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Manage Your VPS from the Control Panel

Log in to your VPS control panel, find your way around the dashboard and learn the main tasks.

VPS and Cloud Servers2 min read17 steps

What a VPS control panel is

A VPS control panel is a web page where you manage your server without typing commands. Depending on your setup, it can be cPanel/WHM, Plesk, DirectAdmin, Webmin or the panel of your hosting provider. It shows resources, services, websites, email and databases.

Log in

  1. Get your login details. They are in the welcome email: the address (URL), the user name and the password.
  2. Open the panel. Type the address in your browser and press Enter. It often looks like https://your-server-ip:2087 (WHM), https://your-server-ip:8443 (Plesk) or https://your-server-ip:2222 (DirectAdmin).
  3. Sign in with your user name and password.
  4. Add extra security. Turn on two-factor authentication if the panel has it.
  5. Look at the dashboard. It is the home page of the panel.
  6. Bookmark the address.
  7. Use a strong password and store it in a password manager.
  8. If you cannot log in, reset the password, check the address and port, and make sure your IP is not blocked by the firewall. Contact support if needed.

Find your way around the dashboard

  1. Overview. Shows the server status, CPU, memory, disk use and traffic.
  2. Main menu. Groups of tools, such as Websites and Domains, Email, Files, Databases and Security.
  3. Submenus. Open a group to see its tools.
  4. Icons. Shortcuts to the most common tools.
  5. Search and help. Search for a tool, or open the help pages.
  6. Customize. Change the layout, the theme or the language.
  7. Notifications. Alerts about updates, limits and problems.
  8. Support. Links to the help center and tickets.
  9. Log out. Always log out on a shared computer.

Main tasks

Websites and domains

  • Add domains and point them to a folder.
  • Manage DNS. Edit A, CNAME and MX records.
  • Email. Create mailboxes, forwarders and auto-replies.

Files

  • Upload and download files with the file manager.
  • Organize folders.

Databases

  • Create databases and users.
  • Control which user may use which database.

Security

  • SSL certificates. Install and renew them.
  • Firewall. Open and close ports, and block IP addresses.
  • Backups. Make and restore them.
  • Updates. Keep the system and the panel updated.

Server

  • Start, stop and restart services such as the web server or the database.
  • Watch resource use and logs.

Quick recap

  • Log in with the details from your welcome email, and turn on 2FA.
  • Learn the dashboard: overview, menu and tools.
  • Regular tasks: domains, email, files, databases, security and backups.