Comparison of web hosting control panels

Web hosting control panel
A control panel, in web hosting, is a web-based interface provided by the hosting company that allows customers to manage their various hosted services in a single place.
Some of the commonly available modules in most control panels:

• Access to server logs.
• Details of available and used webspace and bandwidth.
• Email account configuration.
• Maintaining FTP users’ accounts.
• Managing database.
• Visitor statistics using web log analysis software.
• Web-based file manager.

Contents

1. License and Operating system support
2. Remote access
3. Email management
4. Third party modules
5. Supported Backends
6. References

License and Operating system support

Control panel	Licence	Free	Open Source	Alive (last release)	BSD	Linux	Windows	Frontend	Backend	Plugin Support	IPV6 Support	Multiserver Support
ISPmanager	Proprietary	No	No	2012/06/19	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Domain Technologie Control	GNU LGPL	Yes	Yes	2010/09/01	Limited FreeBSD support	Yes	No	PHP	?	?	No[4]	?
WebsitePanel[19]	BSD style	Yes	Yes	2012/11/28	No	No	Yes	ASP.NET	ASP.NET, MSSQL	No	Yes	Yes
DirectAdmin	Proprietary	No	No	2012/11/27	Yes	Yes	No	C++	C++, scripts, PHP	Yes	Partial	?
OpenPanel	GPL, Plugin API LGPL [6]	Yes [7]	Yes [8]	2011/07/08	Planned [9]	Debian [10]	Planned [11]	C++, AJAX	Core: C++, Modules: Any language	Yes [12]	Partial [13]	Planned [14]
H-Sphere	Proprietary	No	No	2012/05/24	Yes	Yes	Yes	Java	Java	Yes	?	Yes
Hosting Controller	Proprietary	No	No	2011/09/05	No	Yes	Yes	.NET	MSSQL	Yes	No	?
cPanel	Proprietary	No	No	2013/1/31	FreeBSD	Yes	Yes (Enkompass)	Perl	Perl	Yes	Partial	Partial
Usermin	BSD style	Yes	Yes	2012/09/22	Yes	Yes	No	Perl	Perl	?	?	?
Virtualmin	GPL	Yes	Yes	2012/08/23	Yes[15]	Yes	No	Perl	Perl	Yes	Yes	Partial[16]
Virtualmin Pro	Proprietary	No	No	2012/08/23	Yes[17]	Yes	No	Perl	Perl	Yes	Yes	Partial[18]
Webmin	BSD style	Yes	Yes	2012/11/16	Yes	Yes	Partial	Perl	Perl	Yes	Yes	Yes
i-MSCP	GPL	Yes	Yes	2013/01/07	Limited FreeBSD support	Yes	No	PHP	Perl	Yes	Yes	No
ispCP	GPL	Yes	Yes	2010/11/24	Limited FreeBSD support	Yes	No	PHP	Perl	No	No	No
HDE Controller X	Proprietary	No	No	2011/11/01	No	Yes	No	PHP	PHP	?	Yes	Yes
InterWorx	Proprietary	No	No	2012/05/08	No	Yes	No	PHP	PHP, MySQL	Yes	Yes	Yes
ISPConfig	BSD	Yes	Yes	2012/06/18	No	Yes	No	PHP	PHP, MySQL	Yes	Yes	Yes
Kloxo (formerly named Lxadmin)	AGPL	Yes	Yes	2011/11/13	No	CentOS (6 not currently supported) or Red Hat EL 5.x [5]	No	PHP	PHP, MySQL	No	No	Yes
SysCP	GPL	Yes	Yes	2010/05/11	Yes	Yes	No	PHP	PHP, MySQL	Yes	Yes	No
Froxlor	GPL	Yes	Yes	2012/05/07	Yes	Yes	No	PHP	PHP, MySQL	Yes	Yes	Partial
ZPanel[20]	GPL	Yes	Yes	2013/01/01	Yes	Yes	Yes	PHP	PHP, MySQL	Yes	Yes	?
Server Management Tool	Proprietary	No	No	2012/09/1	No	Yes	No	PHP, Perl	PHP, Perl	No	No	Yes
Gnupanel	GPL	Yes	Yes	2012/03/21	No	Yes	No	PHP	PHP, PgSQL	?	?	?
Baifox	GPL [2]	Yes	Yes [3]	2009/04/19	No	Yes	No	PHP	PHP, SQLite	?	?	?
Plesk	Proprietary	No	No	2012/11/29	No	Yes	Yes	PHP	PHP/MySQL	?	Yes	?
Ajenti[1]	LGPL	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	Yes	No	Python	Python	Yes	Yes	?

Remote access

Some control panels allow shell (console) access to the underlying OS through a Java applet, requiring that the client-side computer use Java Virtual Machine software. Other control panels allow direct access using telnet or secure shell (SSH).

Control panel	FTP	Anonymous FTP	Terminal	File Browse/Upload/Download using HTTP frontend
Baifox	?	?	?	?
cPanel	Yes	Yes	SSH, Java Applet	Yes
DirectAdmin	Yes	Yes	SSH	Yes
Domain Technologie Control	Yes	?	SSH	Yes
Gnupanel	?	?	SSH	?
H-Sphere	Yes	Yes	SSH	Yes
HDE Controller X	Yes	Yes	SSH	Yes
Hosting Controller	Yes	?	?	Yes
i-MSCP	Yes	No	No	Yes
InterWorx	Yes	Yes	SSH	Yes
ISPConfig	Yes	Yes	SSH	Yes
ispCP	Yes	No	No	Yes
ISPmanager	Yes	Yes	SSH, Java Applet	Yes
Kloxo	Yes	Yes	Java Applet	Yes
OpenPanel	Yes [21]	Planned [22]	SSH [23]	Planned [24]
Plesk	Yes	Yes	SSH, Java Applet	Yes
SysCP	Yes	No	No	Yes
Froxlor	Yes	Partial	Partial	Yes
Usermin	Yes	Yes	SSH, Java Applet	Yes
Virtualmin	Yes	Yes	SSH, Java Applet	Yes
Virtualmin Pro	Yes	Yes	SSH, Java Applet	Yes
Webmin	Yes	Yes	SSH, Java Applet	Yes
ZPanel	Yes	Yes	SSH	No

Email management

While all control panel software below supports multiple email accounts, the features they provide vary.

Control panel	Antivirus	Antispam	Forwarders	Mailbox quota	DomainKeys	DKIM
Baifox	?	?	?	?	?	?
cPanel	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
DirectAdmin	Supported	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Domain Technologie Control	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Gnupanel	?	?	?	?	?	?
H-Sphere	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
HDE Controller X	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Hosting Controller	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
i-MSCP	Optional	Optional	Yes	Optional	No	No
InterWorx	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No[25]
ISPConfig	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Possible	Yes
ispCP	Optional	Optional	Yes	No	No	No
ISPmanager	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	?
Kloxo	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
OpenPanel	Planned [26]	Yes	Yes	Planned	Planned	Planned
Plesk	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
SysCP	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes (broken [27])
Froxlor	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Usermin	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Virtualmin	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Virtualmin Pro	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Webmin	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
ZPanel	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No

Third party modules

Web hosting packages often provide easy means of installing web services onto the server. Packaging services allow the control panel to fetch a list of installable modules from the internet, whilst hard-coded methods require that the control panel is updated to add new modules.

Control panel	Third Party Module Installation Methods			Modules Available
	Subscription Service	Free service	Allows Upgrades	Shopping cart	Bulletin board	Gallery	Chat	Guestbook
Baifox	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
cPanel	?	Partial	?	Agora	phpBB	Coppermine°	phpMyChat	Yes
DirectAdmin	?	?	?	No°	No°	No°	No°	No°
MachPanel Control Panel	?	Yes	Yes	Numerous Options	Numerous Options	Numerous Options	?	?
Domain Technologie Control	?	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?
Gnupanel	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
H-Sphere	?	?	?	Miva, osCommerce, PrestaShop	phpBB, AEF, PunBB, SMF	Gallery, Piwigo	WebChat	Extropia, Advanced Guestbook, phpBook, BellaBook, VX Guestbook, Lazarus, RicarGBooK
HDE Controller X	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
Hosting Controller	?	Yes	Yes	Numerous Options	Numerous Options	Numerous Options	?	?
i-MSCP	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
InterWorx	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
ISPConfig	No	Yes	Yes	Non-free	No	No	No	No
ispCP	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
ISPmanager	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Kloxo	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
OpenPanel	No	Planned (APS) [28]	Planned (APS) [29]	Planned via APS [30] [31]	Planned via APS [32] [33]	Planned via APS [34] [35]	Planned via APS [36] [37]	Planned via APS [38] [39]
Plesk	Yes	Via APS	Yes	Miva, X-Cart, osCommerce	phpBB	Coppermine	gtchat, CSLH	Advanced Guestbook
SysCP	No	Via APS	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Froxlor	No	Via APS	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Usermin	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	?	?	?	?
Virtualmin	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Virtualmin Pro	Yes	Yes	Yes	Numerous Options [40]	Numerous Options [41]	Numerous Options [42]	No	Numerous Options [43]
Webmin	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No

° Available through third-party script-installer plugin Installatron.

Supported Backends

Control panel	Web server				FTP server			Receive mail		Send mail			SQL			programming languages
	Lighttpd	Apache	Nginx	IIS	PureFTPd	Vsftp	ProFTPd	Dovecot	Courier	Exim	Sendmail	Postfix	PostgreSQL	MySQL	MS SQL	PHP	Perl	Python	ASP / ASP.NET
Baifox	?	Yes	?	No	Yes	No	No	?	?	?	?	?	No	Yes	?	?	?	?	?
cPanel	Plugin	Yes	Third-Party Plugin	Enkompass	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Mod_Mono
DirectAdmin	Yes (Not officially)	Yes	?	No	Yes (Not officially)	?	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	?	?	Allowed, Not Supported	Yes	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	?
Domain Technologie Control	No	Yes	?	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	?
Gnupanel	?	Yes	?	No	?	?	Yes	?	Yes	?	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	Yes	?	?
H-Sphere	No	Yes	?	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	?
HDE Controller X	No	Yes	?	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	No	No	?
Hosting Controller	No	Yes	?	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	?	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	?	Yes	Yes	No	?
i-MSCP	No	Yes	No	No	Yes (Not officially)	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes (5.x)	?	Yes (5.x)	Yes	No	No
InterWorx	No	Yes	?	No	No	No	Yes	?	?	?	?	?	?	Yes	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	?
ISPConfig	Not Officially	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Not Officially	Yes	?	Yes	Yes	Possible	?
ispCP	No	Yes	No	No	Yes (Not officially)	No	Yes	Yes (Not officially)	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes (4 or 5)	?	Yes (5.x)	Yes	No	No
ISPmanager	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	Yes	?	?
Kloxo	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	?	Yes	Yes	No	?
OpenPanel	Planned [44]	Yes	?	No	Yes	Planned	Planned	Planned	Yes	Planned	Planned	Yes	Planned	Yes	?	Yes	Planned	Planned	?
Plesk	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
SysCP	Yes	Yes	?	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	?	Yes	?	Yes	?	Yes	?	?	?
Froxlor	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	?	Yes	Yes	No	?
Usermin	Yes (Not officially)	Yes	?	No	Yes (Not officially)	Yes [45]	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	?
Virtualmin	Yes (Not officially)	Yes	Yes [46]	No	Yes (Not officially)	Yes [47]	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	?
Virtualmin Pro	Yes (Not officially)	Yes	Yes [48]	No	Yes (Not officially)	Yes [49]	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	?
webmin	Yes (Not officially)	Yes	Yes [50]	No	Yes (Not officially)	Yes [51]	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	?
WebsitePanel	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

References

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