> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/pterodactyl/panel/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Admin Panel Overview

> Introduction to the Pterodactyl Panel administration area

The Pterodactyl Panel administration area provides comprehensive tools for managing your entire game server hosting platform. As an administrator, you have full control over users, servers, nodes, and system configuration.

## Accessing the Admin Panel

Administrators can access the admin panel by:

1. Logging in with an account that has `root_admin` permissions
2. Clicking on the admin menu in the top navigation bar
3. Navigating directly to `/admin` on your Panel installation

<Note>
  Only users with the `root_admin` flag set to `true` can access the admin panel. This is stored in the `users` table.
</Note>

## Admin Dashboard

The admin dashboard provides an overview of your entire Pterodactyl installation:

* **System Statistics**: Total servers, users, nodes, and resource allocation
* **Recent Activity**: Latest server creations and user registrations
* **Node Status**: Health and resource usage across all nodes
* **Version Information**: Current Panel and Wings versions

## Key Admin Sections

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Users" icon="users" href="/admin/users">
    Manage user accounts, permissions, and access levels
  </Card>

  <Card title="Servers" icon="server" href="/admin/servers">
    Create, configure, and manage game servers
  </Card>

  <Card title="Nodes" icon="cube" href="/admin/nodes">
    Add and configure physical/virtual nodes
  </Card>

  <Card title="Locations" icon="map-marker-alt" href="/admin/locations">
    Organize nodes by geographic location
  </Card>

  <Card title="Nests & Eggs" icon="egg" href="/admin/nests-eggs">
    Configure game types and server configurations
  </Card>

  <Card title="Mounts" icon="folder-open" href="/admin/mounts">
    Manage shared directories across servers
  </Card>

  <Card title="Database Hosts" icon="database" href="/admin/database-hosts">
    Configure MySQL/MariaDB database servers
  </Card>

  <Card title="Settings" icon="cog">
    System-wide configuration and settings
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## User Levels

Pterodactyl has two user levels defined in the `User` model:

* **Regular User** (`USER_LEVEL_USER = 0`): Standard user with access to their servers
* **Administrator** (`USER_LEVEL_ADMIN = 1`): Full administrative access

```php theme={null}
public const USER_LEVEL_USER = 0;
public const USER_LEVEL_ADMIN = 1;
```

## Common Admin Tasks

### Setting Up a New Installation

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create a Location">
    Locations help organize your nodes geographically
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add a Node">
    Configure at least one node to host servers
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure Allocations">
    Assign IP addresses and ports to the node
  </Step>

  <Step title="Import Nests & Eggs">
    Install game configuration templates
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create Users">
    Add user accounts for server owners
  </Step>

  <Step title="Deploy Servers">
    Create servers for users on your nodes
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Administrative Permissions

The admin panel operates with a simple permission model:

* **Root Admin**: Full access to all admin functions
* **Regular User**: No admin panel access

<Warning>
  There is no granular permission system for administrators. Any user with `root_admin = true` has complete control over the Panel.
</Warning>

## Best Practices

1. **Limit Admin Access**: Only grant `root_admin` to trusted individuals
2. **Use 2FA**: Enable two-factor authentication for all admin accounts
3. **Regular Backups**: Maintain backups of your Panel database
4. **Monitor Activity**: Review the activity log regularly for unauthorized changes
5. **Update Regularly**: Keep Panel and Wings updated to the latest versions

## Activity Logging

All administrative actions are logged to the `activity_log` table, including:

* User creation and modification
* Server deployment and configuration changes
* Node updates
* Settings modifications

You can review activity logs to track changes and troubleshoot issues.

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="User Management" icon="users" href="/admin/users">
    Learn how to create and manage user accounts
  </Card>

  <Card title="Node Setup" icon="cube" href="/admin/nodes">
    Configure your first node for hosting servers
  </Card>
</CardGroup>