Web Hosting Reviews & Ratings

April 22, 2009

cPanel and Plesk in the Dedicated Server Environment

When choosing to go with a dedicated hosting provider, the control panel is one feature you certainly want to keep a close eye on.  Although this type of software is usually optional, it is highly recommended for the simple fact that it will make your job as a server adminstrator much easier.  There are many dedicated server control panels on the market, but in this article we will focus on the differences between two of the most popular: cPanel and Plesk.

Control Panel Comparison

In most scenarios, cPanel is offered with Linux dedicated server packages while Plesk is available for both Linux and Windows platforms.  Both programs make excellent control panels and each has a huge following.  These control panels are quite similar in how they simplify server management and perform exceptionally well in the dedicated hosting environment.  Whether it is cPanel or Plesk, you are sure to get a fast, reliable and secure control panel that gets the job done.

Advantages

The major difference between cPanel and Plesk is the user interface.  Both come with a clean, easy navigable design so the right choice all boils down to personal preference here.  The other differences relate to the advantages each control panel offers:

Plesk

Automation - One of the greatest advantages of Plesk is support for numerous automated functions.  This includes a built-in XML-RPC interface that allows Perl or PHP scripts to call functions from remote servers.

Cost - More dedicated hosting providers have turned to Plesk because an unlimited domain license can be purchased for considerably less than cPanel.

Extendable - Plesk is integrated with a number of features but supports even more.  Unlike the competition, this control panel can be greatly enhanced through a wide variety of plugins.

Cross Platform - As a cross platform application, Plesk offers support for both Linux and Windows operating systems, including SUSE, the oldest commercial distribution of Linux.

cPanel

Software Support - cPanel is widely supported by various software vendors.  This is reflected by a plethora of built-in third-party applications such as SpamAssassin, Webalizer and the suite of software programs bundled with Fantastico.

Ease of Use - In comparison to Plesk, cPanel more user-friendly features.  The fact that everything can be accessed from the main page makes it a hit among beginners.  With an interface that contorts to the user, cPanel is also said to be easier to use than Plesk on both the client and server side.

Widely Available - Because it is the leading control panel, a dedicated hosting plan equipped with cPanel tends to be much easier to find.  If it isn't Plesk, you will typically find this software in any dedicated server package running on the Linux platform.

Both cPanel and Plesk have been around for a long time, each offering features and advantages the other one lacks.  For example, Plesk gives you better clustering support while cPanel offers exclusive features like Fantastico.  Since both of these control panels have proven their efficiency, the key is finding a provider that supplies reliable server hardware to compliment the power of either software.

Tags: server management,  server administrator,  Plesk,  linux,  fantastico,  cPanel Tutorials,  control panel,  dedicated server,  windows,  webalizer,  dedicate hosting