AdminBolt 1.9.5 brings WordPress staging copies and WordPress updates that the panel tries to roll back when they break a site. Administrators and resellers can turn single features on or off and override limits for one hosting account without changing its package. The REST API now covers backups, the firewall, SSH access, server settings, external migrations and mail settings. New servers can be installed without mail, DNS or FTP. Root can sign in to the admin panel with the server root password. The panel also manages servers whose database is MySQL 8.0. Outbound Relay can send mail for selected domains only. DNS gets a default TTL. Servers now send AdminBolt usage statistics, which you can review and turn off in Settings. Fixes cover migrations, interrupted updates, PHP memory limits, DKIM for subdomains and Git.
WordPress staging and safe updates
- Staging copy (AB-2112): WordPress Management creates a staging copy of a site at
staging.<domain>. You can push the staging copy to the live site as files, the database or both. The live site is backed up first.
- Safe updates (AB-2112): Core, plugin and theme updates started from WordPress Management or the API back up what they replace. When the panel finds that an update failed or broke the site, it tries to roll the update back automatically.
- Automatic updates (AB-2112): An Automatic updates tab sets how each site is kept up to date.
- XML-RPC and page cache (AB-2112): WordPress Management has an XML-RPC switch and a page cache card. Where the server cannot switch XML-RPC, the page says so.
Overrides for one account
- Feature and limit overrides (AB-2096): Edit Account in the admin and reseller panels turns single Feature List features on or off for one account. It also overrides the disk space, addon domain, subdomain, parked domain, mailbox, database and FTP limits. The hosting package stays as it is. View Hosting Account shows each override next to the package value. The admin and reseller APIs read and set the same overrides.
- Reseller SSH access (AB-2221): Reseller permissions on the Resellers list sets whether resellers may turn on SSH access for their accounts. Each reseller's edit form can follow that setting, allow it or forbid it. Resellers keep this permission by default. The admin API reads and sets the same choice.
More of the REST API
- Backups (AB-2139): The admin API backs up and restores accounts and restores deleted accounts. It reads backup runs and restore reports. It manages backup destinations and policies, the server configuration backup and JetBackup. The reseller API backs up and restores the reseller's own accounts. The client API restores a mailbox or a mail folder from the account's backups.
- Firewall and SSH access (AB-2140): The admin API manages firewall rules, SSH Access and the login protection settings, with the same rules as their pages. The pages and the API guard against changes that would lock the administrator out of the panel or SSH.
- Server settings (AB-2142): The admin API changes the hostname, nameservers, DNS resolver, time zone, history retention and System Notifications. It restarts services and reads their status log, as the Services page does. It also repairs account home ownership and manages the Watchdog.
- Migrations and cluster accounts (AB-2144): The admin API runs external migrations as the External Migrations page does. That includes approving the source server, pausing, resuming and cancelling. It also lists the accounts of the hub and its nodes. It suspends or unsuspends up to 25 of them per request.
- Mail settings (AB-2134): The client API manages autoresponders, catch-all addresses and mail routing for the account's domains. It reads recent mail delivery events. It turns SpamExperts or MailChannels filtering on and off for each domain.
- Databases (AB-2137): The client API manages Remote MySQL hosts. The admin API lists and revokes the Remote MySQL hosts of every account and sets the wildcard host option. It reads and changes the MySQL, MariaDB and PostgreSQL server settings, with the same checks as Database Settings.
- API key permissions (AB-2222, AB-2263, AB-2345): Admin API keys have an Allow writes that run commands as root permission. It is off by default and exists on admin keys only. Restoring or downloading server files from Acronis and changing the Acronis connection over the API need it too. Admin panel sign-in links over the API need their own grant on the key, also on keys with Allow all endpoints. Each sign-in link is listed in the activity log. The administrator sign-in button of the WHMCS module uses such a link, so its key needs this grant. After the upgrade, the hub keeps managing its nodes. Other existing keys whose scripts make such changes or open such links need the permission or the grant selected on the key.
- LVE Manager tokens (AB-2345, CloudLinux Only): LVE Manager tokens over the API also need their own grant on the key, also on keys with Allow all endpoints.
Installation and sign-in
- Minimal install (AB-2113):
install.sh --without=mail,dns,ftp leaves mail, DNS or FTP out of a new server. Health shows the left-out services in grey, without warnings. The client panel hides their pages.
- Root password sign-in (AB-2069): Root can sign in to the admin panel with the server root password. It is on when a new server is installed. The setup wizard recommends turning it off, but you can keep it on. On upgraded servers, it is off unless an administrator set it before. Settings > Admin Management turns it on or off. The admin sign-in takes the username or the email from the setup wizard. Cannot sign in? lists the ways back in. By default, opening the server's IP address in a browser shows a page that leads to the control panel.
- First administrator (AB-2104, AB-2266, AB-2275):
bolt-cli admin-sso-generate --first-admin=<name> names the first administrator of a new server. --first-admin=random picks a random name. The first administrator sets their own password in the setup wizard, before the License or Agents page opens. The sign-in pages have a language menu.
- Administrator passwords (AB-2104, AB-2279):
bolt-cli set-admin-password --username=<name> sets a temporary password for the named administrator. bolt-cli set-admin-password --password-stdin reads the new password from standard input.
- Installer (AB-2237, AB-2277): When an install cannot finish, the installer says what is missing. Its output ends with a command that runs the installer again with the same arguments.
Mail, DNS and SSL
- Outbound Relay for selected domains (AB-2220, AB-2341): Email Settings > Outbound Relay can send mail through the relay only for selected recipient domains. All other mail is delivered directly. The administrators get a notice when a domain is taken off the list.
- Default DNS TTL (AB-2095): Settings > DNS Settings sets a Default TTL for new DNS records. It applies in the admin and client forms, the DNS APIs, new subdomains and new template records. Apply default TTL under More actions on DNS Templates updates the stored template records. Existing zones change only when a template is applied.
- AutoSSL for new accounts (AB-2092): SSL > AutoSSL has a New accounts switch. It decides whether new hosting accounts start with AutoSSL. The admin API offers the same setting. Parked domains, including their
www name, are covered by their main domain's certificate.
- DKIM for subdomains (AB-2024, AB-2256, AB-2257, AB-2258): Mail from a hosted subdomain passes the receiver's DKIM check once its DNS is in place. This also holds after the subdomain is renamed. DNS records the customer added stay as they are.
- Mailbox size in default packages (AB-2161): Mailboxes in the Unlimited and Default hosting packages follow each package's Max Box Quota, 10000 MiB and 500 MiB. The upgrade updates these two packages unless an administrator changed them. Existing mailboxes keep their size.
- AI Assistant mailboxes (AB-2287): The client AI Assistant creates a mailbox with the plan's default size, unless the user asks for a size. When the requested size is over the limit, it says so.
PHP and websites
- End-of-life PHP versions (AB-2108): New installs set up only PHP versions that still get security fixes. PHP Versions marks end-of-life versions and names the risk before you install one. The domain, hosting plan and migration PHP selectors warn when one is picked. Imports and migrations install the PHP version a site needs. When they assign another version, they say why.
- PCRE JIT switch (AB-2034): Configure PHP Version has a PCRE JIT compilation switch for PHP 7.0 and newer. The admin API reads and sets the same value.
- PHP Memory Limit (AB-1685, AB-1713): Memory Limit on PHP Domain Assignment, on the client domain screen and in the APIs refuses a new value the panel does not support. System Updates lists each domain that the upgrade set to the default 128M.
- Create domain (AB-2118): The client Create domain form shows the document root as the panel will create it. Errors in the domain or subdomain name show under the field.
- Git Version Control (AB-1620, AB-2330, AB-2343): Git Version Control trims spaces and line breaks around a pasted clone URL. A failed clone or pull names its cause. An untrusted or changed SSH host key gets its own message.
- Web server installs (AB-2269): When a LiteSpeed or OpenLiteSpeed install cannot reach a package repository, the step says so. It asks you to check the server's network, firewall and DNS.
Databases
- MySQL 8.0 database servers (AB-2331): The panel manages servers whose database is MySQL 8.0, also with MySQL Governor. Health and Database Settings show MySQL there. They do not offer a MariaDB install or series upgrade on such a server.
- Cron jobs of suspended accounts (AB-2331): A suspended account's cron jobs pause until the account is unsuspended.
Migrations and multi-server management
- Migration onto a smaller server (AB-1686): When the whole source does not fit on this server, the external migration preflight shows the needed and free space as a warning. You can then pick the accounts that fit. A selection that does not fit is refused at the start, with the sizes, before anything is copied.
- Source server fingerprint (AB-1719): The external migration wizard shows the source server's fingerprint. It connects only after you approve it.
- Migrated main and addon domains (AB-1828): Main and addon domains of a migrated account get their mail, autoconfig and webmail names like any other domain. Sites migrated earlier get the same on upgrade and keep their PHP version. Addon domains count towards the plan's Addon Domains limit.
- Partial migration between nodes (AB-1892): A hub migration ends as completed with warnings when the target could not set up part of the account. Examples are a remote MySQL host, a mailbox, a database grant or a Git repository. The result names each step, the target and what to do.
- Node without a license (AB-2286): When a node added with Install AdminBolt on a new server has no license, the hub says that the node needs its own AdminBolt license and how to add one. The node list shows No license with the reason. The hub API reports the license state.
Updates and server management
- Interrupted updates (AB-1844, AB-1851): When an update stops before it finishes, System Updates shows it until it is repaired or dismissed. The page offers Repair and finish the update, with the commands to run on the server.
- System Updates status (AB-2196, AB-2197, AB-2284): System Updates shows the number of pending package updates and security updates. When the package check cannot finish, the page, the API and the Attention Center say so. Install update says when another update or check is running.
- Panel downgrade guard (AB-2191): A
dnf downgrade of bolt-panel to an older version stops before anything changes. It explains how to restore the backup made before the upgrade.
- Firewall port ranges (AB-1845): Firewall rules accept a port range such as
2000-3000, on the create and edit forms and in bolt-cli firewall --port.
- Disk quota setup (AB-2235): When disk quotas need a reboot, the disk quota status and the plan limits page say so.
bolt-cli manage-disk-quota --action=install prepares the server for quotas after you agree.
AdminBolt usage statistics
- Usage statistics (AB-2229): Each server reports which AdminBolt software and services it runs and the result of each panel update. Reports contain versions, settings and counts. They contain nothing that identifies a customer. Reports are on by default, also on upgraded servers. Settings > System > AdminBolt usage statistics turns them off and lists what is sent and what is never sent. Show last report opens the last report sent.
Security and reliability
- Security and reliability (AB-1407, AB-1415, AB-1653, AB-1696, AB-1704, AB-1726, AB-1781, AB-1850, AB-1867, AB-1871, AB-1884, AB-2114, AB-2149, AB-2205, AB-2213, AB-2264, AB-2265, AB-2270, AB-2271, AB-2272, AB-2273, AB-2276, AB-2278, AB-2282, AB-2283, AB-2302, AB-2342, AB-2344, AB-2368): Installs, upgrades, PHP hosting, DNS, certificates, migrations, webmail, the database tools and the admin API are more secure and reliable. Servers without their own hostname certificate get a new certificate for the panel, mail and FTP. Mail and FTP clients may ask to accept it once.
- Apache settings (AB-2328): Saved Apache settings the panel does not accept are reset to defaults. Health names each one.
Install
curl -sSL https://get.adminbolt.com/install.sh | bash
Upgrade from 1.9.4
- Log in to the Admin Panel.
- Open Settings, then System Updates under System.
- Click Check for updates and review the release notes.
- Click Install update if a newer version is available.
