Everything you need to know about cPanel
cPanel is a web-based hosting control panel provided by many hosting companies
to website owners allowing them to manage their websites from a web-based interface.
Administrators and end users can control the different parts of the server and the website
directly through their browser. cPanel allows people without the technical know how to
manage all aspects of their hosting without the need for advanced technical skills.
The tools provided are designed to simplify running and controlling a website. Most
people will use cPanel for basic, everyday tasks like managing and administering their
email. Tasks like creating email accounts, resetting passwords, setting up mail
forwarders are really easy with cPanel Hosting.
8 main advantages of cPanel
- Popular – cPanel is pretty much an industry standard control panel for Linux hosts.
- Scalable – cPanel can be used for shared hosting, reseller hosting, Virtual Private
Servers and Dedicated Servers. For Resellers, VPS and Dedicated Servers the cPanel
server administration is performed via the WHM cPanel interface. - Low Cost – cPanel licences are not expensive. If you are on a shared hosting platform
then your hosting company will pay for the licence. - Easy to install – Once your Linux Server installation is set up you just need to run the
cPanel installation script. - Secure and Easy to Maintain – Keeping cPanel up to date and secure is very
straightforward. You can configure password-protected directories, IP address denials,
SSL/TLS, and GnuPG key settings to restrict access. Protect your site with HotLink
Protection, Leech Protect, and ModSecurity. - Fully Featured – cPanel allows website administrators to quickly add extra functionality
to their websites using a 1 click installation software such as Softaculous. Adding a blog
or eCommerce software is very straightforward. - Easy to backup – cPanel includes a number of backup options to protect your valuable
data. It also integrates seamlessly with 3rd party backup software such as r1soft/idera. - Value Added Services – cPanel has loads of 3rd Party Applications that can be included
to add value to your service offering if you are using a VPS or Dedicated Server.
Email Management
cPanel makes managing your email is easy to create, edit and
remove email accounts. You can amend password, set the mailbox
quota and configure your mailbox with your preferred email client
i.e. Outlook. You can even configure your emails to go to your Gmail
account. If you want to access your emails on the go then you can
easily do that using webmail from any internet connected device.
You can fight spam with BoxTrapper, Apache SpamAssassin, and
email authentication. Then, use mailing lists to broadcast your message.
File Management
cPanel has a comprehensive set of File Management tools.
Whilst not a substitute for a professional FTP tool, it allows you to
upload files, create or delete them, organise your files in folders as
well as allowing you to change file permissions. Overall it gives you
the basic features you’ll need to manage your files. You can also
manage your backups from the cPanel File Manager, whether you
want to run full or partial backups.
1 Click Software Installation
Softaculous allows you to automatically install hundreds of
software applications onto your hosting with just a couple of
clicks. Whether you want to set up a WordPress Blog, a
Magento eCommerce site or a PHPBB Forum, start reselling
web hosting using WHMCS then Softaculous has you covered.
Domain Management
In cPanel you have a great set of tools for effectively managing your
domains. For example, you can set up parked domains to redirect
any domains you own or create Addon domains to keep your hosting
costs down. You can also set up subdomains, redirects and manage
your DNS zone settings via cPanel.
Security
When it comes to security cPanel has you covered. So
whether you want to install an SSL Certificate, block IP
addresses or configure ModSecurity you’re covered.
Databases
cPanel has a range of databases management features. cPanel is usually
configured with MySQL as standard but can also use Percona – a fast,
open source drop in database alternative to MySQL. You can also manage
your databases using PHPMyAdmin.
Advanced Tools
cPanel also has a range of tools to help you manage your
website more effectively. For example, you can automate
repetitive tasks (e.g. creating daily invoices) using a CRON
Job. Or you can set up custom error pages such as 404 pages
or troubleshoot DNS issues.
Metrics
Whilst most websites will use Google Analytics and Google Webmaster
Tools to get an overview of their website traffic, cPanel does include some
useful metrics for you such as Errors, bandwidth usage and Raw Access
Logs.
Speeding Up and Securing
Your Website – CloudFlare for cPanel
As a proud CloudFlare partner, Pickaweb offers CloudFlare for
free as part of our standard web hosting services. CloudFlare is
a Content Delivery Network (CDN) which is a distributed set of
servers deployed across the globe. The purpose of a CDN is to
provide you with high availability and high performance by
storing caches of the static web pages from your site on their
network of servers. This has 3 significant benefits:
- Faster loading websites – up to 2x faster
- Less bandwidth used
- Improved security – CloudFlare recognises and prevents
malicious attacks
cPanel and Spam Experts
Pickaweb is a proud partner of leading anti-spam solution provider
Spam Experts. Spam Experts works by analysing all email traffic
coming into the server you are hosted on. Its powerful algorithms
learn to spot spam and stop in its tracks before it even hits your
inbox. The incoming spam filter will stop over 99.9% of spam from
hitting your inbox. The incoming anti-spam mail filter is a value
added service but it is a very cost-effective way to protect your inbox
and reduce the frustration and potential cost of constantly dealing
with spam.
Want to know more about cPanel? Click here.
