cPanel and WHM (WebHost Manager) are two different interfaces of the same software package, designed for different users and different tasks. In short: cPanel is used to manage a web hosting account, whilst WHM is used to administer cPanel accounts and the underlying server.

What is cPanel?

cPanel is the interface for end users, i.e. hosting subscribers. Here, you can manage the following aspects of your account:

• domains, subdomains and DNS records,
• email accounts, forwarding rules and filters,
• MySQL databases and phpMyAdmin,
• files (File Manager, FTP accounts),
• SSL certificates, PHP versions, cron jobs and backups.

cPanel hosting subscribers are provided with this interface, and the cPanel articles in our knowledge base relate to this. cPanel can usually be accessed via the address https://az-on-domainje.hu:2083 or via the client portal; webmail is available on port 2096.

What is WHM?

WHM is the administrative interface for managing accounts, usually accessible at the address https://szervernev:2087. It has two levels:

• Root (administrator) WHM: used by the server operator to manage settings relating to the server as a whole: software updates, PHP and web server configuration, firewall, mail server, backup system, and the allocation of CloudLinux resource limits.
• Reseller WHM: subscribers to the reseller plan can only view and manage their own customer accounts. They can create, suspend and delete cPanel accounts; define plans with storage and other limits; change passwords; and access their customers’ cPanel interface with a single click. They do not have access to server-level settings; these continue to be managed by the service provider.

Who needs which one?

• If you run one or a few of your own websites, cPanel is all you need: everything you need for your website and email is available there.
• Reseller WHM is designed for those who wish to provide their own customers (for example, as web developers or agencies) with individual cPanel accounts. This is included in the reseller cPanel hosting plan; its operation is described in the article on cPanel Reseller hosting.
• Root WHM is intended for those who operate their own servers and are responsible for all server configurations.

Common misunderstandings

• WHM is not a ‘more powerful version of cPanel’: day-to-day website management (files, email, databases) is carried out via the cPanel interface even within WHM; only operations relating to accounts are handled by WHM.
• The login details for cPanel and WHM may differ: with a reseller plan, you can log in to WHM using your reseller account, whilst customers can access their cPanel interface using their own usernames.
• If a particular feature is missing from a cPanel account, this usually means that it has not been enabled for that account in WHM (at the package or Feature Manager level).