A first look at your hosting control panel

A hosting control panel is the interface where you manage your site, email and databases. Panels such as Plesk and cPanel look different, but their main sections are similar.

Main sections

• Files: file manager, FTP accounts and backups.
• Domains and DNS: domains attached to the site, subdomains and DNS records.
• Databases: creating MySQL databases and phpMyAdmin.
• Email: email accounts, forwarders and webmail.
• Security: SSL certificates and password-protected directories.
• Advanced: PHP version, scheduled tasks (cron) and error logs.

What to do on day one

1. Attach your domain to the account and enable the SSL certificate.
2. Upload your site files or install an application such as WordPress.
3. Create your email account.
4. Review the backup options.

The panel address and your login details are in the information your hosting provider sends you.