New server set-up
€490from proposed
- Basic set-up, hostname and nameservers
- Packages, reseller limits and first accounts
- AutoSSL, cPHulk, firewall and SSH keys
- PHP-FPM per site, remote backups, mail authentication
- Handover notes in plain language
cPanel and WHM server management by someone who lives in the terminal
I set up and run cPanel/WHM servers and reseller accounts: PHP versions per site, AutoSSL, mail, firewall, updates, accounts and backups. For agencies and hosts that need a reliable pair of hands. From €490 for set-up or a clean-up.
from€490excl. VAT 25.5%, per server. Written fixed price within one working day.
The rail on the right walks a server's life. Open any station, or use the arrow keys, to see what I change and what you would notice.
server lifecycle: five stationsgeneric drawings, not screenshots
-
what I do
- AutoSSL on for every domain, with failures reported to you
- cPHulk brute-force protection tuned so real users are not locked out
- Root login with SSH keys only, password login off
- Firewall open only for services the server really offers
- Security Advisor items worked through and explained
what you see
WHM / Security Center / cPHulk Brute Force ProtectionStatusDisabledEnabledMax failures by accountnone5 in 15 minutesMax failures by IPnone5 in 15 minutesTrusted IPsnoneoffice 203.0.113.17Password-guessing bots get blocked after a handful of tries, and Security Advisor shrinks to a short list where every remaining item has a written reason.
What I handle on a cPanel server
The whole box, not just the panel: WHM settings, the operating system under it and the services it runs.
Accounts and packages
Packages with real quotas, accounts created from them, suspended accounts archived instead of forgotten.
Reseller accounts
Reseller privileges limited per reseller, account and disk limits that match what they pay for.
PHP per site
EasyApache 4 profiles, MultiPHP Manager and PHP-FPM, so each site runs the newest PHP it supports.
AutoSSL and certificates
Every domain covered, failing domain checks traced to their DNS cause and fixed, not just retried.
Exim and Dovecot, SPF, DKIM and DMARC per domain, sending limits and a mail queue that stays short.
Backups
WHM backups to a remote destination, retention set on purpose and a restore tested on a real account.
Updates
cPanel update tier chosen deliberately, OS packages patched weekly, kernel reboots planned.
Firewall and logins
Firewall open only where needed, cPHulk tuned, SSH with keys, panel logins from new places reviewed.
Inherited a server nobody documented? Day one is reading, not changing.
Get a cPanel/WHM quoteThe inherited server: day one
A worked example of the first day on a server another admin built. Six checks, all read-only, in the order I run them. Open any row for the command and what it showed.
You know 0 of 6. That is normal for an inherited server. Day one fills the gaps before anything changes.
Day one on your server would cover:
- PHP versions
- Accounts
- Mail queue
- Disk
- Cron jobs
- Firewall and SSH
Tick "I know this" for anything you can already answer about your own server.
web2.example.fi, AlmaLinux 8, WHM, 31 accountssample server, worked example
09:00PHP versions17 of 31 sites on PHP with no security fixes
sample server, read-only
[root@web2 ~]# whmapi1 php_get_vhost_versions --output=json | jq -r '.data.versions[].version' | sort | uniq -c
2 ea-php56
6 ea-php74
9 ea-php81
14 ea-php83- found
- Two sites on PHP 5.6, six on 7.4 and nine on 8.1, all past the end of security support. Only 14 sites run a supported version.
- did
- Nothing changed yet. Upgrade order agreed: the 5.6 sites first, because they hold the oldest code, each tested on a staging copy.
09:40Accounts4 suspended accounts still using space, 1 orphaned reseller
sample server, read-only
[root@web2 ~]# grep -c . /etc/trueuserdomains; ls /var/cpanel/suspended | wc -l 31 4
- found
- 31 accounts, 4 of them suspended for over a year and still taking disk space. Two accounts belong to a reseller nobody at the agency recognises.
- did
- Listed them for you to decide: archive and remove, or reactivate. Nothing deleted on day one.
10:20Mail queue1,812 messages stuck, mostly spam
sample server, read-only
[root@web2 ~]# exim -bpc; exim -bp | exiqsumm | sort -rn | head -3
1812
1590 24MB 3d 4m gmail.com
141 2240KB 2d 11m outlook.com
63 980KB 3d 25m yahoo.com- found
- A contact form on one site is being used to send spam. The big mail providers are deferring it, and the server’s reputation is suffering.
- did
- With your OK, switched off that form’s mail sending, then removed the spam from the queue. The real fix went on the list.
11:00Disk87% full, 96 GB of it old archives
sample server, read-only
[root@web2 ~]# df -h /home; du -sh /home/*/ 2>/dev/null | sort -rh | head -3 Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on /dev/sdb1 500G 431G 69G 87% /home 118G /home/agencyold/ 42G /home/shopfi/ 31G /home/eventsfi/
- found
- One account holds 96 GB of old full-account backup archives in its home folder, where they count against its quota and get backed up again every night.
- did
- Checked that the archives open, then planned their move to off-server storage for day two.
11:40Cron jobs22 jobs run every minute
sample server, read-only
[root@web2 ~]# grep -hv '^#' /var/spool/cron/* | awk '{print $1,$2,$3,$4,$5}' | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn | head -3
22 * * * * *
6 */5 * * * *
3 0 3 * * *- found
- 22 jobs fire every minute, mostly wp-cron.php for sites with almost no visitors: a PHP process every few seconds, all day and night. Three jobs call scripts that no longer exist.
- did
- Proposed a 15-minute schedule per site and removing the three dead jobs, both on the fix list.
12:20Firewall and SSHMySQL open to the internet, root logs in with a password
sample server, read-only
[root@web2 ~]# firewall-cmd --list-services; sshd -T | grep -E '^(port|permitrootlogin|passwordauthentication) ' dns ftp http https imap imaps mysql pop3 pop3s smtp smtps ssh port 22 permitrootlogin yes passwordauthentication yes
- found
- The database port is open to the whole internet, FTP is unencrypted, and root can log in over SSH with a password, which is what the brute-force attempts in the log are aiming at.
- did
- Wrote the hardening plan: SSH keys only, MySQL closed to the outside, SFTP instead of FTP. Applied on day two, after you had your own key in place.
The server, accounts and numbers are invented for the example. The commands are the real ones I run; nothing on day one changes the server without your written OK.
Prices for cPanel/WHM work
Fixed prices per server in euros, excluding VAT 25.5%. Licences are paid by you, to cPanel or your provider, from your own account.
Inherited server clean-up
€490from proposed
- Day-one audit, written up before any change
- PHP upgrade order, tested on staging
- Mail queue, disk, cron and firewall put right
- Security Advisor items fixed or explained
- The documentation the server never had
Ongoing management
€149per server a month, from proposed
- Weekly patch window and planned reboots
- Service, disk and certificate monitoring
- Backup checks and restore spot-checks
- One-page monthly report
Servers with more than 100 accounts or several resellers are quoted after the day-one audit. If the audit shows the server is not worth saving, you pay only for the audit and get a written migration plan instead. owner to confirm
Questions about cPanel and WHM
Can you take over a server another admin built?
Yes. Day one is a read-only audit of PHP versions, accounts, mail queue, disk, cron jobs and firewall, written up before I change anything. Then we agree a fix list. Undocumented servers are normal; I document what I find, so the next person, or you, is never in the dark again.
Do you manage VPS and dedicated servers?
Yes. cPanel/WHM runs the same way on a VPS, a dedicated server or a cloud instance, and I also manage servers with no panel at all. The provider and the contract stay yours; I work through SSH and WHM with my own key and login, which you can remove at any time.
Do you handle cPanel licences?
I advise, you buy. Licences are billed by cPanel or your hosting provider, priced by how many accounts the server holds, so I help you pick the right tier and check whether paid add-ons earn their keep. I do not resell licences or add a margin to them.
When I would not recommend cPanel
A panel is a cost and one more thing to patch. Sometimes it is the wrong tool.
- 01You run one or two sites on a VPS. A panel-free stack has no licence fee and less to update; I can set that up instead.
- 02Your developers deploy with containers or want Git-based releases. A panel gets in the way; see deployment automation.
- 03The licence and paid add-ons cost more than the server earns. Licence prices change, so check the current price list; I will compare the options with you honestly.
Get a cPanel/WHM quote
A new server, an inherited one or a reseller set-up. Send a site on the server and what is wrong; you get a written fixed price within one working day.
Prefer email? Write to [email protected]
Pikselipolku is an independent studio and is not affiliated with cPanel, LiteSpeed or any other product named here.