Clarification on Control Panels in WHMCS Setup

[levis]

Hey there,

I recently configured my WHMCS server to streamline my agency's workflow, but I'm a bit puzzled about the role of control panels like cPanel, Plesk, and DirectAdmin in this setup. It seems each control panel requires its own server. So, is my understanding correct that setting up one of these is aimed at providing the backend experience for clients after they purchase hosting? I'm a bit confused because my search results lead me to articles about installing WHMCS on cPanel or DirectAdmin, and others about installing cPanel or DirectAdmin on WHMCS.

Any insights or clarification on this would be greatly appreciated!

[WHMCS SamP]

Hi @levis

There are two distinct scenarios you're discussing here.

WHMCS can be installed on a server, regardless of whether it has a hosting control panel or not. The only requirement is a LAMP stack (which is preferred). You can refer to the System Environment Guide for more information: https://docs.whmcs.com/System_Environment_Guide

The hosting platform for your clients' websites is a separate matter. WHMCS supports numerous hosting control panels through its provisioning module. More details can be found here: https://docs.whmcs.com/Server_Modules

If you want to host your client websites on a cPanel server and prefer that your clients use cPanel as their hosting control panel, you can set up and configure a cPanel server ( https://help.whmcs.com/m/setup/l/1075237-creating-your-first-cpanel-server ) and integrate it with our panel.  

Similarly, if you want them to use Plesk, you can set up a Plesk server following these steps: https://help.whmcs.com/m/setup/l/1076210-creating-your-first-plesk-server 

Generally, you can only set up one control panel per server setup. If you need more information about how to set up these servers with your chosen control panels, you might find their respective installation guides useful:

cPanel: https://docs.cpanel.net/installation-guide/install/
Plesk: https://get.plesk.com/

Some customers choose to set up a single server, on which they host both their WHMCS installation and their clients' websites. While it's generally recommended to have a separate, isolated environment for your WHMCS instance, this configuration can also function effectively.

I hope you find this information useful.