Introducing Cockpit

Cockpit is a web-based graphical interface for servers, intended for everyone, especially those who are:

Thanks to Cockpit intentionally using system APIs and commands, a whole team of admins can manage a system in the way they prefer, including the command line and utilities right alongside Cockpit.

Take a look

A picture is worth a thousand words. Click a thumbnail to see screenshots of Cockpit in action.

Cockpit's log in prompt (on Fedora 34)Cockpit works where you are (Pictured: Connecting to Debian server from Microsoft Edge on Windows 10)View, filter, and search system logsEdit accountsEdit the firewall with ease (Pictured: Cockpit Web Console on Red Hat Enterprise Linux, connected from Fedora 34 Workstation)Manage your networkHave a high-level overview of a serverExamine and apply software updates (with changelogs and links to CVEs)Look at and manage your storageSee system servicesManage an individual system serviceCreate and manage virtual machines

Simple to use

Cockpit makes Linux discoverable. You don’t have to remember commands at a command-line.

See your server in a web browser and perform system tasks with a mouse. It’s easy to start containers, administer storage, configure networks, and inspect logs. Basically, you can think of Cockpit like a graphical “desktop interface”, but for individual servers.

Compatible with your existing workflows

Have a favorite app or command line tool that you use on your servers? Keep using the command line, Ansible, and your other favorite tools and add Cockpit to the mix with no issues.

Cockpit uses the same system tooling you would use from the command line. You can switch back and forth between Cockpit and whatever else you like. Cockpit even has a built-in terminal, which is useful when you connect from a non-Linux device.

Integrated

Cockpit uses APIs that already exist on the system. It doesn’t reinvent subsystems or add a layer of its own tooling.

By default, Cockpit uses your system’s normal user logins and privileges. Network-wide logins are also supported through single-sign-on and other authentication techniques.

Cockpit itself doesn’t eat resources or even run in the background when you’re not using it. It runs on demand, thanks to systemd socket activation.

Extendable

Cockpit also supports a large list of optional and third-party applications.

Using Cockpit

Here’s a subset of tasks you can perform on each host running Cockpit:

Also troubleshoot and fix pesky problems with ease:

More features appear in Cockpit every release.

Designed & tested

Cockpit’s design keeps your goals in mind. We test Cockpit with usability studies to make it work the way you’d expect and adjust accordingly. As a result, Cockpit gets easier to use all the time.

All code changes have tests which must pass before merging, to ensure stability.

Free & free

Cockpit is free to use and available under the GNU LGPL.

Cockpit works (nearly) everywhere

You can install Cockpit on the major distributions, including:

Once Cockpit is up and running, you can access systems from all major web browsers on any operating system (including Windows, MacOS, and Android).

Release schedule

Cockpit has a time-based release cadence, with new versions appearing every two weeks.

Get started

After installing and enabling Cockpit, visit port 9090 on your server (for example: https://localhost:9090/ in a browser on the same machine as Cockpit).