How does cpanel-based web site hosting function?

For your info, it's good to be aware that the majority of the cPanel-based web site hosting offerings on today's site hosting marketplace are provided by a very insubstantial marketing segment (as far as annual capital flow is concerned) called reseller hosting. Reseller hosting is a sort of a small-sized marketing niche, which furnishes a big amount of different web hosting trademarks, yet furnishing absolutely the same solutions: mainly cPanel web hosting services. This is bad news for everybody. Why? Because of the fact that at least 98% of the web site hosting offerings on the entire site hosting marketplace furnish the very same service: cPanel. There's no variety at all. Even the cPanel site hosting price tags are similar. Very much alike. Leaving for those in need of a top web hosting service virtually no other web site hosting platform/hosting Control Panel choice. Thus, there is only one single fact: out of more than two hundred thousand site hosting brands worldwide, the non-cPanel based ones are less than two percent! Less than two percent, remark that one...

Two hundred thousand "site hosting service providers", all cPanel-based, yet uniquely named

The web page hosting "diversity" and the site hosting "offers" Google reveals to all of us boil down to merely one thing: cPanel. Under 100's of 1000's of different web page hosting trademarked names. Imagine you are just a regular person who's not very well familiar with (as the majority of us) with the web page creation processes and the hosting platforms, which in fact power the different domain names and web pages . Are you ready to make your hosting selection? Is there any web hosting alternative you can pick? Of course there is, today there are more than two hundred thousand site hosting suppliers in existence. Formally. Then where is the problem? Here's where: more than 98% of these 200k+ unique web hosting brand names worldwide will give you the very same cPanel webspace hosting CP and platform, named differently, with precisely the same price tags! WOW! That's how great the assortment on the present-day website hosting marketplace is... Period.

The webspace hosting LOTTERY we are all part of

Simple math demonstrates that to run into a non-cPanel based web hosting provider is a big stroke of luck. There is a less than 1 in 50 chance that something like that will happen! Less than 1 in 50...

The strengths and weaknesses of the cPanel-based hosting solution

Let's not be unfair with cPanel. At least, in the years 2001-2004 cPanel was modern and perhaps covered most web hosting business requirements. In brief, cPanel can achieve the desired result if you have just one domain name to host. But, if you have more domains...

Disadvantage Number One: A moronic domain folder arrangement

If you have 2 or more domains, though, be extra careful not to erase completely the add-on ones (that's how cPanel will call each subsequent hosted domain name, which is not the default one: an add-on domain name). The files of the add-on domain names are quite simple to delete on the server, since they all are set up into the root folder of the default domain name, which is the quite well known public_html folder. Each add-on domain name is a folder located inside the folder of the default domain. Like a sub-folder. Next time attempt not to delete the files of the add-on domains, please. Decide for yourself how excellent cPanel's domain name folder structure is:

public_html (here my-default-domain.com is situated)
public_html/my-family (a folder part of my-default-domain.com)
public_html/my-second-domain.com (an add-on domain name)
public_html/my-second-wife (a folder part of my-default-domain.com)
public_html/my-second-wife.net (an add-on domain name)
public_html/my-third-domain.com (an add-on domain)
public_html/my-third-wife (a folder part of my-default-domain.com)
public_html/my-third-wife.net (an add-on domain)
public_html/rebeka (a folder part of my-default-domain.com)
public_html/rebeka.my-third-wife.net (a sub-domain of an add-on domain name)

Are you becoming perplexed? We undeniably are!

Negative Side Number 2: The very same e-mail folder system

The electronic mail folder structure on the web hosting server is exactly the same as that of the domain names... Repeating the very same mistake twice?!? The admin chaps firmly enhance their faith in God when managing the mail folders on the electronic mail server, praying not to screw things up too severely.

Drawback No.3: An entire absence of domain name manipulation tools

Do we need to mention the entire shortage of a modern domain name management tool - a location where you can: register/transfer/renew/park or administer domains, edit domain names' Whois details, protect the Whois info, alter/create nameservers (DNS) and DNS records? cPanel does not contain such a "contemporary" GUI at all. That's a gigantic drawback. An inexcusable one, we want to point out...

Weak Point Number 4: Multiple user login locations (minimum two, max three)

How about the necessity for an additional login to avail of the billing transaction, domain and technical support administration GUI? That's aside from the cPanel login credentials you've been already given by the cPanel-based website hosting service provider. Now and then, on the basis of the billing system (especially developed for cPanel solely) the cPanel web hosting service provider is availing of, the zealous customers can wind up with 2 extra login places (1: the invoicing/domain name administration section; 2: the ticket support menu), ending up with an aggregate of three login locations (counting cPanel).

Negative Side Number Five: More than one hundred and twenty hosting Control Panel menus to pick up... quickly

cPanel presents for your consideration more than 120 areas inside the website hosting CP. It's a fabulous idea to get to know each one of them. And you'd better get to know them fast... That's inordinately arrogant on cPanel's side.

With all due respect, we have a rhetorical question for all cPanel hosting providers:

As far as we are aware of, it's not the year 2001, is it? Mind that one too...