Website hosting control panel allows you to manage your website easier within VPS cloud server. Although you can always deploy LAMP on your cloud server to host your website, it will be a lot easier to manage multiple websites with a website hosting control panel.
Virtualmin, FREE
First released on 25 October 2003, Virtualmin has been maintained under the GNU General Public Licence and offered as a free open source hosting control panel. It is a Webmin module for managing multiple virtual hosts through a single interface. It supports the creation and management of Apache virtual hosts. In addition to that, it allows you to BIND DNS domains and manage MySQL databases. Its email feature allows you to manage mailboxes and aliases with Sendmail or Postfix. Virtualmin Pro is the commercial version which includes more features than the GPL version. For instance script installers, resellers, HTML editor, an improved UI, mobile access, spam and virus filtering are only available in the Pro version.
CyberPanel, FREE
CyberPanel is a newer development of free website control panel that was launched in 2018. Being a newer development, it is able to leverage on OpenLiteSpeed webserver and bundling Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate within its development, both of which are really popular among websites these days. The interface is also more modern and more friendly. Thus, it is more friendly to website owners who prefer the designs of paid control panels.
cPanel/WHM, from USD$15/month
One probably needs no introduction to cPanel/WHM control panel, a highly popular and widely used control panel for website hosting since 21 March 1996. It is probably the most comprehensive and feature-packed control panel for the purpose of web & email hosting. The only downside is probably its new pricing plan, which drawn widespread criticism from the hosting community — but the fact that most web hosting companies are still using this control panel after the drastic price increases is probably a strong testament to this control panel is powerful enough for their business and justifies for the premium price tag it commands.
Directadmin, from USD$2/month
Directadmin is trailing cPanel/WHM closely when it comes to web hosting providers’ preferred control panel. Although not as extensive as the latter in terms of features, it is more lightweight in terms of system requirements and it is certainly a cheaper alternative to cPanel/WHM. Its user interface has also been refreshed recently, giving it a modern look.
Plesk, from USD$11/month
Plesk gained fame among Windows-based hosting servers since 2001 although it supports both Windows and Linux platforms. This control panel has always been praised for its simplicity, stability and speed. It should be noted that the investors behind Plesk acquired cPanel in 2018.
Conclusions
Regardless of your choice of website hosting control panel, it is best to pair this control panel with a cheap and reliable VPS cloud server or dedicated server, if you intend to host multiple websites on it.