cPanel and Plesk are two of the most popular online hosting services. Both have a different approach to creating and managing websites, email accounts, databases and more – but which one is right for you? In this blog post, our team takes a deeper look into what both interfaces are, how they can make your life easier and how they’re offered on dedicated managed servers, VPS servers and virtual servers.
What is cPanel hosting?
cPanel hosting is what is known as an online Linux-based graphical interface. This means it can be used as a control panel that simplifies websites and server management. It allows the user to manage domains, create email accounts, organise web files and publish websites simply and easily, making it one of the most popular hosting options currently used in the USA. It’s created with two interfaces, the first is the user interface, which is called cPanel. The second interface, which is known as the Web Host Manager (WHM), is a server management tool.
What is Plesk hosting?
Plesk hosting is a Russian alternative to cPanel that was also developed for Linux and Windows-based hosting providers. It features a user-friendly menu that anyone – even beginners with little experience – can use. Users of Plesk can create and maintain websites, email accounts, databases, reseller accounts and DNS using allocated templates and other resources over the internet for either their clients or for other domains. Plesk does some of the heavy lifting by automatically taking on various processes and tasks with the use of either a single server or – for larger tasks – splitting them between multiple servers for a streamlined result.
How can they make your life easier?
cPanel and Plesk are two examples of hosting control panels used to make our lives easier, but just how do they do this?
cPanel
cPanel has a range of useful features on offer, including:
• Restoration features – Having a backup is essential so that you can recover all of your changes if the server is interrupted, rather than starting over from scratch.
• Managed files – Save time hunting down the files you need and use the cPanel File Manager to organise by the client.
• Service Configuration – This is pre-configured for users so that they can immediately use management tools crafted for cPanel use such as Apache, SSL Certificate, Mailserver and more.
Plesk
Plesk is made with beginners in mind, meaning that it’s a basic service with features such as:
• Storage monitor – Plesk allows its users to monitor how much storage they’re using and locate the areas that are taking up the most space.
• Self-repair tools – Plesk automatically corrects common technical errors that beginners may input into the system.
• Managing user accounts – Plesk allows its users to assign levels of control to each user’s account and determine the amount of bandwidth each can have.
How are they offered on dedicated managed servers, VPS servers and virtual servers?
cPanel is offered to clients on dedicated managed servers or private virtual servers. Regardless of which of these options you choose, the features native to cPanel are designed to function in much the same way. Plesk, meanwhile, is geared for shared hosting, but it can run on dedicated servers too.
For more information on cPanel and Plesk and which one is the right fit for you, contact the team at Catalyst2 today.
