Aug 21
2008Finding the Best Hosting Control Panel
Filed Under (Web Hosting) on 21-08-2008
Tagged Under : Web Hosting
Your web host will offer you a control panel. But you can probably guess by the name, but a control panel helps you to manage your website. It keeps all the functions a user may need in one handy place which makes it easier for them. These tools can conclude traffic information statistics, FTP accounts, e-mail account provision, the ability to add sub-domains, file management and much more.
There are a number of different control panels available in the market. These include Cpanel which is among the most popular, Hostopia, Sphera, Ensim, VDeck, NextGenCP etc. They all differ in their look and feel as well as functions. Web hosts usually have their own control panel preferences, which depend upon the platforms they use. The control panels are selected according to their features and ability to perform on a particular platform.
These are all features that can be found in a control panel:
Parked Domains
Cron Jobs
Addon Domains
MIME Types
File Manager
PostgreSQL Database Manager
SSL Manager
Mail Manager
File Manager
Addon Domains
FTP Manager
Subdomain
MS SQL Manager(Windows only)
Backup
Index Manager
Subdomain
SSL Manager
PostgreSQL Database Manager
Raw Log Manager
CGI Center
Frontpage Extensions
Web/FTP Stats
Raw Access Logs
Hot Link Protection
Index Manager
SSL Manager
There are issues that separate control panels, and one is how it easy the panel is to use. A panel like Plesk may offer simple and friendly tools and options whereas cPanel offers many functions. To ensure you make the right choice of control panel, you need to know what is available. You can find out more by studying the following:
cPanel:
Linux based systems is where cPanel is mainly found. It can offer assistance for over 10 types of Linux the and at the moment does not cater to Windows or OSX. cPanel is helpful in controlling everything your site needs including MySQL database to email issues and much more beside.
cPanel has more features and options than most of the control panels available in the market at present. This is one of the reasons for its popularity, along with the fact that it is quite inexpensive.
Plesk:
Plex is available for Linux and Windows web hosting servers where cPanel is not. Many users find it helpful that Plex has an interface similar to Windows XP. The control panel looks good and offers many features available in cPanel. It can enable any user to build their own site with easy to sue tool. It offers many features but it may be viewed as more expensive than other products, especially cPanel.
H-Sphere:
H-Sphere is also a popular control panel used by web hosts. Just like Plesk, it is also available for Windows, as well as Linux based web hosting servers. It offers a good range of features ranging from complete automation to key functionalities. However when compared with cPanel and Plesk it has less features.
DirectAdmin
DirectAdmin is unique as it offers many services other panels do not but it does lack some of the functions offered by the main panels. It has a limited range of support with only a few Linux versions and no Windows support but it is a cheap option.
Ensim
Available for Windows and Linux, Ensim doesn’t have a lot of features but it has an interface that is adequate.
Interworx
Interworx is purely for Linux web hosts but it has a simple interface and features like usage snapshot which are impressive.
Hosting Accelarator
This service is only for Windows and it can feel a bit cluttered which may overwhelm a number of users who are new to this style or technique.
Helm
This is another Windows only web host server and this offers the ability to view billing details from within the control panel.
CWIPanel
CQIPanel is available for Windows and has no real exciting features.
InsPanel
This control panel has also been made only for windows based web hosting server. This is an average product with standard features.
There are a lot of control panels to choose from but cPanel usually ends up on top due to its price, features and ease of use.
Among the recently developed control panels, Pandela.com has come out with its NectGenCP control panel. It has been in development, since a few years and one must say that it is really impressive.
NextGenCP has been developed with the help of the latest internet technologies. It has a fast and easy to use environment which has been specially built for web hosting clients. It has been designed so well, that even novices can get a hang of it in relatively less time. In fact Pandela.com claims that you can carry out any function with a maximum of three clicks of your mouse. However its simplicity is deceptive, as it hides a powerful range of features, which would be able to manage all web site requirements. At the same time Pandela.com has made an offer to its users, according to which, if they do not find a feature they need in the NextGenCP, then they just have to inform the developers at Pandela.com the needful will be done!
These are some of the features you could use in NextGenCP:
Control of Domain:
Everyone can now have full control over their domains and sub-domains and the ability to register and host these domains is extremely simple.
Learn how to manage your own database:
NextGenCP makes it very easy to create a database for the website. All it takes is a few clicks! The database management is done by phpMyAdmin and the data is backed up by Database Backup Manager.
Take control of the mail accounts:
It is easy for users to control and access their email accounts. An advanced SPAM filtering system is provided by Pandela.com and this will keep your inbox free of junk and unwanted emails. If this isn’t enough, there are also filters for the mail, assistance for accounts and other functions.
Use tools to improve your site:
NextGenCP offers many tools to improve the site and managing a website has never been simpler. Script Installer, Hotlink protection and IP Access Manager are just some of the tools on offer.
Find the statistics behind your site:
This information will provide total knowledge of visitors and show how much bandwidth is being used and the usage of email accounts per day.
Support System
Having full access to a support system is a great feature offered by NextGenCP. Anytime a user notices a problem, they have to submit a ticket and they will be offered assistance from a member of staff as quickly as possible. It usually takes no more than fifteen minutes to be responded to.
With so many impressive features, there is no doubt that NextGenCP looks one of the best web host control panels ever created. It is also good to hear that Pandela.com is promising to continually improve the service each and every day.
