The average web developer is very familiar with and knows of all the different types of web hosting control panels. Control panels are essentially a web based platform that seeks to simplify the process of managing a server. There are a ton of options out there both the two biggest choices are Plesk and cPanel.
The Origins Of Plesk and cPanel
cPanel has been around for over a decard and was originally produced and released in the mid-1990s. cPanel has recently become the platform of choice for most shared hosting providers and users. cPanel is used primarily for Unix based operating systems like Red Hat and CentOS. Plesk on the other hand was released in the early 2000s. The company’s main difference is that their panel supports both Windows and Unix based operating systems.
Advantages Of cPanel
cPanel’s primary advantage is its depth of use. With so many users, cPanel is fairly easy to find solutions, tips and advice from other users on just about any problem you may encounter during its use. A lot of people prefer cPanel simply because its ease of use. The GUI is noted as being easier to use that that of Plesk or any other panel. cPanel has one of the shortest learning curves of any of the panels for web hosting on the internet. However, its primary strength is still is wide use.
Advantages of Plesk
Plesks’s primary advantage is it supports multiple operating systems. This makes is particular attractive to Windows based server users. As a hosting company, this allows you to target difference clients by being able to support different operating systems. Another advantage of Plesk is its price. Generally speaking the licenses are cheaper for Plesk than that of cPanel. It also handles automation and multiple servers better than cPanel.
When looking for a web hosting company, the control panel it uses should be a primary factor in your decision. Control panels were designed to help ease some of the burden of managing a web server. If the panel is too hard to use, or you just don’t like it, then it’s not worth your investment of time and it may be easier just to manage the server from a remote login. Unfortunately, this only works with providers who allow you to remote into the web server.
In most cases web hosting providers provide both cPanel and Plesk and the real decision is simply what operating system you need for your site. The rest is just a matter of preference.
