Guide How to Use the aaPanel bt Command: Status, Restart and CLI Menu

Guide How to Use the aaPanel bt Command: Status, Restart and CLI Menu - Printable Version

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How to Use the aaPanel bt Command: Status, Restart and CLI Menu - DEV - 10-14-2026

New to the bt CLI? Start here: aaPanel CLI Overview: What Is in the bt Menu?
See the full menu first, then return to this detailed command reference.

The bt command manages aaPanel from a Linux terminal. Use it over SSH to check whether the panel is running, restart its services or open the maintenance menu when the browser dashboard is unavailable.

Tested lab: aaPanel Free 8.0.7 on Ubuntu 22.04.5. We tested bt status, opened the interactive menu and exited with 0, then ran bt restart and checked the panel processes and a hosted Flask website. Menu numbers and wording may differ between versions.

1. Connect to the VPS through SSH
Use a trusted SSH client such as Windows Terminal, PowerShell or PuTTY. Connect with your authorized server account:

Code:

ssh your-user@your-server-ip

If your administration account uses sudo, run the management commands with sudo. The examples below were run from an authorized root session in our disposable lab. You do not need to publish your server password or private SSH key to follow this guide.

Make sure you have an independent recovery route, such as the provider console, before changing panel access settings. The aaPanel terminal inside the dashboard is useful when the dashboard works; it cannot replace SSH recovery when you cannot reach that dashboard.

2. Check that bt is available

Code:

command -v bt

Our result was /usr/bin/bt. If the command is missing, verify that you are on the correct VPS and that aaPanel is installed. Do not reinstall a production panel simply because a command is missing from PATH.

3. Check panel status

Code:

bt status

Our first test reported:

Code:

Bt-Panel (pid 2107) already running
Bt-Task (pid 1940) already running

The process IDs are temporary and will differ on your VPS. Bt-Panel handles the panel service, while Bt-Task is its task process. A running status does not prove DNS, firewalls, certificates or your browser login work; check those separately if the page remains unavailable.

Filename: bt-cli-transcript-20261014.jpg Size: 113.71 KB Yesterday, 07:28 AM

Formatted transcript of actual lab output. This image is a readable test transcript, not a screenshot of a live terminal.

4. Open the maintenance menu

Code:

bt

The installed panel presents numbered operations. Read the labels on your own server before selecting anything. To leave without selecting a change, enter:
Our menu displayed Cancelled! and returned to the shell.

Common service operations shown in our menu were Restart panel, Stop panel, Start panel and Reload panel. It also included options for credentials, the panel port, login limits, domain/IP restrictions, authentication, SSL and repair. Those options are not interchangeable fixes for a page that fails to load.

5. Restart the panel when appropriate
A panel restart briefly interrupts dashboard access and its task process. Save your work and use a maintenance window where appropriate:

Code:

bt restart
bt status

Our restart stopped Bt-Tasks and Bt-Panel, then started both successfully. The new status reported panel PID 4161 and task PID 4195. The changed process IDs and start messages confirmed a restart occurred.

We also checked the hosted Flask application after the panel restart. It still returned HTTP 200 with the expected response. This is the result for our lab app; verify your own websites and background workloads after maintenance rather than assuming they are unaffected.

Complete service-command reference
These commands are supported by the installed /etc/init.d/bt script. Use your authorized administrator account; prepend sudo if required. A command's existence is verified from the installed script, while execution tests are listed separately below.

bt — Opens the numbered maintenance menu. Use it to see available operations for your version. Enter 0 to cancel. Read the label before choosing a number.
bt status — Reports the panel and task processes and their PIDs. Start here when the dashboard is unavailable. Running processes do not prove the URL or firewall is correct. Verify the browser separately.
bt start — Starts the panel and its task process when stopped. Afterwards run bt status and test the dashboard. It does not install aaPanel or start every hosted website service.
bt stop — Stops panel and task processes. Use only for planned maintenance; dashboard access and panel task processing will be interrupted. Keep SSH available and use bt start to bring them back.
bt restart — Stops then starts both processes. Use after a justified panel maintenance change, then check status and application availability. We tested this in the lab.
bt reload — In this installed version, reload relaunches the panel process; it is not a promise of a seamless configuration-only refresh. Expect dashboard interruption, then check status and login. Do not confuse it with an Nginx reload.
bt logs — Prints the last 100 lines of the panel error log in this version. Use it to inspect a panel startup or runtime error. It is not a continuous live stream and does not replace website/PHP logs. Redact sensitive output before sharing.
bt default — Displays saved default login information including the panel address and entrance. Its output may contain account and password details. View privately; do not publish it. Saved initial credentials may differ from later changed credentials.
bt panel NUMBER — Dispatches a numbered operation through the CLI handler. Direct bt NUMBER is also supported here. These are execution shortcuts, not harmless help commands: entering a number can immediately change settings. Prefer opening bt and reading the current menu first.

Complete numbered menu reference — aaPanel 8.0.7 lab
The following covers every option displayed in our installed menu. Credential changes, access restrictions and cleanup operations were reviewed in the handlers, not executed for this article. Numbers are version-specific.

0 — Cancel
Leaves the menu without selecting a maintenance operation. We tested this and received Cancelled!.

1 — Restart panel
Calls the full panel restart, equivalent to bt restart. Use for justified maintenance, then verify both processes and dashboard access.

2 — Stop panel
Calls bt stop. The dashboard becomes unavailable. Keep an SSH session and restart plan before using it.

3 — Start panel
Calls bt start. Use when the panel is stopped; inspect logs if it fails, and confirm status afterwards.

4 — Reload panel
Calls bt reload. In our version it relaunches the panel process. Verify the dashboard returns; do not assume zero interruption.

5 — Change panel password
Prompts for a new panel password and updates the panel account credential. It does not change the Linux SSH password. Use a planned account recovery procedure, save the new value privately and verify a fresh login.

6 — Change panel username
Prompts for a new panel login name. This changes the panel account identifier, not a Linux username. Record it privately and test the new login.

7 — Forcibly change MySQL root password
Changes the database administrator credential. It is separate from the panel login and may affect tools or integrations using that credential. Back up and inventory dependent settings before a planned change. The handler can print the entered value, so keep the terminal and any recording private.

8 — Change panel port
Prompts for a new port, changes panel configuration, attempts a local firewall adjustment and reloads the panel. It cannot guarantee the provider firewall permits that port. Permit and test the new management route before retiring the old rule; update bookmarks and check a fresh login.

9 — Clear panel cache
In this installed handler, removes panel session files and reloads the panel. It can sign users out. Use for a diagnosed session/cache issue, then verify a new login; it is not a website CDN-cache purge.

10 — Clear login limit
Labelled login-limit recovery; in this installed version its handler calls panel reload. Do not assume it removes every account or IP block. Verify a legitimate fresh login and inspect the actual remaining restriction if it fails.

11 — Toggle IP + User-Agent Authenticator
Toggles the panel's IP/User-Agent session check. Disabling it changes session protection and can increase replay risk. Use only as a deliberate security decision for a diagnosed problem; check the printed resulting state and confirm the intended protection remains enabled.

12 — Cancel domain binding limit
Removes the panel's configured domain-only access restriction and reloads it. It does not alter DNS or a website domain. This widens allowed panel hostnames; review the intended management hostname and restore suitable access policy after recovery.

13 — Cancel IP access limit
Removes the configured panel IP access restriction and reloads it. It does not fix a provider firewall. Removing a restriction widens management access, so use an authorized recovery plan and verify the desired IP policy afterwards.

14 — View panel default info
Calls bt default. View privately because the address, entrance and saved credentials may be printed. It is not a password reset.

15 — Clear system rubbish
Runs cleanup helpers for mail-related data/logs, sessions and other selected files. It performs deletion; it is not just a disk-usage report. Review the cleanup scope for your version and preserve needed files first. Check reclaimed space and service behavior afterwards.

16 — Repair panel
Runs an official panel update/repair script, selecting Free or Pro according to the installed configuration. It can update panel files and dependencies. Back up before use, review the operation, and afterwards check version, logs, login and hosted services. It is not a read-only health check.

17 — Toggle log-cutting compression
Changes whether applicable rotated logs are gzip-compressed. It does not itself prove log retention is configured correctly. Inspect the resulting state and later rotated files; account for disk-space and log-reader needs.

18 — Toggle automatic panel backups
Enables or disables the panel's automatic panel-backup setting. A panel backup is not automatically a full website/database/VPS backup. Verify the resulting state and actual backup files and restore coverage; turning it off reduces recovery protection.

22 — Display panel error log
Prints the last 100 lines of /www/server/panel/logs/error.log. It corresponds to the current bt logs behavior. Check relevant timestamps and redact private values before posting.

23 — Turn off BasicAuth Authenticator
Removes the panel's BasicAuth configuration and reloads it. This disables an additional access layer; use only for an authorized recovery need, then verify and restore the intended protection.

24 — Turn off Google Authenticator
Removes the panel's Google Authenticator/2FA configuration. This weakens login protection. Use a separate authorized 2FA recovery process, then re-enrol and verify 2FA as appropriate; it does not reset your password.

25 — Toggle saved copies of panel file edits
Enables or disables file history/copies when files are modified through the panel. Check the resulting state and verify history on a disposable file. This convenience feature is not a substitute for off-site backups.

26 — Keep/remove local backups when uploading to cloud storage
Toggles retention of local backup files in supported cloud-backup workflows. Keeping copies consumes disk; removing them reduces local recovery copies. Verify cloud upload success, retention and a restore before relying on the setting.

27 — Toggle panel SSL
Changes the panel's HTTP/HTTPS mode and reloads it. Enabling uses existing panel certificate files or may generate a certificate when missing; it does not by itself guarantee a trusted certificate for your hostname. Disabling removes transport encryption. Verify the exact management URL and certificate normally; follow the dedicated SSL guide for trusted HTTPS.

28 — Modify panel security entrance
Prompts for a new entrance path, validates it, saves it and restarts the panel. The management URL changes. Keep the new path private, update your bookmark and test a fresh login while retaining SSH recovery.

33 — Lift the panel “explosion-proof” limit
The label refers to login/brute-force limiting. In our handler it disables the username-based limiter and removes a login-limit marker; it does not prove all IP/global protections are disabled or cleared. Use only for a diagnosed authorized lockout, review the resulting limiter configuration and restore appropriate protection afterwards.

Number gaps and hidden handlers
Our displayed menu skips 19–21 and 29–32. Do not invent meanings for missing numbers. The installed source also contains a non-displayed option 19 that invokes a Pro update script; it is not part of this visible menu or a shortcut we tested. Other install/update text dispatch paths exist in the source and are outside this beginner service/menu reference.

Verification after any change
Read the command result, run bt status where relevant, test a fresh panel login through the intended trusted URL and check affected services. A success message alone does not establish firewall, certificate or application correctness.

Other available service commands
The installed script supports:

Code:

bt start
bt stop
bt reload
bt logs

We inspected these command branches in the installed script; we did not execute every branch in this lesson. Stop deliberately takes the panel service down. Reload is distinct from a full stop/start restart. Logs can help diagnose a panel error, but their contents may contain private data. Review and redact them before sharing.

6. Handle default login information privately
The official aaPanel documentation describes:

Code:

bt default

This can display the management address, security entrance, account name and saved initial password. Treat its entire output as private. Do not include it in a tutorial screenshot, support post or copied terminal transcript. We did not publish or capture this command's sensitive output for this guide.

A displayed initial password is not proof that it is still your current password if credentials were changed later. Keep your actual credentials in your password manager. Do not reset them just to compare them with an old saved value.

7. Avoid changing security controls blindly

Changing the panel port can lock you out if the new port is not permitted through both server and provider firewalls.
Password and username changes affect login access. Follow a separate planned recovery procedure and keep the new values private.
Cancelling domain/IP restrictions or turning off authentication changes protection of the management interface. Diagnose the actual cause before considering such a change.
Turning off SSL does not fix a certificate correctly; configure a trusted certificate for the intended panel hostname.
Repair can update panel files. It is not just a read-only diagnostic, so preserve backups and review the operation before using it.
Forcibly changing the MySQL root password is a database credential change, not a normal panel restart step.

If the browser panel still does not load
Check that you are using the correct hostname or IP, the configured panel port and its private security entrance. Verify DNS, listener status, firewall access and certificate validity. See Access aaPanel Through a Domain Name for the domain-based URL format.

A panel that reports running but cannot be reached needs connectivity diagnosis; repeatedly restarting it will not correct a wrong domain or blocked port.

What this guide verified

bt executable present on the lab.
Status showed both panel processes running.
Interactive menu opened and exited using 0.
Panel restart completed and both processes returned.
Hosted Flask website returned HTTP 200 after the restart.

Reference: aaPanel official Quick Start.
Tested and illustrated by AdminsForum. All private login information was excluded from the published image.