About cPanel
cPanel & WHM is the most widely used web hosting control panel. WHM (WebHost Manager) is for the server administrator: creating accounts, resource packages, DNS, email and backups. cPanel is the interface each end customer uses: websites, databases, email addresses and certificates.
On delivery, the VPS (Debian or Ubuntu, in Paris or Frankfurt) has already run the official installer downloaded from securedownloads.cpanel.net/latest. A random root password of 48 hexadecimal characters is generated, and a file named /tmp/credentials.txt collects the IP address, the WHM URL and that password.
What remains is to open WHM, complete the initial setup wizard and enter a valid cPanel licence. The installation does not supply the licence, and you need one to use the panel.
What you can do with cPanel
WHM for the server administrator
The administration interface is available over HTTPS on port 2087 with the root account. From there you manage accounts, quotas, services and server settings.
cPanel for each account
Every account created in WHM gets its own cPanel interface on port 2083, where users manage files, databases, domains and mailboxes without root access.
Official cPanel installer
The script fetches the installer published by cPanel and checks that /usr/local/cpanel/cpanel exists before reporting success. No modified version is used.
Credentials generated at delivery
A random root password is created for each server. It is written together with the access URLs to /tmp/credentials.txt, readable by root only (permissions 600).
Full installation log
All installer output is kept in /var/log/cpanel-auto-install.log, which helps you follow progress or work out why an installation failed.
Get started with cPanel
From order to production in a few minutes.
- 1
Order the VPS with cPanel ticked
Choose a Linux VPS (Paris or Frankfurt) running Debian or Ubuntu, then tick cPanel in the "Applications" tab of the order form. Plan for at least 2 GB of RAM.
- 2
Connect and retrieve the credentials
Once the server is delivered, connect over SSH. The cPanel installation takes a while: follow it in the log, then read the credentials file when it has finished.
Bashssh root@SERVER_IP tail -f /var/log/cpanel-auto-install.log cat /tmp/credentials.txt - 3
Finish the WHM wizard and create an account
Open https://SERVER_IP:2087 and log in as root with the password from the file. Accept the browser's self-signed certificate warning, enter your cPanel licence, work through the wizard, then create a first cPanel account.
Bashhttps://SERVER_IP:2087 - 4
Secure the server for production
Copy the credentials into a password manager, then delete the file. Point a domain name at the server, use it as the hostname in WHM, and check that the firewall allows ports 2087 and 2083 as well as those your sites need. Finally, set up backups in WHM.
Bashshred -u /tmp/credentials.txt
cPanel use cases
Host your clients' websites
A web agency groups its clients' sites on a single server, with one cPanel account per client and each account's own databases and mailboxes.
Resell shared hosting
WHM lets you define resource packages and create accounts on demand. That is the foundation of a hosting reseller business.
Migrate from existing hosting
If your sites already run on cPanel elsewhere, you get the same interface on a server whose resources and configuration you control.
Centralise sites, DNS and email
One panel manages your domains, DNS zones, certificates and email addresses, which suits a small business that wants everything in one place.
cPanel FAQ
The installation script writes them to /tmp/credentials.txt, a file readable only by root. It contains the public IP, the WHM URL on port 2087, the cPanel URL on port 2083 and the generated root password. Copy it promptly, because it is stored in a temporary directory.
More about cPanel
cPanel licence
The installation does not include a licence. The credentials file says so too: a valid cPanel licence is required. Get one from cPanel or an authorised reseller, and enter it the first time you open WHM.
Following the installation
The script writes everything to /var/log/cpanel-auto-install.log. As long as /tmp/credentials.txt does not exist, the installation is not finished: the file is only created after /usr/local/cpanel/cpanel has been verified. If something goes wrong, the log ends with "ERROR: cPanel installation failed.".
Ports and access
WHM answers on TCP port 2087 and cPanel on 2083, both over HTTPS. On first access the browser warns about an unrecognised certificate. This is expected until you use a valid hostname. If you enable a firewall, open these two ports, plus those of the services you host (web, email).
Keeping the credentials safe
The file /tmp/credentials.txt sits in a temporary directory. Copy it as soon as you first log in, then delete it. After that, change the root password and consider SSH key authentication.
Want hosting without server administration?
If you would rather not manage a server, take a look at our cPanel hosting offer. For your domain names, go to /web-domains.
