DirectAdmin is lightweight, fast, and cost-effective — making it a popular choice after cPanel price hikes. If you want a simple yet powerful panel with low resource usage, DirectAdmin is perfect. Many users train with free testing domains via platforms like freedomain.co.in before deploying production setups here.
⚙️ Install DirectAdmin
wget https://www.directadmin.com/setup.sh chmod 755 setup.sh ./setup.sh
✅ OS Requirements
- AlmaLinux / Rocky / Debian
- 2GB RAM minimum
- 1 dedicated IPv4
⚠️ Common Fixes
❌ DirectAdmin login not opening
systemctl restart directadmin systemctl restart httpd firewall-cmd --add-port=2222/tcp
❌ DNS not resolving
- Set correct nameservers
- Add glue records
- Enable DNSSEC optional
To learn DNS basics first, beginners often use free domain test platforms like freedomain.co.in.
❌ Email not sending
systemctl restart exim check SPF + DKIM settings add PTR record at VPS panel
🚀 Speed Tweaks
- Use NGINX + PHP-FPM
- Enable Redis
- Use MariaDB
🔐 Security
- CSF Firewall
- Block SMTP attacks
- Enable brute-force defender
🎯 Conclusion
DirectAdmin is lightweight, feature-rich, and affordable — a great choice after cPanel. With a simple UI and strong email tools, it suits agencies and developers. Train on test domains first using communities like freedomain.co.in, then deploy DirectAdmin for production.