What is WHM?
WHM (WebHost Manager) is the server administration interface that comes with cPanel. Hosting providers, resellers, and server administrators use WHM to create and manage many cPanel accounts on one server and control server-wide settings. Individual site owners use cPanel; WHM is the layer above it.
More About WHM
WHM and cPanel ship together as one product. Whoever runs the server works in WHM: creating accounts, allocating disk and bandwidth, managing DNS and security, and installing server software. Every account created there gets its own cPanel login, where a site owner manages their own sites, email, and files without seeing anyone else’s.
What is WHM used for?
- Creating hosting accounts. Each new customer or site gets its own cPanel login with its own limits.
- Reseller hosting. WHM is the tool resellers use to package and sell hosting under their own brand.
- Server-wide management. DNS templates, backups, SSL, PHP versions, and security rules that apply to every account.
- Monitoring. Watching server load and per-account resource use before problems reach customers.
WHM vs. cPanel: which one do you use?
It depends on your role. If you own one website on shared hosting, you’d only ever see cPanel. If you run the server, manage many sites, or resell hosting, WHM is where you work.
Does DreamHost use WHM?
No. WHM and cPanel are commercially licensed software, and DreamHost built its own control panel instead, so you won’t find either on DreamHost plans. The DreamHost panel also runs on separate servers, so it doesn’t use up your web server’s resources. There’s no one-click cPanel-backup import: moving from a cPanel host means migrating the content itself. DreamHost’s free WordPress migration plugin or its paid migration service can move a live site for you, or you can transfer files, databases, and email manually.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between WHM and cPanel?
WHM manages the server; cPanel manages one account on it. The two have separate logins, and permission flows only downward: from WHM an administrator can open any account’s cPanel, but no cPanel login can reach WHM or another account.
Do I need WHM to host a website?
No. A regular site owner never needs WHM: the hosting company handles the server level on your behalf. You’d only encounter it if you run your own server or resell hosting.
Is WHM free?
No. WHM is part of cPanel, a commercial product licensed per server and priced by the number of accounts. That per-account cost is one reason some hosts, DreamHost among them, run their own control panels rather than license cPanel.
Can I get WHM on shared hosting?
Generally no. WHM is a server administration tool, so it comes with VPS, dedicated, and reseller plans. Reseller plans include a limited WHM scoped to your own customers’ accounts. On shared hosting, the provider manages the server, so you get an account-level panel only.
