Applies to: All plans.
cPanel is the control panel for one hosting account, where you manage your files, databases, mailboxes, domains and PHP settings. This article gives you a quick tour so you know what each section does and where to find a tool. One important thing is not in cPanel, though: your live DNS records (more on that below).
New here? Start with How to log in to cPanel to get in. The fastest way is single sign-on: in your client area, open Services -> My Services, click your hosting service, then click Log in to cPanel — no password needed.
The fastest way to find a tool: search
cPanel has dozens of icons, so do not hunt through them. At the top of the page there is a search box (labelled something like Find functions quickly by typing here). Type what you want — for example php, file, database or cron — and matching tools filter instantly. This is usually quicker than scrolling.
Result: Typing a keyword shows only the matching tools, so you can jump straight to the one you need.
The main sections
cPanel groups its tools into sections. Here is what each one is for and the everyday tools inside.
- Files — File Manager (upload and edit your website files), FTP Accounts, and the tools to generate or download a full account backup. See How to upload files with File Manager.
- Databases — MySQL Databases (create databases and users) and phpMyAdmin (browse and run queries). See How to create and manage a MySQL database.
- Domains — add an addon domain, create a subdomain, or set up a redirect for the domains attached to this account. How many you can add depends on your plan.
- Email — Email Accounts (create mailboxes on your domains, set their size and password, open webmail and see the settings for mail apps), Forwarders and Autoresponders. The same everyday tools are in your client area on the service page (Email Accounts, Email Forwarders and Webmail). See How to create a mailbox. If you use Professional Email (Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace) instead, those mailboxes are managed in its own admin console, not here; Email at Maxinodes explains how the two compare.
- Metrics — visitor stats, error logs, bandwidth, and your resource-usage statistics so you can see how close you are to your plan's CloudLinux limits.
- Security — SSL/TLS (AutoSSL issues free Let's Encrypt certificates automatically), plus IP Blocker, Hotlink Protection, Leech Protection and Directory Privacy.
- Software — Select PHP Version (the CloudLinux PHP Selector) for choosing your PHP version and extensions, and MultiPHP tools. One-click WordPress installs live in WP Toolkit, shown as WordPress Management at the top of the Domains section.
- Advanced — Cron Jobs (scheduled tasks), MultiPHP Manager (set the PHP version per domain), MultiPHP INI Editor, and custom Error Pages.
Your backups live in JetBackup, which appears in cPanel (often under Files or its own section). It writes daily to Backblaze B2 and lets you restore a single file, a database, a mailbox, or a full account. See How backups work at Maxinodes.
What is NOT in cPanel
One thing you might expect in cPanel is managed elsewhere on our platform:
- Your live DNS records. cPanel has a Zone Editor, but it does not control your live DNS. Your DNS is managed by us, on our own nameservers, and you edit records (A, CNAME, MX, TXT and so on) in your client area. See How to manage DNS records in your client area.
A note on your plan's limits
How many addon domains, subdomains, databases, mailboxes and cron jobs you can create depends on your plan. If a tool says you have reached a limit, the fix is to upgrade your plan. See Understanding your hosting account's limits.
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