Get started with reseller hosting
With a reseller hosting plan you can create separate cPanel accounts for your clients. Each account has its own login, websites, email and limits, so your clients can't see or affect each other. You manage the accounts in WHM. Acenet manages the server itself: we keep it updated, secure and backed up.
Your reseller plan sets how many accounts you can create and how much disk space and bandwidth they can use in total. You can see your usage on the WHM home page.
Log in to WHM
In the Client Area, click Services > My Services, click your reseller plan, then click Log in to WHM in the Actions menu. See Log in to cPanel and WHM from the Client Area.
Your reseller plan also includes its own cPanel account for your own websites and email.
We recommend turning on two-factor authentication for your account: in your cPanel, go to Security > Two-Factor Authentication. It protects your WHM login too, and with it every account you manage. Also turn it on for the Client Area. See Secure your Client Area account.
Step 1: Check your nameservers
WHM adds your nameservers to every new account's DNS. Check them before you create accounts. See Set up nameservers in WHM.
Step 2: Create packages
A package is a set of limits, such as disk space, bandwidth and the number of email accounts and domains, that you give an account. Create one package for each plan you offer your clients, for example "Basic" and "Business".
1. In WHM, go to Packages > Add a Package.
2. Enter a name and set the limits.
3. Click Add.
WHM adds your reseller username to the start of the name, for example yourname_Basic. To choose which cPanel features a package includes, use Packages > Feature Manager.
Step 3: Create an account
1. In WHM, go to Account Functions > Create a New Account.
2. Enter the client's domain, a username, a strong password and the client's email address.
3. Choose a package.
4. Click Create.
Then point the domain to your nameservers at its registrar. Your client logs in to cPanel as described in cPanel, WHM and Webmail login addresses.
Manage your accounts
| To do this | Use this in WHM |
|---|---|
| Log in to a client's cPanel | Account Information > List Accounts, then click the cPanel icon next to the account |
| Change a client's cPanel password | Account Functions > Password Modification |
| Move a client to a different package | Account Functions > Upgrade/Downgrade an Account |
| Suspend or unsuspend an account, for example for non-payment | Account Functions > Manage Account Suspension |
| Delete an account permanently | Account Functions > Terminate Accounts |
| Edit DNS records, including MX records | DNS Functions > DNS Zone Manager |
| Check whether an email was delivered | Email > Mail Delivery Reports |
| Connect billing software such as WHMCS | Development > Manage API Tokens |
For details on each tool, see the links to cPanel's documentation on the WHM page.
What every account gets
Every account you create gets the same protection as our shared hosting:
- Resource limits keep one busy or hacked website from slowing down your other clients. See Resource limits and the Resource Limit Is Reached error.
- Imunify360 blocks attacks and scans for malware. See Imunify360 website protection.
- Daily backups with JetBackup. Your clients can restore their own files, databases and email in cPanel. To restore something for a client, log in to their cPanel from List Accounts. See Restore files, databases and email with JetBackup.
- A choice of PHP versions. See Change your PHP version and extensions.
What needs a server of your own
Some WHM features change the whole server, so they aren't available on a reseller plan. These include server-wide settings, Apache and PHP builds, the firewall, IP addresses, server-wide email settings and installing software on the server.
If a client needs one of these, such as a dedicated IP address or a higher email sending limit, please open a support ticket. If you need full control, a cloud server or dedicated server with cPanel gives you root access to WHM. See Install cPanel on your server.
To get more accounts, disk space or bandwidth, see Upgrade or downgrade your hosting plan.