This article contains information about the cPanel application that can be deployed on Vultr.
App Details
New deployments of cPanel run on the CentOS 7 operating system. Older deployments were issued with the CentOS 6 operating system. If needed, you can log into this system with an SSH client using the root login found on your Vultr control panel.
- WHM access:
https://[SERVER_IP]:2087/ - cPanel access:
https://[SERVER_IP]:2083/
Initially, you will need to access https://[SERVER_IP]:2087/ in your web browser. Substitute the [SERVER_IP] with the IP address of your VPS. This URL lets you access WHM - the Web Host Manager portion of cPanel. Upon accessing WHM, you will see an SSL warning. This warning can be safely ignored. You can then login to WHM with the same root login of your VPS. cPanel needs will vary from person to person. We have included a "Basic Setup" below for those familiarizing themselves with cPanel. The official cPanel website has extensive documentation on the product.
Regardless of your cPanel needs, it is recommended to change the hostname of your server. cPanel requires that the server's hostname is an FQDN in the format of somesite.example.com. There are a few other requirements as well, which are listed below in the "Hostname Requirements" section. By default, your cPanel VPS will have a hostname in the format cpanelXXXXXX.vultr.com. To change your hostname, do the following:
If you're in the WHM setup...
- Navigate to "Step 2".
- Enter your hostname in the "Hostname" section.
Otherwise...
- Login to your cPanel VPS as the root user.
- Run the command:
/usr/local/cpanel/bin/set_hostname [YOUR_NEW_HOSTNAME]
Basic Setup
Access https://[SERVER_IP]:2087/, you will see the WHM login page. It looks like the image below. Login with the root account of your VPS.
The WHM setup wizard will begin. The wizard looks like the image below. Proceed with the user agreement.
Continue to Step 2: Setup Networking. Fill in any fields applicable.
- "Server Contact Email Address" is required and must be filled.
- "This Server's Hostname" should be changed, hostname requirements are listed below.
- "Primary Resolver" and "Secondary Resolver" must be populated. The "Primary Resolver" is automatically populated for you. You must choose a secondary resolver (it can match the "Primary Resolver" if you don't have/want another resolver).
Continue to Step 3: Setup IP Addresses. If you purchased an additional IP address for your VPS, you may enter it here. Otherwise, skip this step.
Continue to Step 4: Nameserver Configuration. Fill in the fields that meet your needs.
- Configuring cPanel with its own DNS servers is discussed in this article. If you are planning to go that route, then choose a DNS service such as "BIND". Otherwise, you can manage DNS outside of cPanel and choose the "Disabled" option.
- "Choose which nameservers domains on this server will use" should match the authoritative nameservers for your domain. If you are using Vultr DNS, this is ns1.vultr.com and ns2.vultr.com.
Continue to Step 5: Services. Choose the appropriate services that you would like to run on your server.
Continue to Step 6: Quotas. Choose your quota options.
You will be directed to the Feature Showcase. Enable/disable any options on this page according to your preferences.
WHM setup is complete. Your browser will direct you to the full WHM panel as pictured below.
At this point, you can navigate freely and start setting up new websites. To add a new website, begin by setting up a new account under the "Account Functions" block.
Licensing
Your VPS will run the fully-licensed version of cPanel. Vultr handles the license management part of running a cPanel server automatically. A surcharge is bundled into the VPS price to cover the cPanel license. You will see the surcharge listed on the server order page.
If you see errors or warnings about license expiration in cPanel, you may open a support ticket in the Vultr control panel. Alternatively, running the following command as the root user will resolve most licensing issues:
/usr/local/cpanel/cpkeyclt
Hostname Requirements
cPanel requires that the hostname of your server...
- Is an FQDN in the format:
hostname.example.com - Is registered with a registrar.
- Does not begin with
wwwor a number. - Does not end with a hyphen (-).
- Will not conflict with the name of a cPanel account on your server.
Other Info
The cPanel and WHM Infrastructure.
cPHulk is disabled by default. If you would like to enable cPHulk, you may do so in the WHM setup or manually following these instructions.
The cPanel app runs a MySQL database which can be accessed by running mysql when logged in as the root user.
cPanel can be manually restarted (without rebooting the VPS) by running service cpanel restart when logged in as the root user.
By default, SMTP is blocked on Vultr. If you would like to enable outgoing email for your VPS, then you will need to open a support request.
About Vultr Applications
Vultr applications use modern releases of software packages. Applications are configured to be deployed with specific versions of software. Over time, the Vultr team will update the application offerings to include newer operating systems, package versions, etc. This document only provides up-to-date information about the latest version of this application. Vultr applications are updated without notice. If you plan to build a project or infrastructure based on our application templates, we recommend taking a snapshot of the application used in your initial deployment.