Info needed

[gokkstudio]

Hi guys,

I’m new to OpenPanel and have a few questions before testing it for a managed hosting setup.

1. SMTP relay / smarthost

• Does OpenPanel email support outbound SMTP relay / smarthost configuration per server or per domain?
• For example, can outbound mail be reliably routed through SMTP2GO, MailChannels, MailBaby, or similar services?
• Is this supported from the GUI, CLI, or only by manually editing Postfix/Exim configuration?
• Will OpenPanel updates overwrite custom mail relay configuration?

2. Mail stack

• What mail stack does OpenPanel currently use?
• Is email included only in Enterprise?
• Are DKIM, SPF, DMARC, and mail queue management handled from the panel?
• Is per-domain mail routing supported?

3. Full account backup / restore

Does OpenPanel currently support full account backups, including:

• website files
• databases
• DNS zones
• email accounts / mailboxes
• account settings

Additional questions:

• Can a full account backup be restored on another OpenPanel server?
• Is this currently stable enough for production use?

4. Remote backups

• Which remote backup destinations are currently supported?
• Is Google Drive supported natively?
• If not, are S3-compatible storage, Backblaze B2, Hetzner Storage Box, FTP/SFTP, or rclone supported/recommended?
• Can backups be scheduled per account and retained with custom retention rules?

5. cPanel import

What exactly is imported from a cPanel full backup?

Are the following included?

• files
• databases
• DNS zones
• email accounts
• mailboxes
• cron jobs
• SSL certificates
• redirects

Are there any known limitations with cPanel imports?

6. Panel ports and firewall

• Can the admin/client panel ports be changed?
• Is it safe to block the panel ports at provider firewall level and only open them when needed?
• Will this affect user websites, mail, DNS, SSL renewal, or background tasks?

7. DNS

• Does OpenPanel support full DNS zone editing per domain?
• Can I use custom nameservers?
• Is DNSSEC supported or planned?
• Is DNS clustering / secondary DNS supported or planned?

Thanks.

[stefanpejcic]

Hello,

Best to install it and test for yourself, there is a 30d trial available (links on blog and forums).

---

1. SMTP relay / smarthost

• Does OpenPanel email support outbound SMTP relay / smarthost configuration per server or per domain?

Yes: https://openpanel.com/docs/admin/emails/settings/#relay-hosts

• For example, can outbound mail be reliably routed through SMTP2GO, MailChannels, MailBaby, or similar services?

Yes, any relay host.

• Is this supported from the GUI, CLI, or only by manually editing Postfix/Exim configuration?

From the GUI on OpenAdmin > Emails > Settings page: https://openpanel.com/docs/admin/emails/settings/#relay-hosts

• Will OpenPanel updates overwrite custom mail relay configuration?

No, configurations are not overwritten on update.

2. Mail stack

• What mail stack does OpenPanel currently use?

https://docker-mailserver.github.io/docker-mailserver/latest/

• Is email included only in Enterprise?

Yes

• Are DKIM, SPF, DMARC, and mail queue management handled from the panel?

No. Best to check the demo for all the available options.

DKIM and mail queus are currently managable only via terminal.
SPF is set from the panel in DNS Zone Editor

• Is per-domain mail routing supported?

Yes, postfix supports it, but editing the conf manually is needed.

3. Full account backup / restore

Does OpenPanel currently support full account backups, including:

• website files
• databases
• DNS zones
• email accounts / mailboxes
• account settings

No. backups contain only the data itself: https://openpanel.com/docs/panel/files/backups/

Additional questions:

• Can a full account backup be restored on another OpenPanel server?

Yes, we do have a transfer option so you can transfer full account between servers.

• Is this currently stable enough for production use?

Yes.

4. Remote backups

• Which remote backup destinations are currently supported?

from the docs: https://openpanel.com/docs/panel/files/backups/#destinations

• S3 storage - AWS S3, Filebase, MinIO, etc.

• WebDAV - Remote backups using WebDAV.

• SSH - Remote backups via SSH to another server.

• Azure - Remote backups to Azure Blob Storage.

• Dropbox - Remote backups to Dropbox cloud storage.

• Is Google Drive supported natively?

No.

• If not, are S3-compatible storage, Backblaze B2, Hetzner Storage Box, FTP/SFTP, or rclone supported/recommended?

Yes, everything that uses S3.

• Can backups be scheduled per account and retained with custom retention rules?

Of course: https://openpanel.com/docs/panel/files/backups/#rotation

5. cPanel import

What exactly is imported from a cPanel full backup?

├─ DOMAINS:
│  ├─ Primary domain, Addons, Aliases and Subdomains
│  ├─ DNS zones
│  ├─ SSL certificates
│  ├─ Modsecurity status
│  └─ Access logs (Apache domlogs)
├─ WEBSITES:
│  └─ WordPress instalations from WP Toolkit & Softaculous 
├─ DATABASES:
│    ├─ MySQL databases, users and grants
│    ├─ PostgreSQL databases, users and grants
│    └─ Remote access to MySQL
├─ PHP:
│    └─ Installed version from Cloudlinux PHP Selector
├─ FILES
├─ CRONS
└─ ACCOUNT
    ├─ Account Password
    ├─ Notification preferences
    ├─ Creation date
    └─ Locale (Language)

***ftp accounts and nodejs/python apps are not yet supported***

Are the following included?

• files
• databases
• DNS zones
• email accounts
• mailboxes
• cron jobs
• SSL certificates
• redirects

yes, all 8.

Are there any known limitations with cPanel imports?

No. Both cloudlinux and standard cpanel installations are tested, no limitations im aware of.

6. Panel ports and firewall

• Can the admin/client panel ports be changed?

Yes, from OpenAdmin > Settings > General page: https://openpanel.com/docs/admin/settings/general/#ports

• Is it safe to block the panel ports at provider firewall level and only open them when needed?

Yes, that is perfectly fine.

• Will this affect user websites, mail, DNS, SSL renewal, or background tasks?

Not at all. DNS uses 53, websites&ssl use 403/80 ports, mails also use differnet ports.

7. DNS

• Does OpenPanel support full DNS zone editing per domain?

Yes, user can edit it from their panel: https://openpanel.com/docs/panel/domains/dns/#advanced-editor and admin can edit it from admin panel: https://openpanel.com/docs/admin/settings/general/#ports

• Can I use custom nameservers?

Yes, set them on openadmin > settings > openpanel page: https://openpanel.com/docs/panel/domains/dns/#advanced-editor

• Is DNSSEC supported or planned?

DNSSEC is supported, currently you can enable it from terminal only - no GUI options.

• Is DNS clustering / secondary DNS supported or planned?

supported: https://openpanel.com/docs/admin/domains/dns-cluster/