What is cPanel hosting? What you do in it, and how it compares with Plesk

What cPanel is

cPanel is a web-based control panel for a hosting account. Rather than typing commands on a server, you open a page in your browser and click icons to upload files, create mailboxes, make databases and manage backups. “cPanel hosting” simply means hosting that comes with this panel installed. It is one of the most common panels in the industry, so tutorials are easy to find and most web developers already know their way around it.

It is not the website itself and it does not build pages. It is the back office where the website, its domains and its email are looked after. Visitors never see it.

What you do in it

These are the tools you are likely to use in your first few months, grouped as they are in the panel:

• Files: File Manager to upload and unzip website files, FTP accounts for developers, Disk Usage to see what is using your space
• Backup: download a backup of your files and databases, or restore one
• Databases: MySQL Databases to create databases and users, and phpMyAdmin to browse, import and export tables
• Email: Email Accounts to create mailboxes, Forwarders, Webmail, and Email Deliverability for SPF and DKIM
• Domains: add domains and subdomains, set up redirects, and edit DNS in Zone Editor
• Security: SSL/TLS Status for free AutoSSL, IP Blocker, and password protection for folders
• Software: one-click WordPress through Softaculous, Select PHP Version and Cron Jobs
• Metrics: visitors, errors and bandwidth

Your first hour in cPanel

If your hosting is with us, sign in to your account, open the hosting service and click Open cPanel, which logs you in directly. Then point your domain at the server, check SSL/TLS Status to confirm a certificate has been issued, install WordPress or upload your files, and create your first mailbox. Finally, open Email Deliverability and follow what it says for SPF and DKIM.

Two habits save trouble later. Download a full backup before any big change, and do not edit files in File Manager without keeping a copy first, because it has no undo. Use a different password for cPanel than you use for your website’s admin area.

cPanel, WHM and how they relate

WHM (WebHost Manager) sits one level above cPanel. An administrator uses WHM to create and manage several cPanel accounts on a server, and each account has its own cPanel. If you only own a website, you will never need WHM. You will meet it if you buy reseller hosting, or if you put cPanel on your own VPS or dedicated server.

cPanel vs Plesk

Plesk is the other big hosting panel. Both do the same everyday jobs: files, databases, mail, DNS, SSL and backups. Plesk organises its screens around websites and domains, while cPanel shows a page of tools grouped by type. If you already know one, you will find the same tasks in the other under slightly different names, such as Zone Editor in cPanel and DNS Settings in Plesk.

For most buyers, the choice is decided by the software. On our plans, Plesk is what you get with Windows hosting, along with ASP.NET settings, MS SQL databases and IIS options. cPanel is what you get with Linux hosting, with MySQL, PHP version selection and Softaculous. So if your site is WordPress or other PHP software, choose a Linux plan with cPanel. If your developer built it in ASP.NET, choose a Windows plan with Plesk.

Which of our plans have cPanel

Here is what each product line comes with. The plan pages list current sizes and prices.

• Single Domain Linux hosting: cPanel, one website, Indian data centre
• Multi Domain Linux hosting: cPanel, up to 5 or up to 10 websites, US data centre
• Reseller Linux hosting: WHM plus cPanel accounts for your clients, Indian data centre
• Single and Multi Domain Windows hosting: Plesk rather than cPanel, Indian data centre
• WordPress hosting: built around WordPress with a 1-click install, US data centre; check the plan page for panel details
• VPS: no panel by default, with a cPanel and WHM licence available as an add-on on NVMe 4 and larger, on AlmaLinux or Rocky Linux

Is cPanel hosting right for you?

It suits nearly everyone who runs a normal website and does not want to use a command line: small businesses, bloggers and developers with several simple sites. It is less suitable if your project needs custom server software or background services. A shared cPanel account cannot install those, and that is when a VPS is worth considering.

Note that the panel does not change who is responsible for your website. Updating WordPress and its plugins remains your job on a Linux plan, unless you are on a WordPress plan with managed updates. If something in the panel confuses you, raise a ticket from your account. Tickets are answered Monday to Friday, 10:00 to 19:00 IST.