DirectAdmin Dashboard Overview and Navigation

DirectAdmin features a clean, modern interface organized into logical sections. This guide helps you navigate the dashboard and find the tools you need to manage your hosting account.

Dashboard Home

When you log in to DirectAdmin, you are greeted with the main dashboard showing:

• Account Summary — Disk usage, bandwidth usage, email accounts, databases, and domains
• Quick Links — Fast access to frequently used features
• System Information — Server hostname, IP address, and your username
• Search — Type to filter and find any feature instantly

Tip: DirectAdmin's search function is very responsive — use it to quickly jump to any tool without navigating through menus.

Account Manager

The Account Manager section handles your hosting account settings:

• Domain Setup — Add, remove, and manage addon domains and subdomains
• DNS Management — Edit A, CNAME, MX, TXT, and other DNS records
• SSL Certificates — Install and manage Let's Encrypt or custom SSL certificates
• Site Redirection — Set up 301 and 302 URL redirects
• Domain Pointers — Point additional domains to your main site
• Subdomain Management — Create and manage subdomains

E-Mail Manager

Comprehensive email management tools:

• E-Mail Accounts — Create, modify, and remove email addresses
• Forwarders — Set up email forwarding rules
• Autoresponders — Configure automatic replies
• Webmail — Access Roundcube webmail directly
• Spam Filters — Adjust SpamAssassin settings and thresholds
• Catch-All — Configure a default email address for unmatched recipients
• Email Limits — View your sending limits and current usage
• DKIM Keys — Manage DomainKeys Identified Mail for email authentication

Advanced Features

Power tools for experienced users:

• Cron Jobs — Schedule automated tasks
• SSH Keys — Manage SSH public keys for passwordless login
• Custom Error Pages — Design custom 403, 404, and 500 error pages
• Apache Handlers — Configure how specific file types are processed
• MIME Types — Add custom MIME type definitions
• Hotlink Protection — Prevent other websites from linking to your files
• Password Protected Directories — Add HTTP authentication to folders
• ModSecurity — Web application firewall configuration

Files Section

• File Manager — Browser-based file management with upload, download, edit, and permission tools
• FTP Accounts — Create and manage FTP user accounts
• Disk Usage — View storage consumption by directory
• JetBackup — Access automated backup restore tools

Databases

• MySQL Management — Create and manage MySQL/MariaDB databases
• phpMyAdmin — Web-based database administration tool
• Database Users — Create users and assign permissions
• Remote Database Access — Allow external connections to your databases

System Info and Logs

• Statistics — Bandwidth and visitor statistics by domain
• Error Logs — View Apache and PHP error logs for debugging
• Access Logs — Raw access logs for traffic analysis
• Resource Usage — CloudLinux resource consumption (CPU, RAM, I/O, entry processes)

Extra Features

• Softaculous — One-click application installer (WordPress, Joomla, etc.)
• PHP Version Selector — Choose PHP version per domain via CloudLinux
• Node.js Application — Deploy Node.js apps using the CloudLinux selector
• Python Application — Deploy Python apps using the CloudLinux selector

Customizing Your Dashboard

DirectAdmin allows some personalization:

• Skin Selection — Choose between available dashboard themes
• Two-Factor Auth — Enable 2FA under account settings
• Password Change — Update your DirectAdmin password
• Login History — Review recent login activity

Related Articles

• How to Login to DirectAdmin
• DirectAdmin Hosting Features Overview
• How to Reset Your DirectAdmin Password

Need help navigating DirectAdmin? Contact {{SUPPORT_EMAIL}} for guidance.