Initial Panel Configuration

This guide covers the first steps in the Pterodactyl Panel that the Server4You app template has pre-installed on your server: first login, securing the admin account, setting the Application URL and configuring SMTP mail.

Step 1: First Login

Open your browser and navigate to your server's IP address or hostname. You can find the hostname in the PowerPanel under Hardware → Server Management → Details.

Field	Value
Username	root
Password	The password you set during OS installation in the PowerPanel

Step 2: Update Your Administrator Account

After logging in, update the default administrator account with your own details. This is important both for security and for receiving panel notifications correctly. You can change the username and name in the Admin Area; your password, email address and two-step verification can also be managed under Account via the user icon in the upper-right corner.

1.Open the Admin Area via the gear icon ⚙ in the upper-right corner, click Users in the sidebar and select your account

2.Update the Username, Email, Client First Name and Client Last Name fields

3.Click Update User

Do not continue using the default root username for your administrator account. Changing it to something unique makes your panel significantly more secure.

Step 3: Set the Application URL

The Application URL tells your panel how to generate correct links for emails, redirects, and API calls. It should match the address you use to access the panel. It cannot be changed in the Admin Area; you set it on the command line instead.

1.Connect to your server as root via SSH

2.Change to the panel directory — by default cd /var/www/pterodactyl

3.Run php artisan p:environment:setup and enter your domain or IP address at the Application URL prompt — e.g. https://panel.yourdomain.com

4.Confirm the remaining prompts with Enter to keep their current values

Step 4: Configure Mail Server Settings

Configuring a mail server enables Pterodactyl to send password reset emails, user invitations, and other notifications. Without this, users will not be able to reset their passwords.

1.In the Admin Area, open Settings and switch to the Mail tab

2.If the tab shows a notice that the interface is limited to SMTP, first run php artisan p:environment:mail via SSH in /var/www/pterodactyl and select SMTP as the driver

3.Enter your SMTP server details — SMTP Host, SMTP Port, Encryption, Username, Password and Mail From — and click Save

4.Use the Test button to send a test email and verify the settings

If you do not have a dedicated mail server, you can use an external SMTP service such as Mailgun, Brevo, or Gmail SMTP for sending panel emails.

Further Documentation

For advanced Pterodactyl configuration, Wings setup, and node management, refer to the official documentation.

Pterodactyl Documentation