Control panel

A hosting control panel is a web interface for managing common website, domain, email, database, and account tasks.

Format
Hosting & Servers
Updated
Updated
Glossary Hosting & Servers
Control panel Aliases: hosting control panel, cPanel.

Definition

A hosting control panel is a web interface for managing common website, domain, email, database, and account tasks.

How it works

A control panel puts routine hosting work — mailboxes, databases, DNS records, backups — behind a web interface instead of shell commands and configuration files. What it covers varies by provider and product, so having one does not mean every server task is handled for you. It means the common ones are a few clicks away.

Example: A site owner might use a control panel to create a mailbox, a database, or a DNS record.

Often confused: The control panel is the dashboard, not the hosting itself. cPanel is one well-known panel, not a synonym for web hosting.

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Sources

Last reviewed 2026-07-19.