LPanel Field Guide
A good first setup.
What You’ll Need
A Windows PC, website files or a separately running web application, and a reliable connection. Keep the PC running while hosting. Public hostnames and Cloudflare Tunnel are configured separately.
Your First Sign-In
Open LPanel and sign in with your Polywinkle account. Continue with your email for password sign-in, request an email code, or choose Google. Your name and profile image appear in the top-right account menu after sign-in. Development access is currently limited to the owner’s accounts.
Set Up a Website
Open Websites and choose New website. Give the project a site ID, enter each hostname on its own line, and choose the folder containing your website. Select Static files for a normal file-based website, Application for an independently running web app, or Redirect for forwarding visitors to another address.
Start the Local Service
In Server → Web server, choose the listener address and HTTP port, then save and start the service. The local-only address suits a tunnel running on the same PC; direct network access lets the listener accept connections from the network. LPanel needs to stay open while it serves your websites.
Connect an Application
Start your Node, Flask, or Python application separately. In its LPanel website record, choose Application and enter the service address, such as http://127.0.0.1:8000. LPanel routes requests to that service and supports forwarded WebSocket connections. The application still owns its own process and configuration.
Pair With Cloudflare Tunnel
Run cloudflared on the hosting PC and route the public hostname to LPanel’s local HTTP listener. Add that same hostname to the appropriate LPanel website. Cloudflare provides public HTTPS for the tunnel connection. For a private website, configure Cloudflare Access as part of your Cloudflare setup.
Review Connections
Open Security → Connections. Live shows recent TCP and HTTP events; History reads saved connection records. Filter by IP, domain, or path to narrow the list. Where a local tunnel supplies visitor headers, the trusted-header setting allows LPanel to distinguish the visitor’s address from the tunnel connection.
Read and Export Logs
Open Server → Logs. Application and connection logs are filed by type, date, and hour in UTC. Choose a source and filter the loaded entries. The viewer reads a bounded tail of the file for responsiveness; Export complete log provides the full selected file.
Manage Files and Backups
Use Websites → File manager to create, upload, rename, and edit files. Security contains the related file-permission and restricted-extension controls. In Websites → Backups, create or restore a backup and configure daily copies. Store another copy away from the hosting computer.
Choose Server Storage
Configuration → Settings shows the current server folder and lets you choose a new location. This folder holds server records, logs, backups, and runtime data. Location changes take effect after restarting; move existing content while LPanel and external hosting services are stopped.
Development Builds
LPanel is in active development. Keep backups when trying a new build. If something fails, send support the app version, the steps you took, and the relevant log.