What is cPanel (& Why Doesn’t WordPress.com Use It)?

If you’re a WordPress developer, you’ve probably run into cPanel before. It’s so common on traditional hosting platforms that, for many developers, it’s the default control panel they expect to see. When you sign up for a managed hosting provider like WordPress.com and don’t find it, it might feel like something important is missing.

But that expectation is part of a common myth that WordPress.com isn’t developer-friendly because it doesn’t use cPanel. The truth is that WordPress.com gives you all the development tools you need without the outdated interface and extra clutter.

This article will explain what that means by covering cPanel and its uses, why it’s not used on WordPress.com, what we offer instead, and why you might even prefer our solution. 

Intrigued? Let’s jump in.

What is cPanel?

cPanel is a hosting control panel used by many web hosts, especially shared providers, and it offers a browser-based graphical interface to manage various aspects of your website and hosting.

It was originally designed to make hosting more accessible to non-technical users by allowing them to perform server tasks that usually require expert knowledge. Over time, cPanel has also become a standard tool for developers because of its wide adoption and broad functionality.

cPanel is a popular management software that allows you to:

• Manage website files via the file manager 
• Create and manage FTP (file transfer protocol) accounts.
• Create and manage MySQL databases.
• Set up domains, subdomains, and DNS (domain name system) records.
• Create and manage email accounts tied to your domain.
• Install CMS (content management system) platforms like WordPress using one-click installers.
• Manage backups, SSL (secure sockets layer) certificates, and server usage statistics.
• Connect your site to a CDN (content delivery network).

It’s important to note that cPanel is a third-party program independent from your website. You must log in to it separately, usually through an address like https://example.com:2083, using a separate username and password.

In addition, cPanel is proprietary software, which means hosting providers pay licensing fees to use it. This can affect your hosting costs. Hosts often customize the available features and styling of their cPanel installation, which is why it can look different from one hosting provider to another.

If you have never worked with the hosting panel before, you can try it out using the official cPanel demo.

Why doesn’t WordPress.com use cPanel?

You may have heard that WordPress.com is “limited” because it doesn’t come with cPanel, but this perception often comes from developers who are simply used to finding the control panel on shared hosting platforms. In reality, WordPress.com doesn’t lack features; it simply takes a different, more streamlined approach.

Instead of using a third-party tool like cPanel, WordPress.com has a purpose-built control panel designed specifically for WordPress hosting and development. It offers direct access to the features developers actually need and use (more on those in a minute) in a cleaner, more integrated interface.

This means you don’t have to switch to an external application to modify necessary server settings, and you have all the control you need without the extra clutter.

What hosting features does WordPress.com offer?

In addition to fast, secure hosting with unlimited visitors and unmetered bandwidth, our Business and Commerce plans offer plenty of developer features. They’re located in the Sites menu under Settings.

SSH

SSH (secure shell access) allows you to interact with your site’s environment via the command line. For example, you can run WP-CLI commands, manage and edit plugin and theme files, and troubleshoot site issues.

On WordPress.com, you create your SSH credentials in the aforementioned site settings under the SFTP/SSH tab.

Click the button to access the URL, port, username, and password for the SSH and SFTP connections.

You’ll also need to switch on SSH access for your site separately at the bottom.

This also gives you the option to generate an SSH key to make it even easier to connect to your sites. Our full SSH documentation provides information on that and available shell commands.

SFTP

WordPress supports the secure file transfer protocol (SFTP) to connect directly to your site’s server. SFTP gives you full access to themes, plugins, and media uploads so you can deploy custom code or make manual changes to files.

Create your credentials as directed above and simply copy and paste them into your favorite FTP client, such as FileZilla or Cyberduck.

For additional details, see our SFTP documentation. To ensure optimal performance and security, WordPress.com restricts certain plugins, and some are fully incompatible and can’t be activated (even if uploaded via SFTP). If you need a specific plugin, feel free to contact us—we’re happy to suggest alternatives.

Database access

On WordPress.com, you can access your site’s database via phpMyAdmin. Just click the Open phpMyAdmin button in the Database tab under the site settings.

This automatically logs you in and lets you view and edit your database tables, debug issues, or customize data.

You’ll find all of the familiar phpMyAdmin features here, including importing SQL files. For extra security, you can test your SQL commands on a staging site, and if something still goes wrong, you can easily restore your site from backup.

More information is available in our database access documentation.

No cPanel, no problem

Many developers start with cPanel because it’s standard, but it isn’t the only (or the best) way to manage a WordPress site.

On WordPress.com, you benefit from a cleaner, faster, and more efficient experience integrated directly into your main site dashboard. With only the most relevant features, we help you streamline your build process for any type of website.

When you build a site on WordPress.com, you benefit from:

• Automated burst scaling to handle traffic spikes.
• 99.999% uptime and real-time replication to secondary data centers.
• Automatic image compression and management.
• A global edge cache and CDN, with 28+ data centers across six continents.
• Built-in DDoS protection, a WAF, and proactive threat monitoring.
• Automatic core updates, backups, and malware scanning.
• Developer-focused support from WordPress.com’s expert team.

Build your sites on WordPress.com, and if you’re looking for a free, open source, and lightweight local development tool, we’ve got you covered with Studio.