# cPanel

cPanel is the industry-standard web hosting control panel used by hosting providers and website owners worldwide. It provides a graphical interface for managing websites, email accounts, databases, DNS, FTP, and more. WHM (Web Host Manager) is the server-level administration interface that sits above cPanel.

cPanel’s bundled mail server delivers email directly over port 25, which is blocked by default. Request access before relying on outbound email from this instance, or configure a smart host on port 587. See [SMTP Port 25](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/networking/public-network/smtp-port-25) for the full policy.

## Software included

| Component | Version |
| --- | --- |
| cPanel & WHM | Latest stable (release tier) |
| Ubuntu | 24.04 LTS |

## Getting started

### 1. Connect to WHM

cPanel licenses are IP-based and are activated when you access WHM for the first time from the VM’s public IP. Open a browser and navigate to:

```text
https://<your-vm-ip>:2087
```

Log in with:

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Username | `root` |
| Password | Your VM’s root password |

If you do not know your root password, reset it from the ZCP control panel under Instances → Reset Password.

### 2. Complete the WHM setup wizard

The WHM setup wizard runs on first login. It will prompt you to:

1. Accept the license agreement
2. Enter a contact email address
3. Configure nameservers
4. Set up IP addresses and networking
5. Choose default packages

Work through the wizard before creating any hosting accounts.

### 3. Create your first cPanel account

In WHM, go to Account Functions → Create a New Account to set up a hosting account. Each account gets its own cPanel interface accessible at:

```text
https://<your-vm-ip>:2083
```

## Port reference

| Interface | Port | Protocol |
| --- | --- | --- |
| WHM (admin) | 2087 | HTTPS |
| WHM (admin) | 2086 | HTTP |
| cPanel (user) | 2083 | HTTPS |
| cPanel (user) | 2082 | HTTP |
| Webmail | 2096 | HTTPS |
| FTP | 21 | FTP |
| HTTP | 80 | HTTP |
| HTTPS | 443 | HTTPS |
| SSH | 22 | SSH |
| SMTP | 25, 587 | SMTP |
| IMAP | 143, 993 | IMAP |
| POP3 | 110, 995 | POP3 |

## Managing cPanel & WHM

cPanel and WHM manage their own services internally. Use WHM for all server-level changes. The `cpanel` command suite is available from SSH:

```bash
# Check cPanel service status
sudo /usr/local/cpanel/scripts/check_cpanel_rpms --fix


# Restart cPanel services
sudo /scripts/restartsrv_cpsrvd


# View the cPanel error log
sudo tail -f /usr/local/cpanel/logs/error_log
```

## Security

cPanel manages its own firewall (CSF/LFD) independently of UFW. UFW is disabled in favour of cPanel’s firewall management during installation.

Change the root password immediately and set up two-factor authentication in WHM. Restrict WHM access to your office IP if possible.

## Next steps

- [cPanel documentation](https://docs.cpanel.net/)
- [WHM administration guide](https://docs.cpanel.net/whm/)
- [cPanel security advisor](https://docs.cpanel.net/whm/security-center/security-advisor/)