Ok!.. based on the current stats in the Poll (so far), we have
30% of the
CLI-type,
60% of
CLI/GUI-type and
10% of the
GUI-type !
Frankly, that's not what I was expecting!.. But anyway, it is what it is!
The majority of the posts are on-point, so thanks for that!.. Anybody else who wants to share his thoughts with us is still welcome.
The OP was clear :
(05-02-2020, 01:07 PM)fChk Wrote: (...) Do you actually need a control panel to manage your VPS's services? Can you do without it? or Is it absolutely vital to get the job done?
By VPS services, I mean whatever things you're running on it: Web server, databases, DNS, mail, game servers (as this seems to be the main attraction around here) etc...
Running, managing and securing a Linux system in its own right isn't a trivial task at all and assumes a wide range of knowledge that no Control Panel (CP) can ever fill. Let alone when it's also used to manage its Internet services, potentially exposing the whole system to a wide range of attacks. Especially, given that enabling/disabling a service becomes as easy as pushing a button, where an actual sysAdmin would have spent hours/days of thought as to the best way of deploying the same service the "right-way" given its own specific conditions.
You see, I'm against the one-size-fits-all mentality by principal; control panel are just a mild expression of it in the system administration area.
When you depend on CP, you lose your freedom! As instead of dealing with an issue in its fundamental ways, you start thinking of it from the standpoint of the CP that you're using--which is never the cleanest way to approach a problem. Hence, why it's a necessity for you to AT LEAST BE AWARE OF ALL THE ASSUMPTIONS (explicit or implicit) THAT YOUR CP HAS. Which is sad because it's a futile and time-consuming exercise and really counter-productive in the long-run!...
Because at some point issues will start piling with that CP (as with any software that you don't control) and you'll start feeling trapped!.. You then start looking for an alternative, then the same learning curve about the assumptions of the new CP will start again from THE VERY BEGINNING, only to learn that the old one and the new one do things differently!.. [I'm dramatising here :-) but not that far from reality!]
My rule was always to never depend on any 3rd-party software in anything. Principle that I also apply on the Web, where I never use any generic framework, WebApps or even Libraries (except for a select few!) When you need something,
just Do It Yourself!.. Some may think of it as a 'rediscovering the wheel' kind of thing, but I think of it as a way of
building a sound expertise.
This state of mind of mine, out of the way, I can now say that pretty much everything I do in VPS management has always been via CLI and it's not as daunting as it seems to be, quite the opposite actually. When everything is done via CLI, scripting it comes next!.. and when tasks get scripted, automation is guaranteed.
In summary, by using CLI you (hopefully) got total control over your system:
> you get to know the nut and bolt of your system: capabilities (strengths/weaknesses) etc... Thus,
> you can customize it as you wish, by running whatever service you want, the way you want it and when you want it.
> you can secure it as you wish (by putting whatever policies you want given your specific needs.)
Now, this been said, I still get the point of those 60% who go for a GUI when they can, but of course I can't subscribe to it (for the reasons outlined above.) As to our 10% who can't do anything without a GUI, I encourage them to take their time and learn Linux administration the right way (ie. via CLI.) It should be a time well-spent in the long-run.
Thanks again for everybody's contribution.
