Getting Started
with cPanel

We're glad you decided to go with one of GoDaddy's servers. We think they're great and we're sure you will, too.

Just in case you aren't entirely sure what comes with your account, we have those details here.

This guide covers everything you need to get started including...

• Setting up your server, which is the boring, basic stuff like choosing a username and password.
• Creating an account for a domain name in cPanel shows you how you're going to create a Web-accessible space on your server to host a website.
• Getting your website online using cPanel.
• Configuring email in cPanel so you can receive email at your domain names.
• Maintaining Your Server to keep your server's software up to date.

All right – on to the guide iteself.

Before we get started in earnest, though, let's just quickly review how your cPanel server works. There are quite a few moving parts, so looking at their relationship might help you understand it more clearly.

What we'd like you to glean from the diagram is that your server runs two important have two pieces of software: Web Host Manager (WHM) and cPanel.

• Web Host Manager, like the name implies, lets you manage all of the Web hosting functions on your server. You only have one instance of it because it will manage all of the software that supports your server — including creating cPanel "accounts."
• cPanel is a control panel for an individual user to manage her websites. That means there can be many instances of cPanel on the server; one for each account that you create through WHM.

That isn't to say that you need to create multiple cPanel accounts if you're using the server for yourself. However, it is important to note that you do need at least one cPanel account — that's where you host the website on your server.

Also, of note, cPanel hosts one primary website but can also host others using the Add-on Domains feature.

All right, with that out of the way, let's get going.

Up Next...

Now that you understand what's going on, let's set up your account.

Go to Setting Up Your Server >>