If you have bought web hosting, you have probably been told you get cPanel. It is a control panel: a website you log in to so you can manage your hosting without typing commands on a server. This guide explains what it does and who needs it.
What cPanel does
A web server is a computer that stores your website files and email and delivers them to visitors. Managing one normally takes technical skills. cPanel puts that work behind a point-and-click screen, so you can handle common jobs yourself.
Typical jobs include uploading files, creating email addresses, installing WordPress, adding a domain and checking your backups.
The main tools
File Manager
Browse, upload, edit and delete the files that make up your website, from the browser.
Email accounts
Create mailboxes on your own domain, set up forwarders and manage spam settings. Our guide how to create a new email address in cPanel walks through it. For more on business email, see email hosting.
Domains and DNS
Add domains and subdomains, and use the Zone Editor to change DNS records such as A, MX and TXT. To see how DNS fits together, read about our Australian DNS network.
Databases
Create and manage MySQL databases, which sites like WordPress depend on.
WordPress tools
On Skyrack plans, WP Toolkit lets you install WordPress, clone it, set up staging, run updates and apply hardening from one screen. See how to install WordPress using WP Toolkit.
Backups
Download or restore backups of your account, files and databases.
Security tools
Manage SSL certificates, password-protect directories and review malware scan results.
Email authentication
Check and repair SPF and DKIM records with the Email Deliverability tool, and add a DMARC record in the Zone Editor. See SPF, DKIM and DMARC explained.
cPanel vs WHM
You will often see “cPanel and WHM” together. They are two parts of the same software.
| cPanel | WHM | |
|---|---|---|
| Who uses it | Website owners | Server and reseller administrators |
| What it manages | One hosting account: its files, email, databases | Many accounts on a server |
| Typical jobs | Install WordPress, create email | Create accounts, set limits, suspend accounts |
If you have a shared hosting plan, you only see cPanel. If you have reseller hosting or a managed VPS, you also get WHM, where you create a cPanel account for each site or client.
Who needs cPanel
- Small business owners who want to manage their own site and email.
- Web designers and freelancers who look after several client sites.
- Resellers and agencies who need to create separate accounts for clients.
- WordPress users who want staging, backups and updates in one place.
You do not need cPanel if your site is built entirely on a hosted website builder and you never touch hosting. But if you want control and the ability to move hosts later, it is a good choice, since many hosts use it.
What cPanel is not
cPanel is a control panel, not a hosting company. The service, the servers and the support come from your host. Two hosts that both give you cPanel can differ a lot in speed, backups and support. For what to compare, see how to choose cPanel hosting in Australia. If you are weighing it against another panel, read cPanel vs Plesk.
A typical first hour in cPanel
If you have just signed up, a sensible order is to check that your domain is added, install WordPress or upload your site, create your email addresses, and confirm that an SSL certificate is active. Then look at the backup tool so you know where restores are done, and check the DNS records in the Zone Editor if you are moving a domain. None of these steps needs technical knowledge, and each one is a few clicks. If you get stuck, cPanel looks much the same from host to host, so most online tutorials apply to your account too.
Getting started
Skyrack’s cPanel hosting runs from $4.98 per month. We migrate one existing cPanel account per hosting service for free, generally without downtime, and you manage it in cPanel from day one. If you are not sure what to do first, our support team can help by email, chat or call-back.