- 8 stages
- 32 guides
- ~2 hr of reading
- 8 hands-on checkpoints
0 of 32 guides read
Tick guides as you finish them. Progress is saved in this browser only.
-
Stage 1
Find your way around
What cPanel is, how to log in, and where every tool lives.
By the end you can
- Log in and find any tool in seconds
- Read your account details and limits
- Manage files safely in File Manager
Read in this order
- What is cPanel (and Plesk)?
Control panels put a web interface on top of a hosting server, so you can manage sites, email, databases and files without the command line.
- How to use cPanel: a tour of every section
A screenshot tour of cPanel's home screen: where each tool lives, what the General Information panel tells you, and the ten tools most site owners actually use.
Go further
- Managed or unmanaged hosting: which do you need?
The server can be identical.
Checkpoint
Know your account
- Find your Shared IP Address and Home Directory on the home screen.
- Check how much disk space and how many databases your plan allows.
- Turn on two-factor authentication under Password & Security, if offered.
Words to know cPanel Control panel Inode Bandwidth
-
Stage 2
Put a website online
Add your domain, get a certificate, and install WordPress or your own app with its database.
By the end you can
- Add domains and subdomains with their own folders
- Get free HTTPS on every name
- Install WordPress and manage it from cPanel
- Create a database and user for any app
Read in this order
- How to add a domain or subdomain in cPanel
Add another website, a subdomain or an alias to a cPanel account, choose its folder, force HTTPS, and set up redirects, with screenshots of each step.
- How to install a free SSL certificate in cPanel
Get free certificates for every domain in cPanel with AutoSSL, read the SSL/TLS Status page, fix the reasons a domain is skipped, and force HTTPS.
- How to install WordPress in cPanel
Install WordPress from cPanel with WP Toolkit (or Softaculous), choose the right options, and use the management screen afterwards for updates, backups and security.
- How to create a MySQL database in cPanel
Create a database, a database user and the link between them with cPanel's Database Wizard, then find the exact values your website's configuration needs.
Go further
- How to point a domain to a server
Connect a domain to your hosting by setting A records, adding www, and checking the change before you rely on it.
Checkpoint
A live site with a padlock
- Point the domain at your Shared IP Address.
- Wait for SSL/TLS Status to show a valid certificate.
- Turn on Force HTTPS Redirect for the domain.
Words to know Subdomain SSL/TLS certificate Let’s Encrypt A record
-
Stage 3
Email on your domain
Create mailboxes and forwarders, connect devices, and publish the records that keep your mail out of spam.
By the end you can
- Create mailboxes and forwarders
- Connect any phone or mail app with the right settings
- Pass SPF, DKIM and DMARC checks
Read in this order
- How to create an email account in cPanel
Create a mailbox in cPanel, connect it to your phone and mail app, add forwarders, and check that your domain's email is trusted, step by step with screenshots.
- How to set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC
Three DNS records that prove your email is really from you, so it reaches inboxes and nobody else can send as your domain.
Go further
- Why do my emails go to spam?
Most legitimate mail lands in spam for fixable reasons: missing SPF, DKIM or DMARC, a server with a poor reputation, or a site sending mail it is not allowed to.
Checkpoint
Prove your mail is trusted
- Send a message to a Gmail address and open Show original.
- Confirm SPF, DKIM and DMARC all say PASS.
-
Stage 4
DNS records
Edit the records behind your website and email, and plan changes so they take minutes.
By the end you can
- Tell whether cPanel controls your DNS
- Add A, CNAME, MX and TXT records
- Move email to an outside provider safely
Read in this order
- How to edit DNS records in cPanel’s Zone Editor
Add, edit and delete A, CNAME, MX and TXT records in cPanel's Zone Editor, and first check that cPanel really controls your domain's DNS.
- DNS record types explained
A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, NS, CAA and SRV: what each DNS record does, with real examples you can copy.
Go further
- What is DNS propagation, and how long does it take?
Why a DNS change reaches some people in minutes and others in hours, how to check its progress, and how to make the next change faster.
Checkpoint
Add a record and watch it spread
- Add a TXT record named
testwith any value. - Check it with
dig TXT test.example.com +short. - Delete it again.
Words to know Nameserver TTL TXT record CNAME record
-
Stage 5
Keep it running
Backups you can restore yourself, the right PHP version and limits, and scheduled tasks that run on time.
By the end you can
- Take and restore your own backups
- Change PHP version and limits per domain
- Schedule tasks with cron jobs
Read in this order
- How to back up and restore a website in cPanel
Make a full cPanel backup, download partial backups of files and databases, restore them, and understand what your host's own backups do and do not cover.
- How to change the PHP version and settings in cPanel
Change PHP version per domain with MultiPHP Manager, raise limits such as memory_limit and upload_max_filesize with the INI Editor, and understand CloudLinux's PHP Selector.
- How to set up a cron job in cPanel
Schedule a script to run automatically in cPanel, write the command correctly, stop the email flood, and replace WordPress's unreliable wp-cron with a real one.
Checkpoint
A restore you have tested
- Download a database backup.
- Restore it into a new, empty database.
- Confirm the tables are there in phpMyAdmin.
-
Stage 6
When something goes wrong
Read resource limits and error logs, and fix the errors cPanel sites see most.
By the end you can
- Tell a resource limit from a broken site
- Find the error log line that explains a failure
- Fix 500, 503 and WordPress critical errors
Read in this order
- How to check resource usage and errors in cPanel
Find out why a cPanel site is slow or showing 503 and 508 errors: read Resource Usage graphs, spot which limit was hit, and check the error log.
- How to fix 500 Internal Server Error
A 500 is the server's way of saying "something broke and I won't say what".
- How to fix 503 Service Unavailable
The server is up but refusing work for now: maintenance mode, an overload, or a limit being hit.
- How to fix the WordPress white screen of death
A blank page or "There has been a critical error" means PHP stopped with a fatal error.
Go further
- How to fix “Error establishing a database connection”
WordPress cannot reach its database.
Checkpoint
Know where to look
- Open Resource Usage and read the last 24 hours.
- Open Metrics » Errors and find your site's
error_logfile.
Words to know HTTP status code Web server
-
Stage 7
Run the server: WHM
For whoever runs the server or resells hosting: create accounts and plans, manage them, and keep backups, PHP and certificates in order.
By the end you can
- Create packages and accounts with consistent limits
- Modify, suspend and terminate accounts safely
- Back up every account to a destination off the server
- Manage PHP versions and free certificates server-wide
Read in this order
- How to use WHM: a tour for new server admins
What WHM is, how it differs from cPanel, where its tools live, and the first things to set up and secure on a new cPanel server.
- How to create a hosting package in WHM
Define hosting plans in WHM with sensible disk, bandwidth, email and database limits, choose features and the cPanel theme, and move accounts between packages.
- How to create a cPanel account in WHM
Create a new hosting account in WHM step by step: the domain, username, password, package and settings, what happens when you click Create, and how to check the result.
- How to modify, suspend and terminate cPanel accounts in WHM
Change an account's domain, username or limits, suspend it with a reason, reset its password and remove it for good, safely and in the right order.
- How to configure backups in WHM
Set up automatic cPanel backups for every account in WHM: backup type, schedule, retention, what to include, and an off-server destination, then test a restore.
- How to manage PHP versions in WHM with MultiPHP and EasyApache 4
Install PHP versions and extensions with EasyApache 4, choose the default PHP version and handler with MultiPHP Manager, and set server-wide PHP limits with the MultiPHP INI Editor.
- How to set up AutoSSL in WHM
Turn on free automatic SSL certificates for every cPanel account with WHM's AutoSSL, choose Let's Encrypt or Sectigo, read the logs, and fix accounts that are skipped.
Checkpoint
A server you can hand to customers
- Two-factor authentication is on for root.
- At least one package exists, and accounts are created on it.
- Backups run nightly and copy to a destination off the server.
- AutoSSL is enabled and its last log shows no unexpected failures.
Words to know WHM Root access PHP-FPM Let’s Encrypt
-
Stage 8
Moving hosts
Move a whole cPanel account, with its email and DNS, to a new server without downtime.
By the end you can
- Make a full account backup
- Choose the right transfer method
- Switch DNS with no visible downtime
Read in this order
- How to migrate a cPanel account to another cPanel server
Three ways to move a whole cPanel account (files, databases, email and DNS zone) to a new server, with annotated WHM screenshots for each.
- Website migration checklist
Everything to check before, during and after moving a website to a new host, so nothing is forgotten and nothing breaks.
Go further
- How to change hosts without downtime
Run the old and new servers side by side, switch DNS when the new one is proven, and keep the old one answering until the world has caught up.
Checkpoint
Rehearse it
- Generate a full backup and check its size.
- List everything the old account does: domains, mailboxes, forwarders, cron jobs.
Words to know WHM Propagation