WHM (WebHost Manager) is the administrative control panel that sits above cPanel — it is used to manage a whole server and create and administer multiple cPanel accounts on it. Where cPanel manages a single hosting account (one customer’s sites), WHM manages the server itself and all the cPanel accounts on it. It is mainly relevant to resellers, administrators, and anyone running a server with multiple sites or clients, rather than to a typical single-site owner. Understanding WHM clarifies the difference between managing your account and managing a server.
This guide explains what WHM is, how it relates to cPanel, who actually uses it, and whether you need to care about it.
Did you know?
cPanel and WHM are two halves of the same system: WHM is the landlord’s view (managing the whole building and its tenants), while cPanel is the tenant’s view (managing their own apartment).
What WHM is
WHM, or WebHost Manager, is a server administration control panel. It provides the tools to manage an entire server and to create, configure, and administer the individual cPanel accounts hosted on that server. It is the higher-level, administrative counterpart to cPanel.
Where cPanel is what an individual customer uses to manage their own hosting account, WHM is what the person managing the server uses to oversee everything: server settings, resource allocation, and all the cPanel accounts on the machine. WHM and cPanel are made by the same company and designed to work together as a two-level system.
How WHM relates to cPanel
The relationship is hierarchical. WHM sits above cPanel: one WHM manages a server, and on that server there are many cPanel accounts, each belonging to a customer or site. An administrator uses WHM to create a new cPanel account, set its limits, and manage it; the customer then uses cPanel to manage the site within that account.
A useful analogy is an apartment building. WHM is the building manager’s control room — they oversee the whole building, create and manage individual apartments, and set the rules. cPanel is what each tenant uses to manage their own apartment. Both are needed, but they serve different people and different levels of control.
What you can do in WHM
WHM’s tools are about managing a server and its accounts. The main capabilities include:
- Create and manage cPanel accounts: set up and administer each customer or site.
- Set resource limits and packages: define what each account gets.
- Manage server settings: configure the server as a whole.
- Monitor server health: track resources and performance.
- Handle server-wide security: firewalls, SSL, and more across accounts.
- Manage DNS and services: at the server level.
Pro Tip
If you are a single-site owner on shared hosting, you will never see WHM — you only get cPanel for your own account. WHM is behind the scenes, used by your host to manage the server your account sits on.
Who actually uses WHM
WHM is used by the people who manage servers rather than individual sites. That primarily means hosting providers (managing their servers and customer accounts), resellers (who buy server space and sell hosting accounts to their own clients, using WHM to create and manage those accounts), and administrators running their own server with multiple sites.
So WHM is a tool for the management layer above ordinary hosting. If you run a web design agency hosting several clients, or resell hosting, WHM is where you would create and manage each client’s cPanel account. For everyone managing just their own site, WHM stays behind the scenes with the host.
Do you need to care about WHM?
For a typical single-site owner, no — you will only ever use cPanel (or your host’s panel) for your own account, and WHM is handled by your host behind the scenes. You do not need to learn it or think about it to run your own website.
WHM becomes relevant only if you step into a server-management role: reselling hosting, running a server with many sites, or administering hosting for multiple clients. If that is you, WHM is the tool for creating and managing those accounts. If not, it is simply useful to know what WHM is — the server-level counterpart to cPanel — so the two-level structure of hosting management makes sense.
WHM and reseller hosting
WHM is central to reseller hosting, which is worth understanding since it is WHM’s main use for non-providers. Reseller hosting lets you buy a chunk of server resources and sell hosting accounts to your own customers under your brand. You use WHM to create and manage each customer’s cPanel account, set their limits, and administer them.
So if you want to offer hosting to clients — as an agency, a freelancer, or a small hosting business — WHM is the control panel that makes it possible, sitting above the individual cPanel accounts you provide. For everyone else, WHM remains the host’s tool, and cPanel (or a modern panel) is all you need to manage your own site.
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FAQs
What is WHM (WebHost Manager)?
WHM is the administrative control panel that sits above cPanel, used to manage a whole server and to create and administer the multiple cPanel accounts on it. Where cPanel manages a single hosting account, WHM manages the server itself and all the accounts on it — the higher-level, administrative counterpart to cPanel.
How is WHM different from cPanel?
cPanel manages a single hosting account (one customer’s sites), while WHM manages the whole server and all the cPanel accounts on it. WHM sits above cPanel hierarchically: an administrator uses WHM to create and manage accounts; each customer uses cPanel to manage their own site within an account.
Who uses WHM?
People who manage servers rather than individual sites: hosting providers, resellers (who sell hosting accounts to their own clients), and administrators running a server with multiple sites. A typical single-site owner never uses WHM — they only get cPanel for their own account, with WHM handled by the host.
Do I need WHM for my website?
No, not for a typical single site. You will only use cPanel (or your host’s panel) for your own account, and WHM stays behind the scenes with your host. WHM becomes relevant only if you resell hosting, run a server with many sites, or administer hosting for multiple clients.
What can you do in WHM?
Create and manage cPanel accounts, set resource limits and hosting packages, configure server-wide settings, monitor server health, handle server-level security like firewalls and SSL, and manage DNS and services. Its tools are about managing a server and its accounts, not an individual site.
What is WHM’s role in reseller hosting?
WHM is central to reseller hosting: it lets you buy server resources and sell hosting accounts to your own customers under your brand, using WHM to create and manage each customer’s cPanel account and set their limits. It is the panel that makes offering hosting to clients possible.
The bottom line
WHM (WebHost Manager) is the server-administration control panel that sits above cPanel: it manages a whole server and creates and administers the multiple cPanel accounts on it, where cPanel manages just one account. Think of WHM as the building manager’s control room and cPanel as each tenant’s own dashboard — two levels of the same system, serving different people.
For a typical single-site owner, WHM stays behind the scenes with your host, and you only ever use cPanel for your account. WHM matters only if you step into a server-management role — reselling hosting, running a server with many sites, or hosting for multiple clients — where it is the tool for creating and managing those accounts. Otherwise, it is simply useful to know what it is.
When you are ready, you can start with Hostinger and use code PROTIPS for the reader discount. WHM manages a whole server and its cPanel accounts — a tool for hosts and resellers, not typical single-site owners.