualmin
ispconfig
vestacp
centos-webpanel
centos-webpanel looks brilliant, however, the developers have invested so much time into looks its hopelessly unreliable. So mucch stuff doesnt work properly i gave up on it (i had the pro version).
Ispconfig is very stable, but sadly lacks a built in proprietary file manager. Its developers stubbornly refuse to look outside their own box…that stifles forward thinking and design…they are stuck in the dark ages. There are workarounds of course, but clients increasingly expect it built in…ftp is fast dissapearing in favour of other options i think. The advent of Joomla and Wordpress does fill the void (because they have file manager extension/plugins, but for administration of the server itself, i think a file manager is very helpful. Having said that, Ispconfig have what i think is a rock solid system with an enormous array of very well tested and tried tutorials…hundreds of them. If virtualmin had something like this, it would be awesome!
vestacp used to have a file manager, but after the entire thing got badly hacked, it seems that has gone by the wayside. Also, i am not sure its still in fulltime development. My understanding is that vestacp is now a part time show with very limited releases and updates. Because the development has really scaled back, i dont think its reliable for anything other than personal use. The panel is also a bit too simple for me. Some things are automated that if everything works ok are great, but when the slightest snag is encountered, one is immediately back to the command shell. That is ok, but vesta (like centos-webpanel) have altered the installation…its a custom install and things are not found in the usual places where one in the command shell would expect to find them. That creates all sorts of backend administration problems for me. I like stuff to follow a universally known standard.
I use virtualmin in favour to the above because:
Joe, Erik, Jamie, Ilia work their asses off on this panel all the time…it seems to be their lives
it is incredibly powerful and very near cpanel
i love the nuts and bolts exposure…i want to also get into it and learn more about why servers work the way they do
so long as one does not stuff around with the default install on a production system, i have found it generally extremely reliable and trustworthy.
Sure i have troubles and grumble, but i think that is because the tutorials for virtualmin are severely lacking. If it had tutorials like those of ISPconfig, i would be in heaven!
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