How to Remove Fantastico From a VPS or Dedicated Server

What is Fantastico?

Fantastico was an auto installer. An auto installer sets up website apps for you, so you do not upload files by hand. It is old software and is no longer developed. Newer tools such as Softaculous replace it. Ask Hostvento support if you need a newer installer.

Warning: removing Fantastico does not remove the websites it installed. They stay in your accounts. But you lose the Fantastico list that tracks them and its upgrade buttons. Take a full backup first.

Steps

1. Back up your server or your important accounts.
2. Log in to your server over SSH as root.
3. Look for Fantastico files. This command searches your server.

find / -maxdepth 6 -iname '*fantastico*' 2>/dev/null

It prints every file or folder with Fantastico in its name. Read the list before you remove anything.

4. Look at the main folders it usually uses. Typical places are inside /usr/local/cpanel/whostmgr/docroot/cgi/, /usr/local/cpanel/3rdparty/ and /var/netenberg.
5. Remove the Fantastico folders and files from the list, one at a time. Example for one folder:

rm -rf /usr/local/cpanel/3rdparty/fantastico

This deletes that folder for good. Only run it for paths you checked. Never remove a path that does not have fantastico in its name.

6. Log in to WHM and use the search box to look for Fantastico. If it still shows in the menu, find its plugin file in the list from step 3 and remove it.
7. Refresh WHM and cPanel. The Fantastico icon should be gone.
8. Check that your websites still load.

Quick recap

• Fantastico is an old one-click installer that is no longer developed.
• Removing it does not delete the sites you installed with it.
• Back up first, find the files with the find command, then remove only Fantastico paths.
• Check WHM and your sites afterward.