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Hub ​

AdminBolt can run in two modes. By default a panel is standalone: it manages a single server and everything its customers host on it. From v1.1.0 a panel can instead act as a hub that orchestrates other AdminBolt panels.

Run this panel as a fleet hub orchestrating other AdminBolt panels via their REST API.

Standalone, hub, and nodes ​

  • Standalone - the default. One panel, one server. No hub features are shown.
  • Hub - a panel with Hub Mode enabled. It does not replace the individual servers; instead it adds visibility, installation, and orchestration across all of them.
  • Node - a regular AdminBolt panel that belongs to a hub. Each node keeps running its own full panel, and customers keep logging into their own server's panel as before.

The panel's own description sums up the relationship:

When enabled, the Nodes section manages a fleet of servers, each running its own full AdminBolt panel. Customers keep logging into their own server's panel - the hub adds fleet-wide visibility, installation and orchestration.

Node roles ​

When a node joins the hub, it is tagged with the functions it fulfils - used for dashboards, filtering, and targeted orchestration:

  • WWW, SQL, Mail, DNS - the services the node runs (web, database, mail, DNS).
  • DNS slave - optionally makes the node a public secondary nameserver for the whole cluster (see DNS Cluster).

What Hub Mode unlocks ​

Enabling Hub Mode reveals the hub-management surface that is hidden on a standalone panel. These pages live under the Cluster menu:

  • Hub Dashboard - resources, inventory, and service status for every server.
  • Nodes - connect and manage the remote servers in the hub.
  • DNS Cluster - unified nameservers, slave servers, and external DNS sources.
  • Global DNS Zones - every zone served by the cluster and where it originates.
  • Fleet Accounts - browse and suspend accounts across the hub, and migrate an account from one node to another.
  • Account Migrations - track account migrations between members.

Hub Mode itself is configured on the Hub Mode page (under System).

Hub migration moves accounts between AdminBolt nodes

Everything the hub calls "migration" happens between AdminBolt nodes that are already connected to the hub, and it carries the account configuration only. Bringing a cPanel or DirectAdmin server into AdminBolt is a different job for a different tool - see Migrating to AdminBolt. External cPanel, DirectAdmin, and Plesk servers can also be attached to a hub as DNS sources, but that is a read-only zone mirror and moves no hosting at all.

Getting started ​

  1. Open Hub Mode and turn on Enable hub mode, give the hub a display name, and save.
  2. Add servers from Nodes - either pair an existing AdminBolt panel via its API key, or have the hub install a fresh one over SSH.
  3. Optionally set up the DNS Cluster so every federated domain shares one set of nameservers.