Run your own small hosting service with AdminBolt on a VPS

A control panel on a VPS lets you host several websites for other people, such as clients, friends or a small community. AdminBolt has a customer area and a reseller area built for this, and it can be installed on a RackNerd VPS in a few clicks. The harder part is the work around it: backups, security, support and keeping other people's sites online.

This guide explains when running your own small hosting service makes sense, what it involves, and when buying reseller hosting instead is the better choice. It is for freelancers, web designers and small agencies. It does not list prices and does not give legal advice.

What is in this guide

• Three ways to host for clients
• Why use a VPS and a panel
• Why not
• How big a server
• A step-by-step plan
• The jobs you take on
• Setting expectations with clients
• Working out if it pays
• Limits
• When to step up

Three ways to host for clients

Option	What it is	Your workload
Reseller hosting	You rent a bundle of accounts from a host that runs the servers	Low. The host handles the server
A VPS with a panel	You run one server with a panel such as AdminBolt, and host clients on it	Medium to high. You run the server
Client buys their own hosting	You build the site, the client pays the host	Lowest. Simple to explain

See reseller hosting for freelancers and small agencies and shared or reseller hosting? for the first option in detail.

Why use a VPS and a panel

• Control. You choose the location, the software and the limits.
• Flexibility. You can run things reseller plans do not allow, such as extra services next to the sites.
• Panel features. Customers get their own logins to manage their sites, email and databases, without access to your server.
• Predictable server cost. You pay for one server, however many small sites it hosts, within its resources.
• Learning. Running a server teaches you a lot.

Why not

• You are the support team. If a client's site goes down at night, it is your problem.
• Security is yours. One hacked site can affect others on the same server. See what to do if your VPS is hacked.
• Backups are yours. RackNerd VPS plans do not include backups by default.
• Email is hard. Good delivery takes care, and one spammy account can get the server's address blocked.
• AdminBolt is new. It has a shorter track record than the older panels, and the panel licence is an extra cost. Read its current terms.
• It is a real commitment. Clients rely on you for months or years.

If those points make you uneasy, reseller hosting from a host is probably the better path, and you can move to your own server later.

How big a server

Plan	Reasonable for
2 GB	Trying it out, or a very few tiny static sites
4 GB	A handful of small brochure sites with light traffic
6 to 8 GB	More sites, WordPress with plugins, and busier databases

A panel, web server, PHP, databases and mail all use memory. In one independent review, a 4 GB server running AdminBolt used roughly 1.3 to 1.4 GB with little traffic. WordPress sites with plugins use much more. Choose with room to spare, and see how to read VPS specs.

A step-by-step plan

1. Start with your own site. Install the panel on a fresh VPS. See how to install AdminBolt on a RackNerd VPS.
2. Secure the server first. Keys, firewall, updates. See your first hour on a new RackNerd VPS.
3. Set up backups and test a restore. Include databases, and keep a copy off the server. See using a storage VPS for backups.
4. Test email, including sending to major providers and checking spam folders.
5. Host one friendly client first, ideally with a simple site, and learn from it.
6. Write down your terms for clients before taking paying ones.
7. Add monitoring. Know when a site goes down before the client tells you. See my VPS is slow or down.
8. Grow slowly, watching memory and disk as you add sites.

The jobs you take on

Job	How often
Install updates for the system and panel	Regularly, often weekly
Check backups ran, and test a restore	Weekly check, and a test every few months
Watch disk and memory	Weekly, or with alerts
Renew domains, certificates and the server	Calendar reminders
Handle client questions	As they come
Respond to abuse reports or problems	Quickly
Review accounts you no longer need	Every few months

Setting expectations with clients

• Do not promise uptime you cannot deliver. No server is up all the time.
• Explain what is backed up and for how long.
• Say who owns the domain, and keep clients' domains registered in their name where you can.
• Put terms in writing. Cover payment, renewals, what is not included and how a client can leave.
• Make leaving easy. A client who can take their site elsewhere trusts you more.

If you charge for hosting, check the rules where you live about contracts and taxes. We do not give legal advice.

Working out if it pays

1. List your yearly costs: the server, the panel licence, domains you buy, backup storage and any mail service.
2. Estimate how many clients you can serve on one server with room to spare.
3. Decide a fair price per client and see whether it covers the costs and your time.
4. Compare it with reseller hosting, where the host covers the server and you pay for accounts.

Many small operators find that the real cost is their time, not the server. Be honest about that.

Limits

• Not a business plan. This is an overview, not advice about running a company.
• AdminBolt is young. Check its current features, terms and reseller tools yourself.
• Rules apply. RackNerd's acceptable use policy applies to everything on your server, including clients' sites. Spam, mining and abuse are not allowed.
• Shared fate. One misbehaving client can affect the rest.
• No AdminBolt reseller plans known. We do not know of any listed by RackNerd. If any appear, they will be listed at the top of this page.

When to step up

Move to a bigger VPS when memory or disk is regularly high. Split clients across two servers if one is getting crowded, so a problem on one does not take down everyone. If you outgrow VPS plans, compare a dedicated server. See VPS or dedicated server?

For simpler needs, browse reseller hosting plans. To compare what is available now, start with the cheapest RackNerd VPS guide and check the sales page.