CPanel Hosting – What It Is and How It Works For You
Many people get confused when looking for a web host and hearing about CPanel. So this article aims to clear up the confusion by helping you to understand CPanel – what it is and how it works for you.
CPanel – what it is
Though CPanel can be puzzling for many people, its main purpose is to make your life easier. CPanel is basically a graphical interface on your web hosting account that makes it easier for you to complete tasks using your web browser. you can compare it to the Control Panel in Windows.
Instead of having to use hard to remember commands to perform functions on your web hosting account, CPanel offers icons with text descriptions to give you a visual option to choose and work with the tasks you need to perform.
You can also compare CPanel to DOS verses Windows. without Windows you are left to work in the darkness of DOS. same analogy applies to CPanel (though CPanel runs mainly on Unix).
CPanel – How it works for you
The features in CPanel are intended to help you get your web site up and running as easily and quickly as possible.
Some of the main functions CPanel allows for users are to:
- Create email accounts
- Create and control ftp accounts
- Create subdomains
- Manage and upload files on your hosting account
- Develop and manage databases
Each option in CPanel will walk you through the process screen by screen to complete the task you have chosen to perform.
Some of the database management features are streamlined for you by using the Fantastico addon to install various web platforms.
CPanel and Fantastico
One of the main features of CPanel is the Fantastico addon that is an interface to allow users to easily install many web platforms such as:
- Blogs (WordPress)
- Content Management Systems (Joomla)
- Forums (phpBB)
- Shopping Carts (Zen Cart)
Fantastic allows you to choose the platform you want to install and will create the required database and handle all the installation processes for you with only a minimal amount of input from you.
This makes installing a blog or content management system much easier since you do not have to create the database from scratch, develop the web site and connect it all together. Fanastico does it all for you.
Fantastico will also allow you to easily upgrade your installations to stay current with the latest versions (and security enhancements).
Most web hosts will offer CPanel (and Fantastico) to their users. Other alternatives are available, such as Plesk and DirectAdmin, but CPanel is the leading web hosting interface at this point in time.
There are many web hosts out there that feature CPanel and it is up to you to decide which web host to go with. no matter which host you choose, if your web host comes with CPanel you will have a great interface to work with to get your web site up and running as quickly as possible.
