What is cPanel?
By Ash, Founder, HosteazePublished 2 min read
The short answer
cPanel is a web hosting control panel made by WebPros. It gives you a point-and-click dashboard for jobs that would otherwise need server commands, like creating email accounts, uploading files, managing databases, adding domains and taking backups. Many hosts include it, but plenty use other panels, including their own.
A web server is a Linux machine, and without a control panel you'd manage it by typing commands. cPanel puts a friendly face on that. Instead of editing configuration files to set up sales@yourbusiness.co.uk, you click Email Accounts, type a name and a password, and you're done.
What can you do in cPanel?
Its tools are grouped into sections. The ones small business owners use most:
- Create mailboxes in Email Accounts, then read mail in the browser with Webmail.
- Upload, edit and delete your website's files in File Manager, without separate FTP software.
- Add a second domain or a subdomain such as
shop.yourbusiness.co.ukunder Domains. - Create the database behind a WordPress site in MySQL Databases, and inspect it with phpMyAdmin.
- Download a copy of your files and databases with the Backup Wizard.
- Install and manage WordPress with WP Toolkit, on servers where the host has enabled it.
Which tools appear depends on your host's setup, so two cPanel accounts can look slightly different.
What's the difference between cPanel and WHM?
They're two halves of the same product. WHM (WebHost Manager) is the server-level side that hosting companies or resellers use to create accounts and configure the whole machine. cPanel is the account-level side that you, the site owner, log into.
| cPanel | WHM | |
|---|---|---|
| Who uses it | Website owners | Hosts, resellers, server admins |
| Manages | One hosting account | The whole server and all its accounts |
| Default secure port | 2083 | 2087 |
| Typical tasks | Email, files, databases, domains | Creating accounts, server settings, updates |
Is cPanel the only option?
No, and it's not automatically the best. Plesk and DirectAdmin are other well-known panels, and some hosts build their own. Hosteaze uses its own custom-built control panel rather than cPanel, designed to keep the everyday jobs simple. The things that matter are the same in any panel: can you manage email, files, SSL and backups without raising a support ticket?
If you're moving away from a cPanel host, its Backup Wizard is usually the easiest way to grab everything first. Our guide on how to switch web hosting providers covers the order to do things in, and what web hosting is explains the bigger picture.
Frequently asked questions
How do I log in to cPanel?
Your host normally gives you a login link. On a standard cPanel server you can also go to your domain or server IP address followed by port 2083, for example https://yourdomain.co.uk:2083, and enter your cPanel username and password.
Is cPanel free?
Not for hosts. WebPros licenses cPanel to hosting companies, and that cost is built into the hosting price. As a customer you don't buy it separately; it either comes with your plan or it doesn't.
Do I need cPanel to run a website?
No. You need a way to manage your hosting, and cPanel is one of several. Plesk, DirectAdmin and custom panels built by hosts do the same core jobs.