Difference between WHM and cPanel

by

We are influencers and brand affiliates.  This post contains affiliate links, most which go to Amazon and are Geo-Affiliate links to nearest Amazon store.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/1a6VhNjn_sIe5Rc4slAJzC--vaHZ-GWCPN4fu3Znl7MJiSTp3_GnroOel9DBoP5VArCc6tou6PQeHHdxvoqwSqYk-APvZ9NN6zaJgOP0CHvH6R-QgA7hfov7Yj_SI7mYm9aDCBLaE1FzHX7sgA

When you buy a hosting plan, the provider gives you a few initial setup tools to manage your hosting service. Two such tools that are widely used by web hosting providers are WHM and cPanel. These tools are so popular that most users ask the providers to give them both without actually knowing the difference between them. In this article, we will highlight the differences between the cPanel and WHM.

But first some basic understanding of both these tools:

cPanel and WHM

cPanel is a control panel which allows you to manage Linux Hosting service by controlling the following tasks:

  • Website creation
  • Creation and management of emails
  • Password management
  • Add-on domain and sub-domain management
  • File management, etc.

It has a very simple interface and offers a great deal of control over your hosting service. Over the years, cPanel has evolved into the most user-friendly and popular control panels in the market.

Web Host Manager or WHM is an administrative access tool used for the back-end of the cPanel. WHM allows you to create a cPanel account and avail hosting accounts. This is a must for the Web Hosting Reseller business as it allows the reseller to sell hosting services while managing multiple cPanel accounts. It also allows the reseller to upgrade/downgrade and monitor bandwidth usage of the accounts.

WHM allows you to install SSL certificates and manage them with ease. You can also whitelist IP addresses using this tool. In simpler terms, WHM allows you to have a complete backend control over cPanel.

Difference between cPanel and WHM

Having understood the basics of cPanel and WHM, let’s look at the differences between them:

Parameter WHM cPanel
Controller WHM is a control panel for web hosting resellers. It allows them to manage their client’s accounts effectively. cPanel is a control panel for the end users who fall under the web hosting resellers. This control panel allows them to manage their individual hosting accounts.
Access This tool provides web hosting resellers with access to the root. This tool provides the user access only to the web hosting account on the web server.
Port number The port number through which WHM functions is 2087. The port number through which cPanel functions is 2083.
Password reset The password for the WHM is the same as its cPanel account. Therefore, if you change the password of the WHM, then the cPanel’s password changes too. The end-user can change the password of his cPanel account.
Domains This tool does not allow the reseller to add sub-domains. He can only add domains. The end-user can add and/or remove domains as well as sub-domains.

Summing Up

As you can see, WHM and cPanel have several differences between them. While the WHM is beneficial for resellers, the cPanel is more advantageous for end-users. Therefore, you must choose accordingly. We hope that we could explain the differences between cPanel and WHM clearly. Please let us know if you have any queries in the comments section below.

We are influencers and brand affiliates.  This post contains affiliate links, most which go to Amazon and are Geo-Affiliate links to nearest Amazon store.