How to Install and Uninstall Virtualizor on CentOS 8
You’ll learn the exact commands that get Virtualizor up and running on a fresh CentOS 8 box – and how to pull it cleanly when you’re done. No fluff, just the steps I’ve used in production labs.
Why you might want Virtualizor on CentOS 8
Virtualizor is a slick control‑panel for KVM, Xen, LXC, and more. If you run a small hosting shop or just like to spin up test VMs, it turns the command line into a GUI that feels less like a hobby project and more like real infrastructure.
Prerequisites before installing
- A clean CentOS 8 minimal install (or an older stream with the same repos).
- Root or sudo access.
- The machine should have a static IP; Virtualizor uses it for its web UI.
I’ve seen people try to install on an un‑configured server and then wonder why the panel can’t bind to 80/443 – make sure network is up first.
Installing the latest Virtualizor package
# Disable SELinux while we’re messing around (it tends to block /usr/bin/virtqemu) setenforce 0 # Add the Virtualizor repo file cat > /etc/yum.repos.d/virtualizor.repo <<'EOF' [Virtualizor] name=Virtualizor Repository baseurl=https://download.virtualizor.com/centos8/ enabled=1 gpgcheck=0 EOF # Refresh and install yum clean all yum -y install virtualizor
Why setenforce 0? SELinux on CentOS 8 can be merciless; it will choke the web interface if you don’t give it a break. Remember to set it back to Enforcing later.
Once installation finishes, the installer script fires up automatically and asks for your license key (free for non‑commercial use). Follow the prompts – it pulls in all dependencies like libvirt, qemu-kvm, and the web server stack.
Post‑install tweaks and sanity checks
# Re‑enable SELinux setenforce 1 # Make sure libvirtd starts on boot systemctl enable --now libvirtd.service # Verify Virtualizor is listening ss -tuln | grep :8080 # default port for the panel
If you can’t reach http://your‑server:8080, double‑check that the firewall allows it. CentOS 8 ships with firewalld by default:
firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=8080/tcp firewall-cmd --reload
Uninstalling Virtualizor cleanly
Virtualizor keeps its own uninstaller, so you don’t have to dig through rpm databases manually.
# Stop the web UI and libvirtd first systemctl stop virtualizor.service systemctl stop libvirtd # Run the uninstaller script that came with the package /usr/local/bin/virtualizor/uninstall.sh
The script removes all Virtualizor files, stops services, and cleans up the repo file. If you’re on an EOL CentOS 8, I’d still recommend wiping the machine and moving to AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux – they’re binary‑compatible but get official updates.
Common pitfalls I’ve seen with CentOS 8 + Virtualizor
- EOL woes – CentOS 8 is no longer receiving security patches. Running it in production exposes you to unpatched bugs.
- SELinux surprises – Forgetting to toggle it can silently block API calls or SSH from the panel.
- Firewall misconfigurations – The installer doesn’t automatically open the web‑UI port; you have to do that yourself.
If you hit a snag, the Virtualizor logs (/var/log/virtualizor.log) are usually clear enough to point you in the right direction.
