vDeck-vs-cPanel-V2

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cPanel and vDeck Hosting Panel Comparison

Edited on 28.05.2013 by Marcis Gasuns, available at http://vdeck.com/

52 page .pdf manual free for download (for migrating between hosting panels)

1. Introduction 1.1. Why this article was written

2. The categories of evaluation and hosting control panel comparison 3. Basic characteristics of cPanel and vDeck

3.1. cPanel 3.1.1. Supported operating systems and system requirements 3.1.2. Multi-Language support

3.2 vDeck 4. Control panel functionality and ease-of-use

4.1. Ease-of-use for domains and subdomains 4.1.1. cPanel 4.1.2. vDeck

4.2. Working with email and administering email accounts 4.2.1. cPanel 4.2.2. vDeck

4.3. FTP user administration 4.3.1. cPanel 4.3.2. vDeck

4.4. Configuration and administration of MySQL databases 4.4.1. cPanel 4.4.2. vDeck

4.5. Working with the web-server statistics 4.5.1. Statistics options in cPanel 4.5.2. vDeck statistics

4.6. Ease-of-use when working with server files 4.6.1. Working with files in cPanel 4.6.2. Working with files in vDeck

4.7. Security settings 4.7.1. Security in cPanel 4.7.2. vDeck security settings

5. Conclusion

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1. Introduction

A hosting control panel is an online environment that gives users the opportunity to manage all the necessary web-server settings through an intuitively comprehensible web interface. The user’s site won’t be fully functional without the necessary server settings, which are set using the control panel.

Because this web interface is so easy to use, users do not require any specific knowledge about web-server commands (for example, “/scripts/killacct” – to remove the domain, “vi /var/named/domain.db” – to edit domain DNS records, or “vi /usr/local/apache/conf/httpd.conf” – to check the path to the Apache configuration file).

1.1. Why this article was written To compare the functionality of the two most popular control panels of year 2013 from the point of view of a slight-

ly idealized average virtual hosting user. Even though every hosting control panel is created for the same reason (to pro-vide users with instruments to manage their hosting accounts through the web browser graphic interface as easy as pos-sible), web developers do this in quite different ways. Unfortunately, it’s not rare to note that control panels, which are difficult to use, require a lot more hassle for users. Some of which initially don’t understand the difference between a domain name and shared hosting.

For the comparison categories, we used the most common user operations performed while working with the

control panel. When writing this article, we sought to compare the usability of the same operations for the hosting setup in each of the two panels, and checked if both vDeck and cPanel contained all the functions needed for the hosting user.

2. The categories of evaluation for hosting control panel comparison

To compare two control panels, the following 9 parameters were observed: Supporting operating systems and system requirements Multi-language options Working with domains and subdomains Mail user accounts administration FTP user accounts administration MySQL databases settings and administration Ease-of-use server statistics Ease-of-use with server files Security settings

3. Basic characteristics of cPanel and vDeck

We review two products: cPanel 11.30 – a popular hosting control panel, and vDeck 4.0 – a less widely used con-trol panel, though in some ways more convenient for users. Both control panels adhere to the same goal – to provide

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shared web hosting users with the opportunity to manage their own parts of a web server without any previous *nix serv-er administration knowledge.

3.1. cPanel

http://www.cpanel.net is the official website for the cPanel control panel. This product has been on the market since 1997 and since than has become the standard. On the cPanel official website, you can read the the full range of system requirements (http://goo.gl/kF3T1), as well as test a demo version of the control panel (Demo).

Рic 1. cPanel admin homepage

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The cPanel admin page consists of two vertical parts, two sidebars. In the left part (width 217px), is information

about the hosting resources that are available or have been previously used. In the right part (width 497px), are various shortcuts for different account functions. The shortcuts are gathered into separate theme-based blocks.

Pic 2. An example of a shortcut cPanel block. Sample shows a group of shortcuts for managing email accounts. Block size is 497px x 198px.

These blocks can be minimized on your screen or repositioned by dragging the mouse, allowing users to set the blocks in a customized order. cPanel saves these blocks upon exiting the control panel, thus the blocks remain where they were previously positioned when a user logs in to the control panel again. If anything is unclear to the user, they can watch a video tutorial (links to tutorials can be found in each section on the control panel).

Pic 3. The button to view video instructions in cPanel

For the user’s convenience, cPanel offers a “Password Generator” function offered for users in all sections

where a password is required. This helps users generate unique and strong passwords to protect against any unwanted login attempts for their account and it happens more often than you may think. In the Module settings, users can set a password with the following criteria:

● Using letters: a Both lowercase and uppercase letters

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b Only lowercase letters c Only uppercase letters

● Using non-alphabet characters: a All types of characters b Only numbers c Only symbol characters (@#$).

Pic 4. cPanel Password generator

3.1.1. Supported operating systems and system requirements

For optimal cPanel performance, 512 MB of RAM (1 GB – for best control panel performance) and 10 GB of disk space are needed. cPanel can function properly when running on the following Operating Systems:

● CentOS versions 4.x, 5.x, 6.x ● Red Hat® Enterprise Linux® versions 4.x, 5.x, 6.x ● FreeBSD®-RELEASE versions 7.3, 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2 ● CloudLinux 5.x, 6.x

cPanel can also work in a virtual environment1 (web hosts that offer rental of virtual servers – VDS or VPS – for

example: hostgator.com.) running:

● KVM ● Linux-VServer

1 Cf. http://www.hostgator.com/

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● Microsoft Server® 2008 Hyper-V ● OpenVZ (stable releases only) ● Oracle VM VirtualBox, VirtualBox OSE ● Virtuozzo™ ● VMware® Server, VMware® ESX Server ● Xen, XenEnterprise™, XenExpress™, XenServer™

Restrictions: Since the license is issued for an IP address, the web server should have a designated IP address

for the control panel. If the server only has an internal IP address, and the internet connection is initiated via the shared IP address, cPanel cannot be installed on that server.

3.1.2. Multi-Language support

The cPanel interface is translated into 14 languages:

● Arabic ● German ● English ● Spanish ● Iberian Spanish ● French ● Hindi ● Dutch ● Polish ● Portuguese ● Brazilian ● Portuguese ● Romanian ● Russian ● Chinese

3.2 vDeck

Now let’s take a look at vDeck. http://vdeck.com is the official website for the vDeck control panel. The site has been active since 1999 (see an example on web-archive). Since vDeck is a proprietary development, the control panel requirements for the operating system and the technical server characteristics are not indicated on the website. The vDeck control panel interface is only available in English. There is no option at this time to localize the interface into other languages on your own. It is known that several major US-based companies (that offer shared hosting on Linux servers) use this panel.

The vDeck control panel consists of two vertical sidebars: on the left side, two-thirds of the space is taken up by shortcuts used for hosting management and settings. On the right side is a shortcut widget for navigating to some of the control panel functions:

● Site builder

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● Email accounts users management ● Domains management ● User panel password modification ● Site preview ● Mail management via web-interface (webmail) ● Statistics reports preview.

On the right side you can also see an information section about the system and account resource usage. In most

of the panel sections, users will find a link pointing to a topical reference article or a video tutorial.

Pic 5. An example of links for vDeck tutorials.

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Pic 6. The vDeck control panel interface

There are two ways to access a menu in the vDeck panel: (1) Using the shortcuts on the main page, and (2) us-ing a dropdown text menu located at the top of the screen. The top menu allows users to jump from one control panel section to another.

Рic 7. An example of the global menu in vDeck.

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By default, an advertising block is shown at the top and on the right side; however, these banners can be re-moved from the screen within a couple of clicks on the banners, or by adjusting the control panel settings.

At the top of the control panel and on the right side (above all the shortcuts), there is a link that looks like a star and says “Open Quickstart.”

Pic 8 . “Open Quickstart” in vDeck.

When clicking on the link, a block with shortcuts opens at the top. From this section, users can quickly access

the basic functions (according to vDeck): ● Domain creation ● Email account setup ● Editing the site using Site Editor.

Pic 9. Contents of the “Quickstart” menu in vDeck.

In the vDeck control panel, there is no automatic password generation feature in sections where passwords are

required (such as FTP, mail accounts, etc.). Users must choose a password on their own and enter it manually. Pass-word rules are strictly outlined throughout the vDeck control panel:

● Password length should be not less than: ○ 6 symbols for the FTP account ○ 8 symbols for the email account

● A password must contain:

○ At least one number ○ At least one uppercase letter ○ At least one lowercase letter ○ At least one punctuation symbol.

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Pic 10. vDeck warning message if the password is too simple.

4. Control panel functionality and ease-of-use

4.1. Ease-of-use for domains and subdomains

Domain management and settings are not necessarily the primary function when it comes to using hosting ser-vices; however, this is an important and essential function. vDeck domain management is concentrated in one panel section (Domain Central), and intensive domain management can be performed with a couple of clicks. It’s much more convenient for users compared to cPanel, where one can only access each sub-section from the main control panel.

4.1.1. cPanel

Domain and subdomain adds-on are well organized for users. When creating a domain, one can also set up an FTP user account and select the folder where the domain files will be located (and the default folder path is defined im-mediately after indicating the domain or subdomain’s name).

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Pic 11. Domain add-on screen in cPanel.

cPanel also gives users an opportunity to edit domain DNS records. Two types of DNS editors are offered: ● Simple DNS editor ● Advanced DNS editor

Pic 12. Simple DNS editor in cPanel.

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Pic 13. The cPanel redirects section.

With cPanel, the customer gets an easy-to-use interface for all the necessary domain management functions, in-cluding:

Creating, editing, and removing domains Creating, editing, and removing subdomains Editing domain DNS entries Creating and editing redirects for domains and subdomains Add-on domain parking

4.1.2. vDeck

In the vDeck control panel, domain management is performed in the “Domain Central” section.

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Pic 14. Domains management in vDeck

After creating a domain, all of the site’s management tools are specifically designed for use with this domain. You can configure the DNS servers in its properties, add and delete subdomains, and edit DNS entries (depending on the control panel version). In the “Pointers” menu, you can indicate the directory where the site files are located, as well as configure redirects to the given URL, or set this domain as parked.

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Рic 15. Domain properties.

4.2. Working with email and administering email accounts

Web hosting email management has the following key functions: Email accounts management Mail transfer management Spam protection settings

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The email features of both control panels are similar, but cPanel offers three different programs for mail man-agement via its web-interface, and provides auto configuration files for four email clients (Windows Live Mail, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Outlook Express and Mac Mail). vDeck primarily focuses on providing an auto configuration file for Microsoft Outlook.

4.2.1. cPanel

When creating an email account, the maximum mailbox size can be customized. When a user reaches their limit, any new email will be bounced back to the sender with an error message indicating that the mailbox is full. Alternatively, this limit can be removed for an email account altogether.

Pic 16.New mailbox setup in cPanel

To access mail through cPanel’s web interface, you can use one of the three programs: ● Horde ● Roundcube ● SquirrelMail

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http://goo.gl/davJc Pic 17. cPanel webmail clients

cPanel users can use the following features for managing email transfers and email delivery: ● Autoresponder ● Automatic mail forwarding ● Automatic user filters ● Mail lists

For spam protection, the following features are used:

● New sender automatic verification (BoxTrapper) ● The “SpamAssassin” spam filtering program

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Pic 19. “SpamAssassin” main window in cPanel.

Users can perform the following actions: ● Enable and disable “SpamAssassin” ● Set variables to determine whether the message is considered spam or not ● Enable and disable automatic spam message removal ● Moreover, in additional settings, users can indicate up to 5 addresses to be added to the white list or the black-

list. In this case, an email from a whitelisted IP address will always pass through the filter, and won’t be checked for spam elements. And an email received from any blacklisted IP addresses will always be marked as spam.

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Pic 20. Additional “SpamAssassin” settings in cPanel.

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4.2.2. vDeck

The vDeck email management section allows users to configure the following options: ● Email users ● User access to mailbox via the vDeck web interface ● Autoresponders and -forwarders ● Spam-protection settings ● Email list management

Email user management is performed in the “Mail Central” section.

Pic 21. The Mail Central section in the vDeck control panel

When creating a new email user, you only need to specify an email address and password; however, you cannot set a disk quota. Since disk use is unlimited for users, they can take up all the space on the hosting disk with their emails.

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Pic 22. New email user creation in vDeck.

When creating a new email account, there are several options to choose from – a free “Standard” type for a regu-lar email account with a minimal set of features, and two more advanced types which the user has to pay for:

● “Mobile” – an email account with additional features (integration with mobile devices, such as smartphones); ● “Business” – an account with group work features (in addition to the “Mobile” type features), which gives users

shared access to documents, calendars and contacts. These two types are useful for entrepreneurs.

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Also, in the “Mail Central” section, for existing email accounts, users can get the settings for webmail client programs or go to the Web client to work with email in the Internet browser.

Рic 23. Sample information for user email client configuration in vDeck

In the “Autoresponders” section, users can set a customized response for a certain email address that will be au-

tomatically sent after receiving an email.

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Pic 24.Autoresponder settings in vDeck

In the “Set Catch-All Option” section, users can configure rules for email processing for mail delivered to un-known email addresses. This feature is helpful if you do not want to lose any emails sent with an error in the address field (for example, a person’s last name is usually part of their email address; and when you are trying to dictate the address over the phone, the other person on the line can make a mistake, and the company will miss an important email).

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Pic 25. The “Set Catch-All Option” function configuration in vDeck

To operate email accounts via a web interface, vDeck offers three types of programs: Open-Xchange WebMail,

AtMail and SquirrelMail. The Open-Xchange WebMail interface looks very similar to desktop email clients (like MS Outlook or Mozilla

Thunderbird), which are installed on a PC. Besides sending and receiving emails, Open-Xchange allows you to work with a calendar and a task list.

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Pic 26. The Open-Xchange webmail program interface in vDeck.

SquirrelMail differs from other webmail clients in its interface (which is translated into 40 languages), and offers a great variety of plugins (more than 200) that extend the program’s features.

AtMail uses the IMAP protocol for email and has a basic interface.

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Рic 27. AtMail interface

PIc 28. SquirrelMail interface

In the “Spam Settings” section, rules for protection settings and spam processing can be configured. In this sec-

tion, you also can: ● Enable or disable the anti-spam function (in case you want to make sure that all emails are received and no mes-

sages are forwarded to the spam folder) ● Choose a list of actions to be performed in the event mail is marked as spam ● Edit greylists (automatic spam separation technology based on the differences of mail sending methods of spam

software and real mail servers) ● Edit whitelists and blacklists

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Pic 29. Anti-spam configuration in vDeck.

4.3. FTP user administration

This is an important function, as most people prefer to work with their hosting files using an FTP client (file man-agers are seldom used these days) to perform file operations quickly. cPanel has more advantages in using an FTP cli-ent compared to vDeck, as it allows you to control and limit every FTP user’s disk space usage, provides users with anonymous FTP access, and allows for greater control of current FTP connection sessions.

4.3.1. cPanel

With cPanel, you can create and remove FTP users, indicate a separate home directory for each user, and set the limits for the disk space usage.

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Pic 30. FTP user creation in cPanel.

In cPanel, it is convenient to click on the link “Configure FTP Client” for any FTP account, and you will receive a

prompt for configuring an FTP connection, or download the configuration files for three of the most popular FTP clients.

Pic 31. Prompts for FTP client configuration in cPanel.

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Furthermore, cPanel offers two additional functions for controlling FTP access: ● Checking the current FTP connections and disconnecting specified connections ● Anonymous FTP connection configuration

4.3.2. vDeck

In the vDeck control panel, you can create and delete FTP user accounts, reset the FTP password, and change the home directory for existing FTP user accounts.

Pic 32. FTP user account configuration in the vDeck control panel

In vDeck, you cannot set limits for general FTP user folder file size.

4.4. Configuration and administration of MySQL databases

cPanel has a some advantage (compared to vDeck) for databases management due to having a wider variety of tools; however, vDeck database management interface is easier to use and is a better fit for new users.

4.4.1. cPanel

Users are offered several options for MySQL database management: 1 A step-by-step database creation tool that comes with the following functions:

a Create new database b Create new database user c Set permissions for database users

2 A remote database access configuration wizard 3 An existing database operation wizard, which allows users to:

a Create and remove databases b Check existing databases for errors c Perform a restoration of any corrupted databases (if necessary) d Create or delete database users

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e Edit database user permissions

Pic 33. MySQL database management in cPanel

You can also use phpMyAdmin in cPanel, which allows users to perform all necessary database operations di-

rectly, such as: ○ Creating and deleting tables ○ Editing database tables ○ Initiating and configuring SQL requests

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○ Importing data into a database ○ Exporting data from a database ○ Controlling the status of a database ○ Viewing running processes

Pic 34. phpMyAdmin program

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4.4.2. vDeck

In vDeck, all database configuration actions are performed in the control panel section called “MySQL Beta.”

Pic 35 Working with MySQL databases in vDeck

This section’s interface is constructed in such a way that users can easily run the following functions: ● Create a new database ● Create a new database user ● Remove a database user ● Edit database user settings ● Perform various operations with database tables directly using phpMyAdmin.

Pic 36. New database user creation in vDeck

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Pic 37.Database user permission settings in vDeck

In this section, you can also customize database backups.

Pic 38.Database backups in vDeck

4.5. Working with web-server statistics Access to web-server statistics provides an opportunity for site owners to gather information about site visits by

human traffic and search-engine bots, as well as the sources of connections to their site along with visitors’ browser pa-

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rameters. The form and content of reports created by viewer statistics programs directly affect the extent to which this statistical information is clear to the user, or how convenient it would be for users to navigate in the reports.

4.5.1. Statistics options in cPanel

The following methods for viewing stats are available for cPanel users: 1. Latest visitors – provides information about the most recent 300 visitors. In this report, you will find the following

information about the latest visitors: a Site visitor IP address b URL from which the user was redirected to your site c The landing page URL that the user accessed d Browser parameters

2. Bandwidth – shows the amount of traffic used by the site, including detailed protocol stats (HTTP, POP3, FTP, IMAP, SMTP). It also provides diagrams reflecting traffic usage during the last day, week, and year.

3. Webalizer – a program that generates user-friendly reports and diagrams based on web-server logs. 4. Raw Logs – unprocessed web-server logs that can be downloaded to the user’s local drive for future analysis. 5. Analog stats – a program that creates reports based on unprocessed web-server logs. 6. Error log – a protocol for displaying web-server errors.

Piс 39. Traffic usage stats in cPanel.

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Piс 40. AwStats statistics

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4.5.2. vDeck statistics

In the vDeck control panel, statistical analysis is provided by the Webalizer program. AWStats is only available if the hosting provider allows its usage in vDeck.

Рic41. Configuration for statistics programs in vDeck.

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Рic 42. Webalizer program configuration

Webalizer creates easy-to-use and easy-to-understand reports based on web-server logs. All reports consist of a

short main summary along with more detailed statistics. In Webalizer’s settings, you can indicate the number of maxi-mum values that will be mentioned in a short report (such as Number of Top Sites - Number of Top Users). You can also choose, if it is necessary, to create beautiful visual diagrams – except text tables.

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Pic 43. A vDeck Webalizer report example.

4.6. Ease-of-use when working with server files Sometimes, File Manager is more suitable than using an FTP client. For example, this is the case when it is nec-

essary to archive files or extract an archive. Additionally, File Manager is more user-friendly for novice users. The vDeck control panel’s File Manager allows users to perform key operations with files and folders.

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4.6.1. Working with files in cPanel

cPanel has two File Managers, Simple and Advanced. The Simple File Manager offers a minimum set of tools for creating, renaming, deleting, copying, and moving

files and folders. You can also download a specified file to your local computer, or, vice versa, upload a file to the server from your local disk. Nonetheless, there is also a more advanced function to set permissions for files or folders. Files and folder size permissions are also shown in this table.

Piс 44 The Simple FileManager in cPanel

The Advanced File Manager in cPanel also allows users to perform all necessary operations with files and fold-ers, but also provides the following additional options:

The permission to edit specified files with help from one of three editors: a Simple text editor b Script code editor c HTML files editor

Ability to archive specified files or folders using the File Manager, as well as extract any existing archives. The following types of archives are supported by the File manager:

a Zip Archive b Tar Archive c GZiped Tar Archive d Bzip2ed Tar Archive

In the list of files, timestamps of the most recent file or folder changes are added.

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Piс 45 The Advanced File Manager in cPanel

4.6.2. Working with files in vDeck

In the vDeck control panel, there is only one type of File manager used. This program allows users to perform all necessary operations with files and folders (creating, deleting, copying, and moving files or folders), as well as custom-ize permissions, archive files, and edit files with the help of the built-in file editor. In the File Manager, a section called “Actions” shows shortcuts for the actions that can be performed with a file or directory. There is also a “Search” field in the File Manager which functions as a list filter for current folder files. The search bar is a simple line that is compared with the file name from the first character and no macro substitution characters.

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Piс 46. The vDeck File Manager

There are two parameters in the File Manager’s settings: ● Whether or not to show the system files ● Setting the text file format as either simple text or WYSIWYG

Piс 47.File manager settings in vDeck.

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The vDeck File Manager file editor can be used in the simple text-editing mode.

Рic 48. The Simple file editor in the vDeck control panel.

It can also be used in a WYSIWYG editor (created by TinyMCE).

Рic 49. The WYSIWYG file editor in the vDeck control panel.

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4.7. Security settings

In virtual hosting, security settings lie in limiting access to the site or its folders, as well as setting up an encrypt-ed connection.

4.7.1. Security in cPanel

cPanel’s security settings provide a possibility to limit site access to its sections, and prohibits illegal site-content usage on unauthorized web resources.

In the “Password Protect Directories” section, users can adjust access to folders to limited users on their site by setting up password protection. This is one of sevaral methods of controlling access to the site sections for different us-ers.

Piс 50. Site folder access settings in cPanel

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The IP Deny Manager tool allows users to indicate the IP address or a range of IPs where the site will be acces-

sible. If a user doesn’t know the IP address, they can indicate a domain name instead. This is necessary for preventing network attacks on the site.

Piс 51. The IP Deny Manager in cPanel

To manage certificates, keys, and access to the site via HTTPS, cPanel’s “SSL/TLS Manager” section is used. It is possible for other websites to display your images from your website using the <img> tag. To you, it will not

only mean theft of content but also a load on the server and an increased traffic flow. To prevent this, in cPanel you can customize "Hotlink Protection," which offers protection against other sites displaying images directly from your server.

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Piс 52. Hotlink Protection configuration in cPanel

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4.7.2. vDeck security settings

Everything related to the site security settings can be found in the “.htaccess Editor” section.

Piс 53. vDeck security settings.

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In the “Hotlink Protection” section, users can configure protection against illegal access to their files.

Piс 54. Hotlink protection settings in vDeck.

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Users can also set passwords for site folders:

Piс 55 .Directory password protection in vDeck.

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In the “Block IP Addresses” section, users can restrict access to the site from separate IP addresses, or set a range of IPs from where access will be restricted.

Piс 56. IP address blocking in vDeck.

5. Conclusion

This comparison of the cPanel and vDeck control panels shows that both have necessary tools to manage a host-ing account. Although vDeck appears simpler, this simplicity should not be confused with some scantiness, since vDeck is convenient in use. vDeck offers all the necessary tools and features for a hosting account control panel, and the user will easily manage their web hosting using vDeck’s panel, if migrated from cPanel.

cPanel, however, offers a wider range of tools and features. For example, it provides three types of web-server log file analysis programs and statistics’ reports creation tools, as well as two types of File Manager. In real life condi-tions, though, this mostly unnecessary variety may confuse the user, especially a beginner. cPanel’s navigation requires one but major improvement, as it is extremely inconvenient to click on various functions from only the admin homepage.

Clear application icons and better element layout (such as database management) are the key advantages of vDeck. The control panel navigation is built in a way that even a beginner can work with vDeck without extra difficulties.

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Table 1. The main advantages and disadvantages of cPanel and vDeck panels.

Pros Cons

cPanel

● Multi-functional File Manager ● Automatic configuration scripts for

mail programs and FTP clients ● Rich FTP access control options

● Inconvenient navigation ● Inefficient subdomain usage ● Several tools for the same

function may confuse

vDeck

● Convenient navigation

via the top text menu ● Extensive section for

managing databases ● Easy-to-use section for

editing .htaccess files ● Google applications

integrated into the control panel

● No opportunity to

configure Cron jobs ● AWStats program is used

only as an additional options ● Can only archive files

in File Manager

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cPanel and vDeck main page screenshots:

Pic 57. cPanel control panel main page.

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Piс 58. vDeck control panel interface.