Exploring cPanel: Key Topics for Optimizing Web Hosting Management

This article provides a comprehensive overview of cPanel, covering essential topics required for effective web hosting management. It comprises introductory guides on utilizing cPanel, strategies for enhancing security and performance, configuring email, and tips for troubleshooting common issues.

What Is cPanel?

cPanel is a web-based hosting control panel provided to website owners, allowing them to manage their websites from a web-based interface. The cPanel program gives users a graphical interface from which they can control their portion of the server. The tools provided are designed to simplify running and controlling a website. cPanel provides a wide range of functionalities for website owners, including managing files, domains, email accounts, databases, and software installations.

The cPanel has become popular due to its comprehensive set of features, ease of use, and support for a wide range of applications and tools. It’s a common choice for web hosting for WordPress sites, as well as other PHP/MySQL-based applications.

What Is cPanel Hosting?

cPanel hosting is a web hosting that uses cPanel as its control panel interface. It’s one of the most popular Linux-based control panels for web hosting accounts. cPanel offers a graphical interface and automation tools that are designed to simplify the overall process of hosting a website. To further get a better understanding, here are their pros and cons:

Pros:

• User-friendly interface. cPanel’s graphical user interface is intuitive and easy to navigate, which makes it accessible for beginner and advanced levels.
• Wide range of tools. You’ll get a comprehensive suite of tools for managing domains, files, email accounts, databases, and security in one dashboard.
• Automation and simplification. Tasks such as installing web applications (e.g., WordPress and Joomla), creating backups, and setting up email accounts, can be automated and simplified with the help of wizards and interfaces.
• High compatibility. cPanel is compatible with a wide variety of software and applications, which makes it versatile for your different web hosting needs.
• Regular updates and support. cPanel is regularly updated to ensure that you’ll enjoy the latest features and security enhancements. It also has a huge amount of documentation and a large community for support.
• Reliability . It’s stable and reliable. It has features to monitor and manage server resources effectively.

Cons:

• Cost. cPanel licensing can be expensive, especially for small businesses or individual users. The cost is often passed on to the customer by hosting providers.
• Limited to Linux. cPanel is designed specifically for Linux servers. While this is not a problem for most web hosting needs, it can be a limitation if you require Windows hosting.
• Complexity for beginners. Despite its user-friendly nature, the vast array of options and settings can be overwhelming for absolute beginners or those with very simple hosting needs.
• Resource intensive. cPanel can be resource-intensive. This means it requires more server resources than simpler or custom control panels. This can be a concern for very low-resource hosting environments.
• Customization limitations. While cPanel offers extensive functionality, customizing its appearance or functionality deeply can be challenging. This can limit hosting providers or users who want a highly customized control panel.
• Security concerns. Since it’s widely used, cPanel can be a target for hackers. However, regular updates and proper security practices can mitigate most risks.

How to Access Your cPanel in BRAND

Read our separate article on how to access your cPanel in Bluehost, for the step-by-step process.

Popular cPanel Topics

• cPanel Email: Setting a SignatureThis article provides instructions for setting up email signatures in cPanel webmail applications.
• cPanel FormsWhile there are many third-party form mail options available through popular builders and applications, you can always use cPanel’s built-in form mailer instead if preferred.
• How To Access cPanel – What You Need / Where To Find cPanelWhether you want to log in directly or access the cPanel once logged in to your account, this article will walk you through the process.
• VPS & Dedicated Hosting: Creating New cPanel Accounts through WHMIf you’d like to have more than one cPanel in your account or to host more than one website and want to keep them separate, this tutorial is your friend.
• cPanel Image ManagerIn this article, you’ll learn how to view thumbnails of images in a directory, scale images, and convert an image to a jpg, gif, bmp, or png.
• cPanel ApplicationsFor your convenience, we offer several scripts for use on your website. These tools allow you to set up common ready-made scripts.
• Access Awstats Without Logging Into cPanelHow to access Awstats without requiring a cPanel login.
• MySQL Database Access Outside of cPanelHow to grant permissions to cPanel for yout MySQL database administrator without giving them the domain password.
• Resellers: Troubleshooting cPanelHow to fix the white screen display when customers attempt to log in the cPanel.
• VPS & Dedicated Hosting: Restore or Transfer cPanel AccountsIf you need to transfer or restore a cPanel account for your VPS or Dedicated server, there’s a tool within the WHM panel to perform these tasks. This article is about transferring or restoring from another server or restoring after a re-image.
• cPanel Email: How to Mass Delete EmailsThere are a large number of emails or spam that need to be deleted from an email account.
• VPS & Dedicated Hosting: Using Multiple cPanel Accounts to Set Custom Name ServersCustom Nameservers on VPS and Dedicated Hosting are required when you’re using multiple cPanels. This article will explain how to set up name servers for multiple cPanel accounts.
• Index ManagerThe Index Manager allows you to customize the way a directory will be viewed on the web. This article will explain how to access and configure the Index Manager from your cPanel account.
• How to Upgrade cPanel SoftwareUpgrading to the latest version of cPanel in WHM.
• VPS & Dedicated Hosting: Troubleshooting Broken cPanel ThemescPanel themes will not work correctly on sub-cPanels that are created through the WHM. This article will explain how to change the theme to fix this.
• How To Login to Control Panel – cPanel & Billing PanelThis article explains how to access the control panel for your account. From here, you will be able to manage your website and billing preferences in either the cPanel or billing panel.
• How to set up cPanel email account in OutlookIn this article, you’ll be able to set up your cPanel email account in Outlook for desktop.
• cPanel: How to Migrate Email AccountsThis article will walk you through on transferring your email accounts from one cPanel to another. This process is also known as email account migration.
• Resetting the Password for an Email AccountInstructions for resetting your email account’s password through cPanel or Webmail.
• Resellers: Useful LinksUseful links for accessing the reseller WHM, cPanel, and Webmail.
• VPS & Dedicated Hosting: Manage Login SSL CertificatesHow to manage the SSL used for cPanel login through the WHM.
• Stopping Display of All files on Web pageHow to stop a directory index from being shown in cPanel.
• How To Use SSH on Windows PuTTY – Generate Public/Private Key Pair & FileHow to create a public/private key pair in cPanel for use via SSH.
• How to Update ClientExecThis article will show you how to safely update your ClientExec installation in cPanel.
• Email Account Management: How to Create, Remove, View, and AccessWe offer cPanel email and Google Workspace services. All of these options are easy to set up and manage. This article will focus on cPanel email and will explain how to add, delete, and manage your hosted email accounts.
• VPS & Dedicated Hosting: Root WHM (rWHM)We offer a full WHM with root access for VPS and Dedicated Hosting owners. If you have issues, you can submit a support request to the cPanel customer service team through the support center.
• Virtual Private Server (VPS) Hosting Plans Cost ComparisonVPS solutions are built on powerful cloud technology with the help of our enhanced cPanel environment with full root access to Alma9. This article explains our VPS hosting package, pricing, and features.
• Process Manager OverviewThis article will explain what the process manager is and how to use it. It also addresses the concern why you can get to your cPanel but the homepage doesn’t display.
• Disk Space and Bandwidth UsageReports can be invaluable in managing an effective website. This article will explain where to find the reports on disk space, file count, and bandwidth usage within your BRAND cPanel.
• SSL/TLS Certificates for Addon DomainsYou can install an SSL certificate on any domain in your cPanel account, including addon domains. This article will describe how to install SSL certificates to an addon domain.
• How to Create an FTP AccountHow to use the FTP account tool to create additional FTP accounts. This is useful for granting FTP access to your account without giving anyone your cPanel password.
• VPS & Dedicated Hosting: Log LocationThere are two main locations where logs are kept on Dedicated and VPS servers. The /usr/local/cpanel/logs directory and the /var/log/ directory. This is a list of the logs common to each directory.
• VPS & Dedicated Hosting: Enabling FTP on New ServersThis article explains how to enable FTP on newly provisioned VPS or Dedicated cPanel. Since FTP is an unsecure connection point to the server, by default, it’s disabled in version’s 11.86 or prior.
• VPS & Dedicated Hosting: ClamAVClamAV is an open-source program for detecting viruses, malware, and other malicious coding/files. It’s a plugin for the cPanel and can be installed and enabled for all users on the VPS or Dedicated server.
• Resellers Plans Cost ComparisonReseller accounts include unlimited Domains, Subdomains, cPanel accounts, MySQL databases, FTP accounts, and email addresses. This article lists prices for Reseller Hosting and reseller-related addons.
• Dedicated Hosting Plans Cost ComparisonOur dedicated platform is built on OpenStack, a scalable cloud OS. This is provided with our own installation of WHM, an enhanced cPanel, and a custom domain manager and server management tools.
• Error LogscPanel error logs are useful when debugging scripts and finding missing files or broken links you may not be aware of. This article explains where to find and how to use the logs for troubleshooting.
• How to Configure the PHP Environment with PHP iniThis article will show you how to change the PHP environment for your site with php.ini.
• Google Security UpdatesGoogle Chrome is updating their browser to improve internet security. AutoSSL is a cPanel feature that automatically installs and renews Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates for every assigned or parked domain on a hosting account.
• Email AutoresponderWhat is an autoresponder? How do I create autoresponders? This article describes how to manage autoresponders for your cPanel email accounts, including adding, editing, and deleting if needed.
• How to Add Handlers to Change PHP Version – PHP Version SetupThis article will explain how to add a PHP handler to your .htaccess files. This is useful if you want to customize the version of PHP that runs your PHP files by directly editing your .htaccess file.
• VPS & Dedicated Hosting: Enable Non-Legacy BackupsIf you want the backup tools on your cPanel accounts to access the server backups, this article will explain how to configure your dedicated or VPS server to use the new (non-legacy) backup system.
• VPS & Dedicated Hosting: Adding a New Package with WHMTo help maintain stability or to set tiers for your clients or your separate websites, you’ll want to create a package, which will set limits for the cPanels that you assign to it.
• Resellers: Where to Log in to Your AccountReseller plans allow you to manage clients from within your account. This article provides an explanation covering where a reseller (and their customers) will log in to access their sites.
• PHP Pear PackagesThis article will outline which PHP PEAR Packages are installed and how you can install additional PHP PEAR Packages.
• SquirrelMailWe provide several programs to be able to check your cPanel email online. One of our previously offered programs was SquirrelMail. This article explains how to navigate and use SquirrelMail if your account still has access to it.
• SSH AccessSSH/Shell isn’t enabled by default in legacy accounts. To enable SSH we’ll need you to verify your hosting purchase. This article will explain how to enable and use SSH within a legacy account.
• Accessing WebDisk and WebDavWeb disk (also known as WebDAV) is a drag-and-drop interface which allows you to access your website’s files as if it were a local drive on your computer. This article will explain how you can use this feature.
• SpamAssassin: Access Spam FolderThis article will explain how to subscribe to the spam folder in webmail. If you’ve configured your cPanel hosting account to use the Spam Box feature of SpamAssassin, mail identified as spam will be placed in a spam folder.

Summary

This comprehensive article delves into cPanel’s functionalities and benefits. It covers the basics of what cPanel is, including its user-friendly graphical interface that allows for easy management of files, domains, email accounts, databases, and software installations. This article further explores cPanel hosting. It highlights the pros and cons that you may experience throughout your usage so that you may be aware before using this site management platform. Additionally, the article provides practical guides on accessing cPanel in BRAND, so you’ll have every resource you need in one place, whenever you need them.