When you first sign up for a web hosting plan you are faced with a lot of choices you need to make, not the least of which is which control panel you prefer. While there are a few out there vying for your attention, I’d like to state my case for using Cpanel as your control panel of choice for many different reasons, primarily ease of use, short learning curve, and outstanding features. Let’s take a look at just some of the things that Cpanel can help you do with your web site.

Cpanel has a very simple, easy to use interface that helps you master your hosting world. Its site tools section allows you to install Front Page extensions if you use that program, or a file manager where you can upload and manage all the files for your site. There are two site editors you can employ, one a wysiwyg (what you see is what you get) type and the other an html editing tool. You can also find your htaccess file here, along with the ability to set up redirects, custom error pages, search engine submission, Apache handlers and many more functions having to do with the actual operation of your site on the Web.

Cpanel also gives you access to the email accounts in your web hosting account. These are available either through webmail, using Horde, SquirrelMail and others. There is also the ability to set up autoresponders, compile mailing lists, forward your emails, and set up spam filters on your accounts.

Cpanel offers a variety of stats programs, among them Webalizer and AWStats, among others. There is also a backup function for your files and scripts operating on your sites, and the ability to create and manage MYSQL databases through the MYSQL Manager.

You can create and manage subdomains, and redirect them anywhere you’d like from Cpanel as well. There is an FTP manager too, which allows you to oversee any uploads or downloads easily. You can also set up Cron jobs with a few clicks of your mouse.

There are usually a number of popular features included as well, including easy blog setup, offering several of the best blogging platforms and CMS (content management systems) out there like WordPress, Joomla, and others. There are also forums, guestbooks, chart functions, and other modules that help you make your site or blog more social and interactive. Many times these are offered with easy setup through a program called Fantastico.

Cpanel is very easy to use, even for beginners, and can be mastered in a short time. It plays well with all the major browsers, and is frequently updated. Most hosting companies will offer some form of Cpanel in their hosting packages.

There are several other control panels in existence out there, but for my money, if you have a choice with your hosting plan, opt for Cpanel and get the hard work done for you.