How to Install Cockpit Web Console on Ubuntu Linux

Cockpit is a free web-based management tool for Ubuntu Linux that lets you control your server through a visual browser dashboard instead of the command line. You can check CPU usage, manage storage drives, and update software using simple point-and-click menus.

Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and newer releases support Cockpit out of the box with a quick terminal installation. Setup takes a few minutes. Afterward you can reach your system diagnostics and logs from any web browser on your network.

Before you start, make sure you have a user account with sudo rights on the server, and that the server can reach the internet to download packages. It works the same on Ubuntu Server and Ubuntu Desktop.

Install Cockpit web interface

You can install the 💿 Cockpit web console on Ubuntu using the built-in package manager by running a few short commands in your terminal. The official Ubuntu repositories already contain all the required files, so you do not need to add any outside software sources or change complicated system settings. The whole process comes down to five parts: install the package, enable the service, check its status, open the firewall port, and log in from a browser.

Run every installation command in a terminal window on the server. If you are working remotely, connect over SSH first and run the commands in that session.

The default Ubuntu repositories include all the Cockpit packages you need, so no external software sources are required. This also means Cockpit gets security fixes through the normal Ubuntu update channel, like any other package on the system.

Install Cockpit with the commands below.

1. Open a terminal on the server, or connect to it over SSH.
2. Run the commands shown below. Enter your password if sudo asks for it.
3. Wait for the package manager to finish. You should see it download and unpack the packages and then return to the prompt without errors.

If the package manager says it cannot find the package, check that your internet connection works and that the package lists are up to date. Then run the install again.

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

Enable the Cockpit service so it starts automatically every time your server boots. Without this step, the web console would be unavailable after each restart until you started it by hand.

1. Run the command shown below in your terminal.
2. Check the output. You should see the command complete without an error message.

No restart of the server is needed. To reverse this later, disable the same service with the matching command and Cockpit will no longer start at boot.

sudo systemctl start cockpit
sudo systemctl enable cockpit

Confirm that Cockpit runs properly by executing the following status check.

1. Run the status command shown below.
2. Read the output. A healthy service shows active, usually in green.
3. Press q to leave the status view if the terminal does not return to the prompt on its own.

If the output shows failed or inactive, run the enable command again and check the status once more. Read the last lines of the status output, since they usually name the cause.

systemctl status cockpit

Port 9090 is the default network port Cockpit listens on. If the Ubuntu firewall is active, it needs an explicit rule allowing inbound traffic on this port before the dashboard will load. Ubuntu's firewall is often switched off on a fresh install. In that case you can skip this step, although it is still good practice to have a firewall running on a server that other machines can reach.

Use the command below to open the port.

1. Run the firewall command shown below in your terminal.
2. Read the confirmation message. It should say the rule was added or updated.

If your server sits behind a cloud provider's firewall or security group, allow port 9090 there too. Otherwise the page will still time out. To undo this later, delete the rule with the same firewall tool.

sudo ufw allow 9090
sudo ufw allow 80
sudo ufw reload

Open the Cockpit page by entering your server hostname or IP address followed by port 9090 in your web browser.

1. Open a browser on any computer that can reach the server over the network.
2. Type the server hostname or IP address into the address bar, add :9090 after it, and press Enter.
3. If the browser shows a certificate warning, this is expected. Cockpit uses a self-signed certificate by default. Choose the option to continue to the site, which is usually under Advanced.

If the page never loads, check three things: the service is running, the firewall allows port 9090, and the address you typed is correct. Working on the server itself, you can use localhost as the hostname.

https://localhost:9090

The login page appears right away. Sign in with the credentials of a user account on the server.

1. Enter your Ubuntu User name and Password.
2. Click Log in. The Cockpit overview page should open.

Use an account that has sudo rights if you plan to change settings, install updates, or manage services. A regular account without those rights can look around but cannot make system changes. Cockpit blocks direct logins for the root account by default, so log in as your normal admin user. If the page shows Limited access at the top, click it and enter your password to turn on administrative access.

Once you are logged in, you can manage server operations directly from the dashboard. Use the menu on the left to move between pages.

• Overview shows CPU, memory, and basic system information.
• Logs lets you browse and filter system messages.
• Storage shows your drives and their usage.
• Networking shows interfaces and traffic and lets you change network settings.
• Software updates lets you check for and install updates.
• Terminal gives you a command line inside the browser.

Some pages, such as container management, depend on extra Cockpit add-on packages. If a page you expect is missing from the menu, the matching add-on is probably not installed yet. Changes you make on these pages take effect on the server immediately.

This completes the setup. Cockpit is installed, starts on boot, and is reachable from your browser on port 9090.

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.