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. Setting up the web console takes just a few moments and gives you direct access to your system diagnostics and logs from any web browser on your network.

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. Because the official Ubuntu repositories already contain all the required files, you do not need to add any outside software sources or change complicated system settings to get the web interface up and running.

Run the installation commands in your terminal.

Default repositories include all required Cockpit packages, eliminating the need for external software sources.

Install Cockpit with the commands below.

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.

sudo systemctl start cockpit
sudo systemctl enable cockpit

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

systemctl status cockpit

Port 9090 serves as the default network listener for Cockpit. Active Ubuntu firewalls require an explicit rule to permit inbound traffic on this port before the dashboard loads.

Use this command to open the port.

sudo ufw allow 9090
sudo ufw allow 80
sudo ufw reload

Navigate to your server hostname or IP address appended with port 9090 in your web browser.

http://localhost:9090

The login portal appears immediately. Authenticate using administrative server credentials to access the interface.

Manage server operations directly 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.