Types Of Free And Paid Web Host Control Panel Programs

Today there are plenty of web hosting control panels out there. Linux and Windows both have a selection of panels suited to different server environments. Both operating systems also have a number of both free and paid solutions, so there is indeed a panel for every aspiring web host out there.

One of the most popular Unix web host control panels is cPanel. This control panel is a proprietary system- and licenses can run as much as $425 per year. Developers of cPanel have also created a mirror software platform that runs on Windows, so it can be used by virtually any server type. cPanel has a low learning curve, making it perfect for first-time web hosts.

The open source movement is everywhere- and that includes the web hosting community! Webmin is an example of an open source software package for Unix systems. Webmin also has modules such as Virtualmin and Usermin to extend the functionality of the core hosting panel. Users agree that making modifications to Webmin is painless- and it’s selling feature.

GNUPanel is another open source software package that is written mainly in PHP 5. It has several modern features, such as accepting payments via third parties such as PayPal. This panel in particular mimics similar auto-installation technologies present in cPanel; users are able to install popular applications such as WordPress at the click of a mouse. This makes GNUPanel a favorite among hosts that intend on having less technology-gifted clients who don’t necessarily know how to install and build their website.

Another licensed alternative would be Plesk. Plesk is an alternative to cPanel, as it matches it in terms of speed, security, and features. Each year the two battle it out to improve upon their original designs, but mostly the differences occur within the interface and the licensing costs. One odd thing about cPanel is separating the WHM and administrator panel- which takes some growing accustomed to for those new to the separate systems.

Not all web hosting panels are created for general tasks. An example with a specific-need web host panel would be InterWorx. This web hosting panel is all about managing clustered servers to conduct load balancing. This allows a website to store a massive amount of data, serve it out, and all without a hiccup in performance to the end user. These types of operations are necessary for large websites that do hundreds of thousands of pages served each day. The general web host doesn’t need to worry about it.

Closing Comments

There are many control panels to pick from. Whether you need a specific price, server environment, or feature set- there are free demonstrations available from all reputable panel developers. Take the time to try out each one and make a solid decision on who to pick.

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