A DirectAdmin alternative that shows every change first.
RespireCloud is a self-hosted server panel for Linux with administrators, resellers and customers. It reads DirectAdmin backups, but only the parsing is tested so far. It is in early access, and this page says plainly what is not there yet.
What you get when you switch.
An import is a report, a test copy and a commit you can take back.
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A report before anything is created
The importer reads the backup and lists what converts as it is, what converts with a change and what is skipped, each with the reason. Nothing is dropped silently.
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A dry run you can test
The dry run builds the account and checks it: each site is fetched over HTTP and each mailbox is probed over SMTP. DNS and certificates are held back until you commit.
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A rollback that removes everything
After a commit, a rollback deletes what the import created: accounts, domains, zones, mail domains, databases, users, certificates and the home folder. A failure in the middle rolls back by itself.
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The archive is treated as hostile
It uploads in the wizard (resumable, with its checksum shown) and is unpacked by a hardened, fuzzed reader. Path tricks, links that leave the folder and decompression bombs are refused.
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The same business model
Administrators, resellers, customers and sub-users, with plans whose limits every module enforces, and modules for WHMCS, Blesta and HostBill.
What comes over from DirectAdmin.
Parsing of a DirectAdmin backup is tested, including fuzzing of the archive reader. An import from one has not been run end to end: the fixtures were built by us, so a real backup may differ. Treat this path as unproven and test it on a copy first.
Brought over
- The account from user.conf
- Domains and their folders
- The home folder, from the nested home archive
- MySQL and MariaDB databases with their dumps; database users on a best effort basis
- Mail forwarders (valiases)
- The DNS zone file
- Cron lines, listed for review
Reported, not brought
- Mailbox passwords: only hashes exist, so mailboxes need a reset
- PostgreSQL databases, FTP accounts and SSL certificates: not read, listed
- Mail content: not read from the backup
- PHP version per site: not read
Without a backup file. The new server connects out over SSH, only reads, and pins the source's host key after you confirm it. A final pass brings what changed since the first copy, then gives a DNS checklist per domain. This is proven end to end from a plain Linux server. A DirectAdmin source is recognised and its accounts' files, databases and DNS zones are pulled, but that path is tested against a stand-in only, and mailboxes, passwords and certificates do not come over by a live copy.
What is different by design.
These are statements about RespireCloud, not about DirectAdmin.
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The web panel cannot run commands
The panel runs as an unprivileged user. Work that needs root goes to a separate agent that accepts typed operations only, never a command line.
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Every change is shown before it happens
A change is a plan with the exact difference. You approve it, risky ones with a passkey, and it can be undone.
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Isolation is in the base product
Every hosting account is its own Linux user with its own systemd slice, its own PHP-FPM pool and quotas, in every edition.
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An assistant, and a guide for beginners
Ask in plain words and get a plan to approve. RespireSoft AI comes with every licence as a monthly allowance and turns itself on; or with your own key for a model provider, or a model on your own server. A guide walks new users through their first steps.
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Updates that go back by themselves
The panel updates itself from signed releases, keeps the previous release and a copy of its database, and goes back on its own if the new release does not start. Every server and Store module follows.
DirectAdmin and RespireCloud, side by side.
Each line about DirectAdmin was read on its own public page, linked beside it, and checked on 20 October 2026. Their page is the authority: if it has changed since, it is right and this is out of date.
What RespireCloud does not have yet.
Read this before you plan a move.
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A public release
RespireCloud is in early access. There is no public download, the production signing keys are not made and prices are not set. One install has run on a real server; everything else ran in our lab.
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Proof on real backups
The importers have run end to end only on archives we built to match each format. A backup taken from a production server has not been imported yet, so expect differences.
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A second web server
Sites are served by nginx. Apache .htaccess rules, PHP ini overrides and redirects are not translated by the importer: a site that depends on them needs its rules rewritten.
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Recovery to a moment
A database restore goes back to the time of a scheduled dump. Recovery to a chosen moment between backups is not built. The database tool (Adminer) is built; it covers MariaDB, MySQL and PostgreSQL on the server itself.
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An independent security test
An external penetration test has not started.
Questions
- Can RespireCloud import a DirectAdmin backup?
- It reads one, but this is the least proven path. The parser is tested on backups we built and the archive reader is fuzzed; an import from a DirectAdmin backup has not been run end to end. Use the dry run on a copy and read the report before you commit.
- What does not come over from DirectAdmin?
- Mailbox passwords (hashes cannot be installed, so mailboxes need a reset), mail content, PostgreSQL databases, FTP accounts and certificates. Cron lines are listed for review. Apache .htaccess rules are not translated.
- Does RespireCloud have resellers like DirectAdmin?
- It has administrators, resellers, customers and sub-users. Each sees only their own subtree, and plans carry limits that every module enforces.
- Is it cheaper than DirectAdmin?
- We cannot say: RespireCloud has no price yet. DirectAdmin's own prices are in the table above, as read on the date shown.
- Is RespireCloud affiliated with DirectAdmin?
- No. DirectAdmin is a trademark of its owner. RespireCloud is an independent product made by RespireSoft.
Planning a move from DirectAdmin?
Tell us how many servers and accounts. We will say honestly whether RespireCloud is ready for them.
cPanel, WHM, Plesk, DirectAdmin, CyberPanel, HestiaCP, CloudPanel and LiteSpeed are trademarks or names of their respective owners. RespireCloud is made by RespireSoft and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any of them. Their names are used here only to say what RespireCloud can import from and how it differs.