How to Install Webmin on FreeBSD 14.0

Introduction

Webmin, an open-source web-based system administration tool, is ideal for managing Unix-based systems, including FreeBSD 14.0. When you install Webmin on FreeBSD 14.0, it provides a user-friendly graphical interface to handle tasks such as managing users, installing applications, and configuring server settings without requiring command-line input.

This article explains how to install Webmin on FreeBSD 14.0. You'll also secure access to the Webmin administration control panel using a Let's Encrypt SSL certificate.

Prerequisites

Before you begin:

• Deploy a FreeBSD 14.0 instance on Vultr and enable limited-user login.
• Create a new domain A record pointing to the instance's public IP address. For example, webmin.example.com.
• Access the instance using SSH.

Install Webmin on FreeBSD 14.0

Webmin is available in the default package repositories on FreeBSD. Follow the steps below to install Webmin using the default pkg package manager on your server.

1. Update the server's package information index.

   CONSOLE

   Copy

   $ sudo pkg update

   Explain Code

   Powered by Vultr AgentBeta

2. Install Webmin.

   CONSOLE

   Copy

   $ sudo pkg install webmin

   Explain Code

   Powered by Vultr AgentBeta

3. Start the Webmin setup script.

   CONSOLE

   Copy

   $ sudo /usr/local/lib/webmin/setup.sh

   Explain Code

   Powered by Vultr AgentBeta

   Respond with the following values when prompted:

   • Config file directory [/usr/local/etc/webmin]: Press Enter to install all Webmin configurations to the default /usr/local/etc/webmin directory.
   • Log file directory [/var/db/webmin]: Press Enter to write all Webmin log files to the /var/db/webmin directory.
   • Full path to perl (default /usr/local/bin/perl): Press Enter to use the default Perl path.
   • Web server port (default 10000): Press Enter to use the default Webmin port 10000 or specify a custom port to listen for incoming connections.
   • Login name (default admin): Enter your desired administrative username and press Enter. For example, webmin-admin.
   • Login password: Enter a strong user password of your choice and press Enter.
   • Password again: Repeat the password.
   • Use SSL (y/n): Enter Y to enable Webmin SSL configurations on the server.

   Output:

   ***********************************************************************
   Creating web server config files ..
   .. done
   
   Creating access control file ..
   .. done
   
   Creating start and stop init scripts ..
   .. done

4. Enable the Webmin service to automatically start at boot.

   CONSOLE

   Copy

   $ sudo sysrc webmin_enable=YES

   Explain Code

   Powered by Vultr AgentBeta

5. Start the Webmin service.

   CONSOLE

   Copy

   $ sudo service webmin start

   Explain Code

   Powered by Vultr AgentBeta

   Output:

   Starting Webmin.
   Starting Webmin server in /usr/local/lib/webmin

Secure Webmin

Webmin listens for connections on port 10000 and uses a self-signed SSL certificate by default. Follow the steps below to secure Webmin with a trusted Let's Encrypt SSL certificate.

1. Search all Certbot package versions available in the default repositories.

   CONSOLE

   Copy

   $ sudo pkg search certbot

   Explain Code

   Powered by Vultr AgentBeta

   Output:

   ...
   py311-certbot-dns...
   py311-certbot-dns...
   py311-certbot-dns...
   py311-certbot-dns...
   ...

   Based on the above output, py311-certbot is the latest version available in the package repositories on your server.

2. Install the Certbot Let's Encrypt client tool.

   CONSOLE

   Copy

   $ sudo pkg install py311-certbot

   Explain Code

   Powered by Vultr AgentBeta

3. Generate a new Let's Encrypt SSL certificate for your domain. Replace webmin.example.com with your actual domain and webmin@example.com with your email address.

   CONSOLE

   Copy

   $ sudo certbot certonly --standalone -d webmin.example.com  -m webmin@example.com --agree-tos

   Explain Code

   Powered by Vultr AgentBeta

   Output:

   Account registered
   Requesting a certificate for webmin.example.com
   Successfully received certificate.
   Certificate is saved at: /etc/letsencrypt/live/webmin.example.com/fullchain.pem
   Key is saved at:         /etc/letsencrypt/live/webmin.example.com/privkey.pem
   This certificate expires on 2024-11-26.
   These files will be updated when the certificate renews.
   ...

   Certbot stores the new SSL certificate in the /usr/local/etc/letsencrypt/live/webmin.example.com directory based on the above output. Within the directory:

   • fullchain.pem: The SSL certificate file.
   • privkey.pem: The private key file.

4. Run the following command to merge the SSL certificate and private key into a single .pem file. For example, webmin.pem.

   CONSOLE

   Copy

   $ sudo cat /usr/local/etc/letsencrypt/live/webmin.example.com/fullchain.pem /usr/local/etc/letsencrypt/live/webmin.example.com/privkey.pem > webmin.pem

   Explain Code

   Powered by Vultr AgentBeta

5. Move the webmin.pem certificate file to the Webmin configurations directory.

   CONSOLE

   Copy

   $ sudo mv webmin.pem /usr/local/etc/webmin/

   Explain Code

   Powered by Vultr AgentBeta

6. Open the main Webmin configuration file using a text editor like vi.

   CONSOLE

   Copy

   $ sudo vi /usr/local/etc/webmin/miniserv.conf

   Explain Code

   Powered by Vultr AgentBeta

7. Find and replace the keyfile value with your webmin.pem SSL certificate path.

   INI

   Copy

   keyfile=/usr/local/etc/webmin/webmin.pem

   Explain Code

   Powered by Vultr AgentBeta

   Save and close the file.

8. Restart Webmin to apply the configuration changes.

   CONSOLE

   Copy

   $ sudo service webmin restart

   Explain Code

   Powered by Vultr AgentBeta

For Debian users, follow this article to install Webmin on Debian 12 and manage your system efficiently.

Set Up Firewall Rules

Follow the steps below to configure IPFW and allow the default Webmin interface port 10000 and the HTTPS port 443 through the firewall.

1. Enable the IPFQ firewall service to automatically start at boot.

   CONSOLE

   Copy

   $ sudo sysrc firewall_enable="YES"

   Explain Code

   Powered by Vultr AgentBeta

2. Set the firewall type to workstation to allow outgoing and incoming connections on the server.

   CONSOLE

   Copy

   $ sudo sysrc firewall_type="workstation"

   Explain Code

   Powered by Vultr AgentBeta

3. Create a new ipfw.rules file to store your firewall rules.

   CONSOLE

   Copy

   $ sudo vi /etc/ipfw.rules

   Explain Code

   Powered by Vultr AgentBeta

4. Add the following rules to the file.

   INI

   Copy

   ipfw -q -f flush
   ipfw add allow tcp from any to any 22 in
   ipfw add allow tcp from any to any 10000 in
   ipfw add allow tcp from any to any 443 in
   ipfw add deny tcp from any to any 80 in
   ipfw add allow tcp from any to any established
   ipfw add allow icmp from any to any

   Explain Code

   Powered by Vultr AgentBeta

   Save and close the file.

   Within the above firewall rules configuration:

   • ipfw -q -f flush: Flushes all existing rules.
   • ipfw add allow tcp from any to any 10000 in: Allows connections to the Webmin port 10000.
   • ipfw add allow tcp from any to any 443 in: Allows incoming HTTPS connections on port 443.
   • ipfw add deny tcp from any to any 80 in: Denies insecure HTTP connections on port 80.
   • ipfw add allow tcp from any to any established: Allows all traffic for established TCP connections.
   • ipfw add allow icmp from any to any: Allows ICMP connections.

5. Enable IPFW to load and use the firewall rules configuration at boot.

   CONSOLE

   Copy

   $ sudo sysrc firewall_script="/etc/ipfw.rules"

   Explain Code

   Powered by Vultr AgentBeta

6. Start the IPFW firewall service to apply changes.

   CONSOLE

   Copy

   $ sudo service ipfw start

   Explain Code

   Powered by Vultr AgentBeta

   Output:

   00100 allow tcp from any to any 10000 in
   00200 allow tcp from any to any 443 in
   00300 deny tcp from any to any 80 in
   00400 allow tcp from any to any established
   00500 allow icmp from any to any
   Firewall rules loaded

Access Webmin

Webmin runs on the default port 10000 on your server unless you change the port using the web administration interface. Follow the steps below to access the Webmin web administration interface.

1. Access your Webmin domain on port 10000 using a web browser such as Chrome.

   https://webmin.example.com:10000

2. Enter the administrative user credentials, such as webmin-admin and webmin-password that you created earlier and click Sign in to log in to the Webmin interface .

   

3. View the real-time processor information, memory usage, disk space, running processes, and statistics history under System Information.

   

4. Expand the System drop-down on the main navigation menu to manage tasks on your FreeBSD server. For example, click Running Processes to view all active processes.

   

5. Expand the Tools drop-down and select File Manager to manage files and directories.

   

Looking to install Webmin on a different system? Follow this guide to install Webmin on Ubuntu for detailed steps.

Conclusion

You have installed Webmin on FreeBSD 14.0 and accessed the web administration interface to manage your server. The Webmin control panel offers multiple tools for installing packages, uploading files, and performing other administration tasks on your server. For more information and configuration options, please visit the Webmin documentation.