It is difficult to test all the panels offered by the provider before starting work, so we have collected the three most popular in a short review.
Difficulties arise when the client moves from OS administration to hosting-related tasks. He has to manage many sites with different CMS and multiple user accounts. To reduce labor costs, it is worth installing a control panel that allows you to configure the corresponding services through a convenient web interface. The provider's partners who sell their services to customers will also need it. Today we will compare three popular products available when ordering VPS and VDS on Linux.
Features overview
Panels , ΠΈ is proprietary software distributed under commercial licenses. To begin with, let's compare their basic capabilities, summarized for objectivity and clarity in one table.
Plesk
cPanel
ISPmanager
Supported OS
Debian, Ubuntu, CentOS, RHEL, Cloud Linux, Amazon Linux, Virtuozzo Linux, Windows Server
CentOS, CloudLinux, RHEL, Amazon Linux
CentOS, Debian, Ubuntu
The cost of a license for 1 host per month (on the developer's site)
Supported web servers
Apache
Nginx
Apache
Nginx support in testing
Apache
Nginx
FTP access control
+
+
+
Supported DBMS
MySQL
MSSQL
MySQL
MySQL
PostgreSQL
Mail service management
+
+
+
Configuring Domains and DNS Records
+ (via external service)
+
+
Installing scripts and CMS
+
+
+
Plugins/modules
+
+
+ (minor amount)
Alternative versions of PHP
+
+
+
File Manager
+
+
+
Π Π΅Π·Π΅ΡΠ²Π½ΠΎΠ΅ ΠΊΠΎΠΏΠΈΡΠΎΠ²Π°Π½ΠΈΠ΅
+
+
+
Mobile app
For iOS and Android
β
β
Organization of hosting (creation of resellers and tariff plans)
Available in some editions
There is
Available in ISPmanager Business version
βPlesk
One of the most versatile options, suitable for all types of tasks. The panel works not only with popular deb-based and rpm-based Linux distributions, but also with Windows. Although VPS/VDS customers on Windows rarely need third-party administration tools, they can be installed if desired. Plesk also differs from its competitors in the large number of supported software, incl. rarely used on traditional web servers (Docker, NodeJS, Git, Ruby, etc.).
Developers offer different editions of the product, including a light version with a minimum set of features. Plesk allows you to choose the PHP version for each site, supports PHP-fpm, has a built-in installer for popular CMS, as well as a huge number of extensions that add functionality to the panel of extensions. Depending on the edition, Plesk may include a billing panel, as well as the ability to create different tariff plans and resellers - the product is primarily intended for hosting companies and web studios, and for individual VPS / VDS its functionality seems redundant. The main disadvantage of Plesk, which was identified at this stage, is the high price of licenses and the need to purchase extensions.
βcPanel & WHM
This panel is designed to work with RedHat Enterprise Linux and some derivative distributions. It is easy to use, but quite functional: cPanel allows you to manage web servers and databases, flexibly set restrictions for hosting users, set up tariff plans, create resellers, and manage your mail service with filters and mailing lists. As with Plesk, there are many additional features, and cPanel functionality is extended with commercial and free plugins. In addition, the tool allows you to select different modes of operation and different versions of PHP. Among the serious shortcomings, one can note the rather high cost of the license and the lack of support for popular deb-based distributions.
βISPmanager
The last panel we reviewed differs from others in its low price. In addition, it works not only on CentOS (RHEL clone), but also on Debian/Ubuntu. The panel is optimized for hosting tasks and updates automatically. Users have access to detailed Russian-language documentation, the ability to set the PHP version for each site and simultaneously install several versions of the DBMS inside Docker containers. PHP-fpm is supported, there is a built-in installer for popular scripts and CMS, as well as a number of integration modules that expand the functionality.
Prices for RuVDS
The table above shows the price range for Plesk, cPanel and ISPmanager licenses, if you purchase them on the developers' websites. Many hosting providers offer to immediately equip the server with a panel, while the cost of the license may be lower. As part of the New Year promotion, RuVDS gives customers who ordered VPS the opportunity to use ISPmanager Lite for free until December 31, 2019, and Plesk web admin edition until January 31, 2020. After the promotion is over, the cost of licenses will be 200 and 650 rubles per month. The trial version of cPanel can be used free of charge for 14 days, but then a license will be required. directly from the developer.
First impression
Customers will not have any problems installing and launching the panels, since we have already taken care of this - another reason (besides the price) to buy a license through a hoster. When ordering a server, you just need to choose one of the three available options: ISPmanager Lite, Plesk web admin edition or cPanel & WHM with a free trial period of 14 days. Note that although Plesk can run on Windows Server, this option is not provided out of the box. If you need a panel for OS from Microsoft, you will have to install it yourself. This is a common practice: VPS/VDS on Windows do not come with third-party software. cPanel is only available for machines running CentOS, which is also quite natural.
The initial setup and creation of sites will not cause any particular difficulties, however, the features of each specific panel are already important here. Let's try to highlight their strengths and weaknesses.
βPlesk
The Plesk user interface is similar to the WordPress admin panel. On the left is the menu (navigation bar), and in the center is the workspace. The menu is organized quite logically, all settings are at hand. The similarity of the interface with the WordPress admin panel is not accidental: we really liked the tight integration of Plesk with this popular CMS, the installation of which is automated to the limit here. It is quite convenient to install other third-party scripts - this is a big plus.
In the right part of the window, you can find additional interface elements that make it easier to work with the panel. They contain a variety of information, allow you to quickly navigate to various settings sections, and also offer to install additional software. The main advantage of Plesk is a huge number of extensions and compatibility with exotic web hosting software. We especially liked the Docker support out of the box and the rich set of pre-built images (you can also upload your own).
Finally, a small fly in the ointment: only basic functions are available in Plesk web admin edition, their list is much wider in more expensive editions. However, this is a common property of entry-level versions.
βcPanel & WHM
Here we liked the division of accounts into two types: users and administrators / resellers. In fact, the product consists of two different panels: cPanel itself and WebHost Manager (WHM). The first is intended for ordinary hosting users and it is quite convenient to work with it.
Features that include the ability to create billing plans for administrators and resellers are available through a dedicated WHM panel. The interface of this panel as a whole is organized logically: on the left side there is traditionally a hidden hierarchical menu with a search bar, and on the right side there is a workspace. It has a lot of settings and this is good on the one hand. On the other hand, the WHM menu cannot be called convenient. While in Plesk we almost never had to use the search, there are so many options in each section that the search bar becomes the main administrator tool.
βISPmanager
An important difference between this control panel and the previous ones is the most simplified and intuitive interface. On the left is the navigation menu, and on the right is the workspace. You can open various menu options individually or simultaneously in the tabs of the workspace - this is very convenient, because administrators often need different functions of the panel in parallel. In addition to those directly related to hosting, some additional and system functions are available to administrators, such as anti-virus scanning, file manager, scheduler or firewall. The bundled add-on applications include Roundcube Webmail and phpMyAdmin.
We liked the simplicity of the initial setup and the ability to automatically update the software, as well as the full Russian localization of the panel and all related documentation - foreign developments have difficulties with this. On the other hand, a simplified interface does not always have the necessary flexibility of settings, and the number of available additional modules for ISPmanager is vanishingly small compared to collections for Plesk and cPanel. In addition, in the cheapest Lite edition, you cannot create resellers and cluster configurations.
Security
The control panel gives administrators wide powers in the operating system installed on the server, and therefore the potential presence of vulnerabilities in it can be dangerous. By default, access to the functions of all listed panels uses the encrypted HTTPS protocol with a self-signed certificate. At the same time, no one forbids the user to install the purchased certificate. In addition, two-factor authentication for administrators/resellers and clients is configured in cPanel and ISPmanager. In addition, cPanel has additional protection for administration tools: for example, it does not have access to phpMyAdmin via a direct link. Also, all three panels are regularly updated, allow you to install SSL certificates for sites (including self-signed ones), and you can add various security-related modules to them, such as antivirus tools.
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Plesk supports full and incremental backups to its own storage or to an external resource. In this case, you can create both a complete copy of the entire server, and a copy of the data of individual user accounts. cPanel creates compressed and uncompressed, as well as incremental copies - by default, they are stored locally. It is worth noting the possibility of launching a scheduled copying procedure and the absence of its own interface for data recovery.
Backup settings in ISPmanager, in our opinion, are not flexible enough, but this panel also has all the main features: data is saved in a local directory or on an external resource and can be password protected. By default, all user data is copied, although this can be changed in the settings. In addition, the settings indicate the number of full and daily backups.
Advantages and disadvantages
All three of the reviewed panels top the lists of the most popular and are distinguished by wide functionality. Plesk supports a variety of software and allows you to solve the widest range of tasks. More than 200 different Docker images are available to users, and a huge number of extensions makes Plesk a versatile tool suitable for more than hosting. cPanel is designed to solve hosting-related tasks, while the developers have divided access to different functions into two levels: separate panels have been made for ordinary users and administrators. It is also worth noting the high demands on computing resources - cPanel should not be installed on low-power VPS. The ISPmanager panel is also intended only for hosting management. It is easy to use, low on resources and inexpensive - perhaps the best option for entry-level VPS or for novice administrators and hosters.
Source: habr.com