What is a Web Host Manager?

A Web Host Manager (WHM) is cPanel’s web application providing customers with administrative control of their Dedicated server or Virtual Private Server (VPS). Customers use WHM with cPanel to add domains, create accounts, manage hosting features, and perform regular maintenance. 

In addition, some hosting service providers offer WHM tools to clients and handle all server-related issues. 

cPanel and WHM

cPanel is a widely used, Linux-based control panel for managing web hosting accounts. It allows creating new email IDs, FTP users, subdomains, monitoring resources, installing software, and more. WHM provides admin access to cPanel’s backend and enables excellent control and flexibility for managing large or small websites. It also offers the opportunity to sell clients hosting services and create and manage several cPanels.

The difference between cPanel and WHM are as follows:

• Resellers mainly use WHM to manage all hosting accounts for their customers. Only the cPanel customer manages their individual hosting accounts. 
• WHM delivers resellers with root access. cPanel users only receive access to the web hosting account.
• WHM and cPanel accounts are linked, so changing WHM passwords also changes the cPanel password. However, cPanel users can set the password.
• WHM users are restricted to adding domains, while cPanel enables removing subdomains and add-ons.

WHM Tools

WHM provides the following toolset to enable:

1. Site monitoring and management
2. Customized hosting package creation
3. Creation, deletion, or suspension of cPanel accounts
4. Viewing and changing all DNS zones
5. Accessing server data and status to help manage servers
6. Generating default pages when creating new accounts
7. Hosting and control panel branding and customization
8. Changing domain and user names
9. Traveling between several cPanels in an account and changing what doesn’t need SQL access

The two main WHM types are basic WHM that enables all the above. The second is root WHM (aka rWHM) which has features that require root access to servers and, consequently, access to additional tools.