We have often come across this term whenever we are talking about hosting plans for a website. Cpanel is something that is one of the basic platforms for you to control your website files. And we always ask ourselves what is Cpanel all about?
Every website hosting provider needs a dashboard that allows their customers to control their website. There are multiple ways in which the dashboards have been diversified. Cpanel is one of the most popular methods.
The popularity of this platform is growing every year. As people have found that this method is convenient for them to host and manage a website. It is being widely used by almost all the leading hosting services.
Through Cpanel, you can easily manage your website files that don’t require technical knowledge. Thanks to its friendly user interface, this platform lets you get the maximum benefits when the user is from a non-technical background.
In this blog post, you will learn what a Cpanel is? What are the features that you get from Cpanel? Alternatives for it and the disadvantages.
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What is Cpanel in website hosting?
Cpanel stands for the control panel. Basically, it is a dashboard where you can effectively control and manage your website files from the server. This is a much-required platform for website owners, web developers and hosting providers.
You get the complete details from the dashboard, whether it can be related to business emails, malware scanning tools, the database of websites, and other content hosted on it. You can productively use this platform to make any changes that are required by you.
Cpanel is based on the Linux platform, where it is intuitive for users to engage with their website. There is a wide range of features that are provided in this dashboard. You can easily learn how to use this platform and effectively control your website.
If the website hosting provider doesn’t provide you with the Cpanel section, you would require advanced website hosting knowledge. Because only with the help of Cpanel, you can make the best use of the digital space that has been located for your website. As manually hosting a website without Cpanel is challenging.
What are the features that we get through Cpanel?
Depending upon the hosting provider, the features list gets varied. But here I am going to shortlist some of the major features that you can get through Cpanel.
1. You can add domain and subdomain
Cpanel is the platform where you can add domains and subdomains. Because that is the only way where you can connect the domain name that you already registered with the hosting server that has been allocated to you. You can also easily create subdomains that help to act as a substitute for your core domain.
The process to do this is very simple, as you can directly go to the domain section from the Cpanel dashboard. When you enter the domain section, you just need to click add domain or subdomain. When you enter the domain names within the section, it will take some time for the server to get propagated and linked.
2. Create business emails
Through Cpanel, you get a platform where you can create business emails that are customized to your domain. This is one of the best ways to engage with your target customers and show them that you are serious about your business. It automatically helps in building credibility and you can connect with our customers easily.
Some of the hosting providers give unlimited business emails option. And few of the companies offer this package as an add-on. It is better that you compare multiple hosting providers so that you get the best deal. You can easily add, modify and even update the passwords of email users through the dashboard.
3. Installable website script
Did you ever think about how you can install WordPress, Magento, or Joomla platforms on your server? This is all possible through the Cpanel dashboard provided by the hosting services. As you can find in the section of installable scripts, where you can instantly select the desired application and install it.
This is one of the effective ways to build a CMS website or even an e-commerce store. You can build and execute any type of website on Cpanel. That’s the reason Cpanel is trending. The main cause would be its usability. As you can create a website based on your favourite platform.
Learn how to install WordPress website in cPanel
4. Website files
Through Cpanel, you can easily customize and manage your website files. Whether you have to edit any script of your website or create a new one. This is possible only through the backend which can all be done from Cpanel. You can also take a backup of your website files so that whenever your website goes down and you don’t find any solution, you can easily back it up.
5. Manage database
The database is one of the most important components for a website to go live. Without a database, you can’t make your website live. As the database is based on the MySQL platform, you can easily configure the file as per the website architecture. And the Cpanel dashboard gives you a simple process where you can upload, edit and delete the database.
6. Scanning viruses
Few of the Cpanel platforms have an option where you can scan for viruses on a website. As only the premium hosting companies provide you with this opportunity, it gives you a peaceful experience when you can frequently check for any viruses.
This helps you in the long run as you can prevent virus attacks and even it saves you time by not reuploading the website online again. If you are periodically checking for any malware or virus, it is an ideal way to manage your website.
7. Marketing features
You can find marketing features for email, SEO, and content management. This is usually found in some of the premium hosting providers. Through these functions, you can easily boost your online marketing efforts.
When you can get the marketing features from the hosting companies, you don’t have to make additional expenses to take these tools from third-party companies. As you get everything from the Cpanel backend, it will be helpful for you to scale the growth of your website.
What is the alternative to Cpanel?
If we have to discuss the alternatives to Cpanel, the list keeps ongoing. Because every hosting company has its own Cpanel platform. But if we see the common ground, the functionalities are almost similar. The only thing that is getting differentiated within them is the features that they are offering to the end-user.
A few of the times Cpanel also differs on the type of hosting plan that you opt from the company. Some of the popular types of Cpanel hosting packages are shared Cpanel hosting, VPS Cpanel posting, and dedicated Cpanel hosting. These platforms are completely customizable as per the solutions that are being offered by the hosting packages.
When you are opting for a premium plan from a hosting company, it is obvious that you will be getting a range of features. It all depends on the requirement and the budget that you have located for your website.
The end goal of any platform would be to effectively manage your website. Whether it can be Cpanel or other programs. When you can control and access your website files efficiently, then you need not worry about the alternatives for Cpanel.
What are the disadvantages of using Cpanel?
For any platform, there are always pros and cons. And when we talk about the disadvantages of using Cpanel, they are very limited.
1. Confusing features
Some of the functions and features which are introduced by the hosting provider through the Cpanel dashboard are highly confusing in nature. Because you need to have the proper knowledge to utilize the features. You can reach out to the customer support team and get queries for all the functions.
2. A small change can lead to a big disaster
Whenever you are customizing any part of the website, small changes can result in your website going down. You need to have the proper expertise and skill sets to operate Cpanel. Or else this is going to be a big disaster whenever you are editing your website files on your own.
3. Installable scripts are not up to date
This is one of the commonly found problems when using Cpanel. Because when it comes to updating the version of your CMS, not all hosting companies give you the latest version of installable scripts. You need to manually check which is the current version that the server is providing and according to that, you need to upgrade your website.
To sum it up
There has never been a great demand for Cpanel as of today. Because these are one of the most preferred platforms by the website owners and the developers to get their website live. As it is based on a Linux web hosting platform, it is convenient for anyone to customize their website according to requirements. You even get a set of statistics that is accessible from the Cpanel dashboard. You can check the bandwidth, CPU usage, disk space consumption, and many others.
Cpanel is a user-friendly interface that lets you create multiple websites and manage them effortlessly. This is the power of Cpanel. As the configuration and integrations are so convenient that you can execute the commands within minutes. And even when it comes to setup the Cpanel it is very convenient. When you look at the pros and cons of using Cpanel for Website hosting it is advantageous.
Let me know your thoughts and opinions in the comment section below.
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