Install StackRegent on Windows Server 2025

Why choose Windows Server 2025 for StackRegent#

Windows Server 2025 (build 26100) is the newest release StackRegent supports, and the one Microsoft will support longest. For a hosting server you plan to run for many years, that matters more than any single feature: a server installed on 2016 today has to be migrated within months, while 2025 leaves you years of security updates.

Feature by feature, 2025 matches 2022:

• TLS 1.3 for websites, negotiated by default by Windows, with TLS 1.0 and 1.1 turned off on the server side by the StackRegent installer.
• HTTP/3 (QUIC), available and off by default.
• HTTP/2 for HTTPS sites.
• The built-in OpenSSH client, which the Git tool uses for repositories over SSH.
• Subscription limits for CPU, memory, disk I/O and processes through Windows job objects.

StackRegent's own end-to-end test server runs Windows Server 2022 Standard; 2025 is fully supported, and Tools & Settings › About StackRegent shows the feature table with your release marked.

What to check before installing on 2025#

The CPU and the hypervisor#

Windows Server 2025 needs a 64-bit processor with the SSE4.2 and POPCNT instructions. Current hardware has them, but some virtual machines hide CPU features from the guest, for example in a compatibility mode for live migration between hosts of different generations. If the installation of Windows itself fails or the VM does not boot, ask your provider to pass the host's CPU features through.

SMB signing#

Windows Server 2025 requires SMB signing in more cases by default than earlier releases. The StackRegent installer requires signing for the SMB server on every release anyway, so this changes nothing for the panel. If you copy files from an old NAS or server that cannot sign SMB traffic, use another way, such as FTPS, SFTP or a backup file on remote storage.

Microsoft Defender#

StackRegent uses Microsoft Defender to scan website folders and mail. The installer adds the Defender feature when an image comes without it (it becomes active after a restart) and excludes database files from real-time scanning. Some provider images ship with Defender removed; restart once after the installation in that case.

HTTP/3 on Windows Server 2025#

HTTP/3 needs UDP 443 and two values in the HTTP.sys registry key, EnableHttp3 and EnableAltSvc, both set to 1 under HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\HTTP\Parameters, followed by a restart. Then allow UDP 443 inbound with an own rule under Tools & Settings › Firewall and in any provider firewall. The Windows Server 2022 guide shows the exact commands; they are the same on 2025. Leave HTTP/3 off if you have no need for it; HTTP/2 over TLS 1.3 already serves most sites well.

Prepare the server#

1. Run Windows Update until it reports no more updates, and restart.
2. Rename the computer if needed and restart. The license activation records the computer name.
3. Give the server a fixed public IP address and create an A record for its host name.
4. Confirm the build:

(Get-CimInstance Win32_OperatingSystem) | Select-Object Caption, BuildNumber

The build should be 26100.

1. Open TCP 9443, 80 and 443 in the provider's firewall or security group.

Install StackRegent on Windows Server 2025#

Step 1: Start PowerShell as administrator#

Use Windows PowerShell, not PowerShell 7. The installer is written for Windows PowerShell 5.1, which every Windows Server release includes.

Step 2: Run the installer#

[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol='Tls12'; & ([scriptblock]::Create((New-Object Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://panel.stackregent.com/get/stackregent.ps1'))) -LicenseKey SR-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX

Add -Hostname and -AdminEmail if you know them already. To pick the components yourself, add for example -Components "urlrewrite,dns,ftp,webdeploy,php,mailenable,roundcube,mariadb-hosting,phpmyadmin,mssql,aspnetcore". Every parameter is explained in the installation overview.

Step 3: Restart once after the first login#

After you have saved the password and logged in once, restart the server at a quiet moment. Some of the baseline changes the installer makes, such as the page file size and the server-side TLS settings, and a newly added Defender feature, take effect only after a restart. The panel services start by themselves.

Server Core on Windows Server 2025#

Server Core is a good fit for a hosting server: fewer components to patch and less to attack. StackRegent installs the same way; only IIS Manager and the Service Monitor tray app are skipped. Manage the panel from a browser on your own computer and use the console for the rest:

Restart-Service StackRegent
& "C:\Program Files\StackRegent\bin\stackregent.exe" version
& "C:\Program Files\StackRegent\bin\stackregent.exe" admin-password

If you need graphical tools on the server, such as a database client, choose Desktop Experience instead; an installed Server Core cannot be switched to Desktop Experience later.

Check the installation#

1. Confirm the services:

Get-Service StackRegent* | Format-Table Name, Status, StartType

StackRegent, StackRegentTask, StackRegentGuard and StackRegentSQL should be running and automatic.

1. Check that the panel answers locally: Test-NetConnection -ComputerName localhost -Port 9443 should report TcpTestSucceeded : True.
2. Log in from outside at https://SERVER-IP:9443/. If it works locally but not from outside, the provider's firewall is still closed.
3. Open Tools & Settings › License Information and confirm the state is Licensed.
4. Run Tools & Settings › Diagnose & Repair › Check Everything and fix what it reports.

Then continue with getting started and the security checklist.