Dominant Web Hosting Control Panels in 2009
Back in the early days of the World Wide Web, there was no such thing as a control panel. This meant that it took a highly skilled developer and system administrator to maintain a simple website. Trivial tasks such as setting up an email account, creating a database and running cron jobs all qualified as tedious processes that called for advanced OS commands to configure. With Unix and Linux being the major platforms, these were tasks many administrators did not look forward to. Thanks to advancements in web hosting technology, control panels now exist, allowing the above processes and several more to be handled by experienced and novice users alike. Rather than taking an hour to set up a single email address, the entire process can be done in a matter of minutes with the few clicks of the mouse.
cPanel and Plesk are respectively the oldest and most popular control panels on the market. These two applications are in high demand for several reasons, but mainly because of their features and efficiency in the server environment. In this article we will talk about these two rivals along with DirectAdmin, another control panel ascending the ranks of popularity.
cPanel
cPanel is the leading control panel and a particular favorite among beginners. Though it began as a Linux-only control panel, a beta version of the software is now compatible with the Windows operating system as well. Users prefer cPanel because of its user-friendly interface that offers a simple design while placing all the features you need on a single page. It won’t take you long to become comfortable with how to upload files, turn on your FrontPage extensions or access the site builder as everything is easily accessible. Another benefit is the inclusion of Fantastico, which allows end-users to quickly install add-on scripts like blogs, forums, content management systems and other software programs with ease. The simplicity of cPanel makes it ideal for end-users and system administrator familiar with the Linux operating system.
Plesk
Though very capable, Plesk is often viewed as being more complex than cPanel. With that said, it has more administrator-friendly features and better clustering capabilities, able to function seamlessly in environments where multiple server applications are involved. It also has a longer reputation of being a cross-platform solution as it is one of the first control panels to support Linux and Windows system. Though it strives to meet the same goals, Plesk has a steeper learning curve for both system administrators and end-users.
DirectAdmin
The lesser known of the three, DirectAdmin is quickly becoming a popular choice for web hosting control panels. This software presents a simple interface that makes it incredibly easy to use for beginners. While it has does not have all the bells and whistles like the control panels above, less in more is the case of DirectAdim and the major reason behind its growing popularity.
There are several control panels on the market but only a select few are making noise in 2009. The three programs mentioned in this article are leading the way because of their superior design and ability to automate a number of would-be complex tasks
















