Overview
The Admin Panel provides comprehensive tools for managing your PteroCA hosting business. This guide covers the admin dashboard and navigation.
Accessing the Admin Panel
Requirements
To access the Admin Panel, you need:
An account with the
adminrole, orA custom role with appropriate permissions (see Access Control)
Navigation
To access admin features:
Log in to your PteroCA account
Admin menu items appear automatically in the left sidebar
Click Overview to access the admin dashboard (
/admin/overview)
Admin Dashboard
The admin dashboard (/admin/overview) provides an at-a-glance view of your hosting business health and activity.
Dashboard Widgets
The dashboard displays several informational widgets:
1. System Stats Widget
Key metrics:
Active Servers - Total number of active (not suspended) servers
Users (Last Month) - New user registrations in the past 30 days
Payments (Last Month) - Payment transactions in the past 30 days
Pterodactyl Status - Connection status to Pterodactyl Panel
What this tells you:
Business growth trends
User acquisition rate
Revenue activity
System health
Status indicators:
Connected (green) - Pterodactyl API is reachable and responding
Disconnected (red) - Cannot connect to Pterodactyl (check configuration)
2. Recent Payments Widget
Displays:
Latest payment transactions
User who made payment
Payment amount and currency
Payment gateway used
Timestamp
Why it's useful:
Monitor revenue in real-time
Spot payment patterns
Identify high-value customers
Track gateway usage
Quick actions:
Click on payment to view full details
Access complete payment history from Payments section
3. Recent Users Widget
Displays:
Newly registered users
Registration date
Email address
Verification status
Why it's useful:
Track user growth
Identify new customers
Monitor registration patterns
Spot potential spam registrations
Quick actions:
Click on user to view/edit profile
Access complete user list from User Management
4. System Info Widget
Displays:
PteroCA version
PHP version
Database version
Server environment information
Why it's useful:
Quick system health check
Verify software versions
Troubleshooting reference
Update planning
5. Plugin Status Widget
Displays (if plugins are installed):
Number of installed plugins
Number of enabled plugins
Number of disabled plugins
Latest plugin activity
Why it's useful:
Monitor plugin ecosystem
Track plugin adoption
Identify unused plugins
Spot plugin issues
6. Plugin Security Widget
Displays:
Security scan status
Plugins with security warnings
Last security check timestamp
Why it's useful:
Maintain system security
Identify vulnerable plugins
Compliance monitoring
Risk management
Security Warnings
If this widget shows security warnings, investigate immediately. Vulnerable plugins can compromise your entire system.
7. Plugin Health Widget
Displays:
Plugin health check status
Plugins with health issues
Failed health checks
Last health check timestamp
Why it's useful:
Ensure plugins are functioning
Identify broken dependencies
Proactive issue detection
System stability
Admin Navigation
The Admin Panel is organized into several main sections:
Shop Management
Access product and category management:
Categories - Organize products into categories
Products - Create and configure server products
See Managing Products guide.
User & Server Management
Manage customers and their servers:
Users - User accounts, roles, balance
Servers - All servers across all users
See Managing Users and Managing Servers guides.
Financial Management
Handle payments and promotions:
Payments - Payment history and transactions
Vouchers submenu:
Vouchers - Discount and credit codes
Voucher Usages - Redemption history
See Payments & Orders and Vouchers guides.
System Monitoring
Track activity and health:
Logs submenu:
System Logs - All system actions
Email Logs - Outgoing email history
Server Logs - Server-specific logs
See Logs & Monitoring guide.
Configuration
System-wide settings:
Settings submenu:
General - Site configuration
Pterodactyl - API and integration
Security - Authentication and verification
Payment Gateways - Payment provider configuration
Email - SMTP configuration
Appearance - Theme and branding
Plugins - Plugin settings
See Configuration section.
Access Control
Manage roles and permissions:
Roles & Permissions submenu:
Roles - Create and manage user roles
Permissions - View all available permissions
See Access Control guide.
Plugin Management
Manage extensions:
Plugins - Enable, disable, configure, and install plugins
See Managing Plugins guide.
Quick Actions
From the admin dashboard, you can quickly:
View Recent Activity
Check latest payments
See new user registrations
Monitor system health
Review plugin status
Access Management Tools
Jump to user management
Access server administration
View payment details
Check system logs
Monitor Health
Pterodactyl connection status
Plugin security status
Plugin health checks
System information
Understanding Permissions
Different admin users may see different menu items based on their permissions.
Default Admin Role
The built-in admin role has access to:
All dashboard widgets
All management features
All settings
Full system access
Custom Roles
Create custom roles with specific permissions:
Read-only roles - View data but cannot modify
Specialized roles - Access to specific functions
Support staff - Access users and servers, but not financials
Billing manager - Access payments and vouchers only
Product manager - Manage products and categories only
Permission categories:
Dashboard access
User management
Server management
Shop management
Payment management
Voucher management
Logs access
Settings (view vs. edit permissions)
Plugin management
Role management
See Roles & Permissions for complete details.
Best Practices
Daily Tasks
Check dashboard daily for:
New payment activity
New user registrations
System health status
Pterodactyl connection
Plugin security warnings
Weekly Tasks
Review weekly:
Payment trends
User growth
Server resource usage
Email delivery (check email logs)
System logs for errors
Monthly Tasks
Monthly maintenance:
Review financial reports
Audit user permissions
Clean up old logs (if not auto-cleaned)
Update plugins and system
Review voucher effectiveness
Security Monitoring
Regularly monitor:
Plugin security status
Failed login attempts (in logs)
Unusual payment patterns
Suspicious user registrations
System log errors
Troubleshooting
Cannot Access Admin Panel
If admin menu doesn't appear:
Verify your account has
adminrole or equivalent permissionsLog out and log back in
Check with owner if custom role is correct
Pterodactyl Status Shows Disconnected
If Pterodactyl connection fails:
Verify Pterodactyl Panel is running
Check API credentials in Settings → Pterodactyl
Test API URL is accessible
Verify API key has correct permissions
Check firewall rules
Dashboard Widgets Not Loading
If widgets show errors or don't load:
Refresh the page
Clear browser cache
Check browser console for JavaScript errors
Verify database connection
Check system logs for errors
Contact support if persistent
Plugin Warnings
If plugin security/health widgets show issues:
Click on widget for details
Review specific plugin warnings
Update or disable problematic plugins
Run health/security scans manually
Next Steps
Now that you understand the admin dashboard, explore specific admin functions:
Managing Users - User account administration
Managing Servers - Server oversight
Managing Products - Product catalog
Vouchers - Promotional codes
Payments & Orders - Financial management
Logs & Monitoring - System monitoring
Related Documentation
Access Control - Roles and permissions system
System Configuration - General settings
Pterodactyl Integration - API setup
Need Help?
For admin-related questions:
Check FAQ
Review Troubleshooting Guide
Join Discord Community
Contact technical support
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