How to Install Cockpit Web Console on Ubuntu Linux

Installing the Cockpit web console on Ubuntu Linux lets you manage your server using a web browser.

Cockpit is a free, open-source tool that gives you a graphical interface for your server. It means you can do things like check storage, set up networks, and manage services without needing to use complex command-line instructions.

This guide covers installing Cockpit on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, but the steps generally work for other recent Ubuntu versions too. Cockpit provides a simple dashboard to see and control how your server is running.

Install Cockpit web interface

You can install the Cockpit web console on Ubuntu Linux using commands in your terminal. You can manage your server through a web browser, and since the packages are already in Ubuntu’s standard software sources, installation is quite simple.

Let’s get it installed.

The necessary Cockpit packages are available in Ubuntu’s default repositories, so no extra sources are needed.

Install Cockpit with the commands below.

sudo apt update
sudo apt-get install cockpit
sudo apt-get install cockpit-podman

After installation, you’ll want to enable its services to ensure they start automatically on boot.

sudo systemctl start cockpit
sudo systemctl enable cockpit

Confirm that Cockpit is installed and running by executing the following command.

systemctl status cockpit

By default, Cockpit uses network port 9090. If you have the Ubuntu firewall enabled, you’ll need to allow connections (or ‘traffic’) to this port.

Use this command to open it up.

sudo ufw allow 9090
sudo ufw allow 80
sudo ufw reload

Once all the steps are complete, open your browser and go to your server’s hostname or IP address, followed by port # 9090.

http://localhost:9090

The Cockpit login page should appear. Enter your server admin credentials and sign in.

Manage your server from the dashboard.

This completes the setup.

Conclusion:

• Cockpit provides an easy and intuitive way to manage Ubuntu Linux servers using a web-based interface, making it accessible to novice and experienced users.
• With Cockpit, users can start containers, configure networks, manage storage, inspect logs, and handle most system settings across servers from a user-friendly interface.
• 💿 Installing and enabling Cockpit on Ubuntu Linux involves running a few straightforward commands in the terminal. Once set up, users can access it through a web browser to start managing their servers efficiently.