What is cPanel? A Quick Guide to Understanding cPanel

If you own or manage a website, you’ve likely come across cPanel before. cPanel is one of the most popular web hosting control panels, helping website owners easily manage their sites without technical expertise.

In this beginner’s guide, I’ll explain what cPanel is, why it’s useful for managing WordPress and other websites, how to log in to cPanel, and some of cPanel’s key features.

By the end of this cPanel tutorial, you’ll understand:

• What is cPanel and why is it useful?
• How to find and log in to your cPanel dashboard
• How to use cPanel to manage WordPress, domains, files, databases, and more
• cPanel alternatives and limitations

Let’s start with the basics…

What is cPanel and Why Use It?

cPanel is a Linux-based web hosting control panel that simplifies website and server management. Web hosting companies provide cPanel access to customers as part of their hosting plan.

cPanel provides an intuitive graphical interface that lets users perform complicated website administration tasks without needing coding expertise. With cPanel, you can manage domains, WordPress installations, emails, databases, and more through a browser dashboard.

Here are some key things cPanel lets you do:

• Install WordPress with one click
• Manage domains and create new email accounts
• Access website files and databases
• Check site traffic and server resource usage
• Manage DNS settings
• Automate tasks like backups

In short, cPanel makes managing a website incredibly easy, even for beginners with no technical experience. It’s an essential tool for anyone running one or more websites.

Now let’s go over how to access your cPanel dashboard.

How to Find and Log in to cPanel

Your web hosting company will provide you access to cPanel as part of your account. Here are the main ways to find and log in to your cPanel dashboard:

Find cPanel Link in Hosting Welcome Email

When you first sign up for web hosting, you’ll receive a welcome email with your account credentials. This email usually contains a direct link to access your cPanel.

Just click the link, enter your cPanel username and password provided by your host, and you’ll log right into your dashboard.

Look for cPanel Link in Hosting Control Panel

Many hosts provide an online control panel separate from cPanel to manage your main account. There may be a section here to access cPanel.

For example, with HostGator you would log into “My Account”, then click “cPanel Login” to access your cPanel dashboard.

Type in Domain with “/cpanel”

You can access cPanel by typing your main domain name followed by “/cpanel” in your web browser.

For example, if your site is www.yourdomain.com, you would visit www.yourdomain.com/cpanel and log in.

Access via Web Host Manager

Some hosts have custom dashboards like “Web Host Manager” that contain a link or icon to access cPanel. Consult your hosting welcome email or knowledge base to locate it.

Once you find the cPanel login URL, bookmark it so you can easily return in the future.

Now let’s take a look at some of cPanel’s main sections and features.

Key Sections and Tools in cPanel

cPanel contains dozens of features spread across different sections. Here are some of the main ones you’ll likely use:

WordPress Manager

The WordPress Manager lets you instantly install WordPress with one click. Just enter your desired domain name, admin credentials, and site details, and WordPress will be installed and ready to use.

This is much easier than manually installing WordPress yourself.

Domains

The Domains section lets you add, manage, and configure domains. You can:

• Add new domains you purchased
• Point domains to specific subdirectories
• Manage DNS settings
• Set up email forwarding
• Configure SSL certificates

It’s the central dashboard for all your domains in one place.

Email Accounts

You can use cPanel to create and manage email addresses at your domain. Add new accounts, set passwords, configure forwarding, enable auto-responders, and more.

cPanel makes managing 10, 100, or even 1,000+ email accounts easy.

Files

The Files section contains features for direct file management and transfer:

• File Manager – Like a desktop file explorer, browse your hosting files and upload, download, edit, delete, compress, and more. Much easier than FTP.
• File Transfer – Drag and drop files between your computer and server.
• Git Version Control – Manage Git repositories hosted on your server.

You have full file system access without needing to use FTP.

Databases

If your site uses databases (like for WordPress or an app), you can create and manage them in cPanel:

• Add new databases
• Create and manage database user accounts
• Import and export database data
• Optimize and repair databases

No need to directly edit SQL code.

Metrics

cPanel provides metrics and statistics to help you monitor your site:

• Site Traffic – Check visits, bandwidth use, top pages, etc.
• SEO Score – Get a quick SEO audit of your site.
• Resource Usage – Monitor how server resources like RAM are being used.

The metrics help you see how your site is performing.

Software

You can install 150+ web applications with one click via cPanel’s Software section, including:

• Content management systems like WordPress
• Forums like phpBB
• Ecommerce platforms like Magento
• Wikis, galleries, analytics, and more

It’s an easy way to try new software on your site.

These are just a few of the key features available in cPanel. There are many additional tools for security, performance, emails, cron jobs, configuration, and more.

Now let’s go over some alternatives to cPanel.

cPanel Alternatives and Limitations

cPanel is one of the most popular hosting control panels, but it’s not the only option. Some alternatives include:

• Plesk – Similar features and UI to cPanel. Often a bit cheaper for hosts to license.
• Webmin – Open source control panel. Fewer features than cPanel but free.
• Virtualmin – Made by the developers of Webmin and more user friendly.
• DirectAdmin – Has a free tier and is popular with budget hosts.
• InterWorx – Designed for hosts and focused on clustering, scaling.
• Ajenti – Open source with dedicated server tools.

cPanel is limited in a few ways:

• Costs extra for hosts – Adds $10-$15 per account usually.
• CentOS/RHEL only – Can only be installed on CentOS/RHEL Linux distros.
• Resource usage – Can use a lot of RAM and CPU on lower end servers.

So alternatives like Webmin or Virtualmin may be better for hosts with tighter budgets or using other Linux operating systems.

But for managing WordPress and mainstream websites as a user, cPanel provides an unparalleled feature set that makes your life easy. It’s a must for hosts catering to beginners and average website owners.

cPanel Simplifies Website Management for Beginners

If you’re new to web hosting, cPanel is a must for easily managing WordPress, domains, email, and more through an intuitive interface.

Here are some key beginner tips for getting started with cPanel:

Beginners Tips

• Find your cPanel login URL from the hosting welcome email or control panel. Bookmark it.
• Use the WordPress Manager to install WordPress with one click. Much easier than manual installs.
• Upload website files by dragging and dropping them in the cPanel file manager. No FTP needed.
• Add new email addresses under the Email Accounts section and set passwords.
• Monitor visits, traffic, and resource usage in the Metrics section.
• Install web apps like content management systems from the Software section.
• Adjust domain settings like DNS under the Domains section.

Take advantage of cPanel’s many simplified management tools for WordPress and web hosting. They’ll save you time and effort as your site grows.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

Over time, you can explore more advanced cPanel features like cron jobs, email auto-responders, Git version control, and more.

For any other questions, check out the official cPanel user documentation or community forums and blogs. The cPanel interface also contains helpful tooltips and icons explaining what each feature does.

Now you have a beginner’s understanding of how to use cPanel to manage WordPress hosting!

Neil Beckett

Neil is an accomplished web, designer and developer with over 15 years of experience in creating and optimizing websites for small businesses and online entrepreneurs. Read full bio

Get Notified of the Latest Hosting Deals, Discounts and News!

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to get emails from me. I'll respect your privacy and you can unsubscribe any time.