Baota Panel Server Management Guide: from installation to LNMP environment setup
Baota (BT) Panel is a popular Linux server management panel that transforms command-line server configuration into a visual interface. It's an excellent choice for website owners less familiar with the command line.
1. Installation
Requirements
- OS: CentOS 7+ / Ubuntu 18.04+ / Debian 10+
- RAM: Minimum 512MB (1GB+ recommended)
- Architecture: x86_64
One-click Install
# Ubuntu/Debian
wget -O install.sh https://download.bt.cn/install/install-ubuntu.sh
bash install.sh
After installation, the terminal will display the panel URL and login credentials.
Security Recommendations
- Change default port (8888 → custom)
- Bind a domain for panel access
- Enable BasicAuth
- Configure IP whitelist
2. One-click LNMP Setup
After login, the panel offers a one-click environment installer:
- Choose LNMP (Nginx + MySQL + PHP) or LAMP (Apache + MySQL + PHP)
- Select PHP version (8.0+ recommended)
- Select MySQL version (8.0 recommended)
- Click install — wait 10-30 minutes
Choosing environment versions
PHP and MySQL version choices matter for the long run. In 2026, the mainstream recommendation is:
| Component | Recommended | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PHP | 8.2 / 8.3 | Good performance and ecosystem compatibility |
| MySQL | 8.0+ (or MariaDB 10.6+) | Official long-term support |
| Nginx | 1.24+ | Strong static asset performance |
| Redis | 7.x | Cache and sessions |
Plenty of older sites still run PHP 5.6/7.0, whose security bulletins ended long ago — upgrade them while migrating, but first check theme and plugin compatibility against the official docs of the CMS you use.
3. Creating Websites
Add New Site
- Go to "Websites" → "Add site"
- Enter domain (e.g., example.com)
- Select created database
- Choose PHP version
- Submit
Baota automatically:
- Creates website directory
- Generates Nginx config
- Creates MySQL database and user
- Creates FTP account (optional)
Enable HTTPS
- Website → Select your site → "SSL"
- Choose "Let's Encrypt"
- Select your domains
- Click "Apply" — automatic certificate setup
4. Key Features
File Manager
- Online edit, upload, download
- Compress/extract (ZIP/TAR.GZ)
- File permissions
- Directory protection
Database Manager
- Create/delete databases
- Backup and restore
- phpMyAdmin access
- Import/export
Security
| Feature | Description | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Firewall | Visual iptables manager | Open only necessary ports |
| System hardening | Disable ping, SSH security | Enable key items |
| File protection | Protect core files | Enable on production |
| WAF | Web application firewall | Basic rules in free version |
5. Troubleshooting
Panel Unreachable
1. Check port 8888 in firewall
ufw allow 8888/tcp
2. Check panel service
/etc/init.d/bt status
3. Restart panel
/etc/init.d/bt restart
502 Bad Gateway
1. Check PHP-FPM status
systemctl status php-fpm-83
2. Check PHP processes
ps aux | grep php
3. View PHP error log
/www/server/php/83/var/log/php-fpm.log
4. Restart PHP
/etc/init.d/php-fpm-83 restart
Forgotten Panel Password
# Baota provides a built-in command to reset the password
bt 14
# Follow the menu prompts to set a new password
# If SSH is also unreachable, reset the root password via the cloud console
SSL Certificate Application Fails
Common causes: domain resolution not propagated, port 80 blocked, or too many attempts for the same domain
1. Confirm the domain resolves to the server IP
2. Confirm the firewall allows ports 80/443
3. Switch to DNS validation
4. Wait an hour and retry (Let's Encrypt rate limits apply)
A Typical Scenario: Moving WordPress to Baota
Many site owners first use Baota when migrating. Say you have an old server running WordPress and want to move it to a new cloud host. The flow is roughly: install Baota and LNMP on the new machine; on the old server, export the database with wp-cli or phpMyAdmin and pack up the site files; on the new machine create a site and database with the same name, upload the files and import the database; finally edit the database connection in wp-config.php and point the domain to the new IP. Doing this in Baota's GUI is far easier than typing commands and easier to roll back — keep the old server for seven days before destroying it.
Reference: Baota official help center https://www.bt.cn/new/bt_help.html
Reference: Baota Linux panel documentation https://docs.bt.cn/
6. Baota vs Manual Setup
| Aspect | Baota Panel | Manual Setup |
|---|---|---|
| Difficulty | Very easy | Hard |
| Speed | Very fast | Slow |
| Flexibility | Medium | Very high |
| Resource usage | 100-200MB | 0 (no panel process) |
| Security | Panel has attack surface | Smaller surface |
| Best for | Beginners, non-ops | Professional ops |
16IDC Takeaway
Baota Panel significantly lowers the barrier to server management. For individual website owners and small teams unfamiliar with Linux, it's the most efficient choice. However, it's not a security substitute — always change default ports, set strong passwords, and keep the panel updated.