Can I use Server Tools on CentOS/RHEL?
No, currently Debian/Ubuntu only. Package manager calls (apt-get) and paths (/etc/apache2, /etc/nginx) are Debian-specific.
Can I use Nginx instead of Apache?
Yes. Setting ST_WEBSERVER=nginx in the config switches VHost creation, deletion, and reverse proxy management to Nginx. Two limitations currently apply: SSL management (ssl commands) only supports Apache, and vhost audit doesn't check for configuration drift on Nginx backends yet.
What does vhost audit do?
It compares the deployed VHost config against the template Server Tools would have generated at creation time, and reports missing or divergent directives (e.g. security headers or the ProxyPass target) as [DRIFT]. Useful for surfacing manual changes to VHost configs, e.g. as a periodic cronjob check.
Will existing VHost configurations be overwritten?
No. create_vhost checks if the VHost exists beforehand and aborts if it does.
What happens to my data if I uninstall Server Tools?
Nothing. server-tools uninstall only removes the binary, shortcuts and libraries. Config, credentials, backups and the audit log are left in place; databases, VHosts and SSL certificates also remain intact. Details are on the Installation subpage.
Are make install/make uninstall and sudo ./bin/server-tools install/uninstall equivalent?
Yes. Both paths call the same lib/install.sh implementation - there are no longer two independently maintained installers that can drift apart.
Can I run v1 and v2 side by side?
Yes, the binary names are compatible. After installing v2, the symlinks overwrite the v1 installation. The old script can still be called directly.
How do I back up all databases automatically?
# Manual
server-tools db backup-all
# As daily cronjob
server-tools cron add \
--schedule '0 2 * * *' \
--command '/usr/local/bin/server-tools db backup-all --yes --quiet' \
--name 'db-daily-backup'
Does Server Tools support PostgreSQL?
No, MySQL/MariaDB only.
Can multiple developers access the same domain user?
Yes. SSH User Management uses a 1:1 mapping (one user per domain). Multiple developers can add separate SSH keys to the same user and thus share access to the domain.
Can I set up a reverse proxy for a Node.js app with Server Tools?
Yes, use --type proxy:
server-tools vhost create --domain app.example.com --type proxy --backend http://localhost:3000
WebSocket support (e.g. for Socket.io or live reloading) is enabled with --websocket. On Apache, the required modules (proxy, proxy_http, proxy_wstunnel) are activated automatically; on Nginx, Server Tools writes the equivalent proxy_pass/Upgrade directives directly into the config.
Do I need chroot for SSH user isolation?
No. Server Tools uses POSIX ACLs instead of chroot. This is simpler to manage and sufficient for most use cases. The ACLs ensure that users can only access their assigned domain.
What if MySQL/MariaDB is not installed?
No problem. Server Tools checks for mysql/mysqldump (MySQL, older MariaDB) and mariadb/mariadb-dump (modern MariaDB) — either works. If neither is found, the database entry shows as [mysql not installed] and server-tools db ... commands exit with a clear message. All other features continue to work normally. To install: apt-get install mariadb-client.