How to Install Webmin with Free Let’s Encrypt SSL on Windows VPS

Author: Łukasz Bodźiony, CEO of NETCLOUD24.COM | Windows VPS

Webmin is a powerful web-based interface for system administration on Unix-like systems. This guide, authored by Łukasz Bodźiony, CEO of NETCLOUD24.COM, provides instructions for installing Webmin (current version 2.402 as of August 2025) on Rocky Linux 8, FreeBSD, Ubuntu, Debian, or AlmaLinux 12 using manual setup, Docker, Ansible, Kubernetes, and Terraform, with Let’s Encrypt SSL via Nginx reverse proxy. For reliable VPS hosting, explore Netcloud24.

Prerequisites

• VPS running Rocky Linux 8, FreeBSD, Ubuntu, Debian, or AlmaLinux 12 (e.g., from Netcloud24)
• SSH access with root or sudo privileges
• A registered domain name
• Basic knowledge of Linux/FreeBSD commands

Method 1: Manual Setup

Step 1: Update System and Install Dependencies

Rocky Linux 8 / AlmaLinux 12:

sudo dnf update -y
sudo dnf install -y wget perl nginx

Ubuntu / Debian:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y wget perl nginx

FreeBSD:

sudo pkg update && sudo pkg upgrade -y
sudo pkg install -y wget perl5 nginx

Step 2: Install Webmin

Rocky Linux 8 / AlmaLinux 12:

curl -o webmin-setup-repo.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/webmin/webmin/master/webmin-setup-repo.sh
sh webmin-setup-repo.sh
sudo dnf install webmin

Ubuntu / Debian:

curl -o webmin-setup-repo.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/webmin/webmin/master/webmin-setup-repo.sh
sh webmin-setup-repo.sh
sudo apt-get install webmin --install-recommends

FreeBSD:

cd /tmp
wget https://download.webmin.com/download/webmin-current.tar.gz
gunzip webmin-current.tar.gz
tar xf webmin-current.tar
cd webmin-*
./setup.sh /usr/local/webmin

Step 3: Configure Nginx as Reverse Proxy

Create the configuration file:

Rocky Linux 8 / AlmaLinux 12 / Ubuntu / Debian:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/conf.d/webmin.conf

FreeBSD:

sudo nano /usr/local/etc/nginx/webmin.conf

Add the following:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name yourdomain.com;
    location / {
        proxy_pass https://localhost:10000/;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }
}

Restart Nginx:

sudo systemctl restart nginx  # For Linux
sudo service nginx restart    # For FreeBSD

Step 4: Access Webmin

Access Webmin at http://yourdomain.com and log in with your system credentials.

Method 2: Docker Setup

Step 1: Install Docker

Rocky Linux 8 / AlmaLinux 12:

sudo dnf install -y docker
sudo systemctl enable --now docker

Ubuntu / Debian:

sudo apt install -y docker.io
sudo systemctl enable --now docker

FreeBSD:

sudo pkg install -y docker
sudo sysrc docker_enable="YES"
sudo service docker start

Step 2: Run Webmin with Docker

sudo docker run -d --name webmin -p 10000:10000 -v webmin-data:/etc/webmin webmin/webmin:latest

Configure Nginx reverse proxy as above, pointing to http://localhost:10000/ if needed.

Method 3: Ansible Setup

Step 1: Install Ansible

Rocky Linux 8 / AlmaLinux 12:

sudo dnf install -y ansible

Ubuntu / Debian:

sudo apt install -y ansible

FreeBSD:

sudo pkg install -y py39-ansible

Step 2: Create Ansible Playbook

mkdir webmin-ansible && cd webmin-ansible
nano webmin.yml

Add to webmin.yml (adjust for OS):

---
- hosts: all
  become: yes
  tasks:
    - name: Download setup script
      get_url:
        url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/webmin/webmin/master/webmin-setup-repo.sh
        dest: /tmp/webmin-setup-repo.sh
        mode: '0755'
    - name: Run setup script
      command: sh /tmp/webmin-setup-repo.sh
    - name: Install Webmin (RPM)
      dnf:
        name: webmin
        state: present
      when: ansible_distribution in ['Rocky', 'AlmaLinux']
    - name: Install Webmin (DEB)
      apt:
        name: webmin
        state: present
        install_recommends: yes
      when: ansible_distribution in ['Ubuntu', 'Debian']

For FreeBSD, adapt for tar installation.

Step 3: Run Playbook

ansible-playbook webmin.yml

Method 4: Kubernetes Setup

Step 1: Install Kubernetes

Install kubeadm or k3s as per OS.

Step 2: Deploy Webmin

kubectl apply -f - <

Method 5: Terraform Setup

Step 1: Install Terraform

Install as per OS.

Step 2: Create Configuration

mkdir webmin-terraform && cd webmin-terraform
nano main.tf

Example for AWS:

provider "aws" {
  region = "us-east-1"
}
resource "aws_instance" "webmin" {
  ami           = "ami-example" # Replace with appropriate AMI
  instance_type = "t2.medium"
  user_data     = <<-EOF
                  #!/bin/bash
                  curl -o webmin-setup-repo.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/webmin/webmin/master/webmin-setup-repo.sh
                  sh webmin-setup-repo.sh
                  dnf install -y webmin
                  EOF
}

Step 3: Apply

terraform init
terraform apply

Configuring Let’s Encrypt SSL

Step 1: Install Certbot

Rocky / AlmaLinux / Ubuntu / Debian:

sudo dnf install -y certbot python3-certbot-nginx  # RPM
sudo apt install -y certbot python3-certbot-nginx  # DEB

FreeBSD:

sudo pkg install -y py39-certbot py39-certbot-nginx

Step 2: Obtain Certificate

sudo certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com

Conclusion

This guide, authored by Łukasz Bodźiony, CEO of NETCLOUD24.COM, covers Webmin installation with Let’s Encrypt SSL. Choose Netcloud24 for hosting.