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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Posts
    75

    directadmin vs. cpanel

    Hi there,

    I got a question about control panels, which I hope can be answered in here: I am used to Cpanel/WHM for administrating my servers and have always been satisfied with it, but since I am buying a new server now I consider switching to directadmin - mainly for the price (direct admin lifetime is at 299 USD while cpanel is at over 1k).

    now I wonder wether you would advice to do so or not. Or in other words: Are there any major downsides of directadmin compared to cpanel?

    Besides of that I wonder how hard itīs to setup direct admin on a new server (suse10 linux used) and what would be a fair price to pay a freelancer to do so?

    thx in advance,
    dd

  2. #2
    As far as working is concered a good panel helps alot in performance of the server. If you have alot of site hosted i would recommend Plesk after than Cpanel and direct admin is out of question.

    You can have plesk Licence for $69 / month for unlimited host and for 30 domains it will cost you $12.

    If you are providing hosting to clients than i recommend go for a reliable WebPanel

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Location
    WebHostingTalk
    Posts
    8,901
    * Moved to Hosting Software and Control Panels....

    Sirius
    I support the Human Rights Campaign!
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  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    London UK
    Posts
    695
    I beleive DA is more stable and more customer friendly.

    Also less bugs...
    Ultra High Performance UK VPS without compromise.
    HPe servers, Intel NVMe DC P3700/P4600 SSD
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  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Location
    U.S.A.
    Posts
    3,928
    Well I think its always better to try something out before buying it. You should consider maybe renting DA or even trying out the demo on their website.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Orlando, FL (USA)
    Posts
    289
    I vote for directadmin. we are in the process of moving everything to directadmin from cpanel. software seems more stable then cpanel and less resources are being used.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2001
    Location
    Boston
    Posts
    1,568
    Just letting you know, DirectAdmin comes with free installation. They got it done within 24 hours on all my servers.
    InterNich LLC
    Founder

    Bringing you PicResize.com (More than 95 million pictures resized since 2005)

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Posts
    1,909
    everyone has their own idea of what is a great cp and what isn't. i personally like cpanel mainly because I know the most about it. DirectAdmin appears to be a great product as does Plesk. The time for the learning curve is my only issue. I don't have it. It is however a great subject and is one of the most important components to your hosting company. So choose wisely young frog and you will jump much higher.


  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    38
    I have used DirectAdmin very little, but from what I've heard it uses fewer resources which may be a plus especially if using it on a VPS. When I originally tried WHM/cPanel it seemed the easiest to use (both for me and my customers) and I've stuck with it ever since. I've actually bought only one copy of it - since then, I've found it easier to just rent/lease a license - no hassles transfering the license to a new server, etc.

    Check out the demos at http://www.directadmin.com/demo.html
    Kristopher E.J.
    http://www.SSAHost.com
    Stable, Supported, Affordable.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    New York, NY
    Posts
    10,710
    DirectAdmin (DA) is amazing.

    I just setup a new Dual Opteron server with DA and it flys. DA allows you to run whatever version of Apache you want, whatever version of MySQL, PHP, etc. I setup Apache 2.2.3, PHP 4.4.4, MySQL 5.x and I generate pages faster than some quad processor boxes (both with zero starting load). It isn't hard to compile Apache either. In fact, I find it easier and more convenient than cPanel!

    cPanel is just plain unprofessional these days. All the way from the annoying bugs to the threatening security exploits. Just search for the HostGator issue with cPanel, it would make for some interesting reading.

    Some people say cPanel has a nice interface, but at the same time, that's just because we all are so used to it. Try out DA for a bit. I'm sure you'll like it.

    For single server setups, you cannot get better than DA. For multiple server (clustered) setups, H-Sphere is the best option IMHO. So just decide which route you want to take...

  11. #11
    Cpanel without a doubt is the much better control panel.

    Sure DA maybe less resource intensive, but that's only because it has no where near as many features as cpanel.

    Cpanel did have a major exploit, but that is not uncommon for a piece of software that is so complex. What you should look at is the time it took them to patch the hole. Less than a few hours after it was reported a patch was released. In all the years I have used cpanel I only can recall two exploits that were patched right after they were discovered.

    DA is although a very nice control panel if you don't need all the features that cpanel provides.
    Eleven2 Web Hosting - World-Wide Hosting, Done Right!

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    520
    Quote Originally Posted by SJRHosting
    Sure DA maybe less resource intensive, but that's only because it has no where near as many features as cpanel.
    Care to list the main show stoppers?
    Bloory
    Watch this space...

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Southern California
    Posts
    751
    I personally love DA, its less buggy and simpler, but unfortunately too many people WANT CPanel for us to offer anything else...
    SkyLineHost.com
    ▓ ▓ Shared hosting that soars above the competition
    ▓ ▓ ▓ Based in Los Angeles. sales@skylinehost.com

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    New York, NY
    Posts
    10,710
    Quote Originally Posted by SJRHosting
    Cpanel without a doubt is the much better control panel.

    Sure DA maybe less resource intensive, but that's only because it has no where near as many features as cpanel.

    Cpanel did have a major exploit, but that is not uncommon for a piece of software that is so complex. What you should look at is the time it took them to patch the hole. Less than a few hours after it was reported a patch was released. In all the years I have used cpanel I only can recall two exploits that were patched right after they were discovered.

    DA is although a very nice control panel if you don't need all the features that cpanel provides.
    From an end-user (hosting client) perspective, what feature does cPanel have on DA?

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Milton Keynes - UK
    Posts
    10
    DirectAdmin is very flexible, when there is a problem it’s normally fairly easy to fix yourself from within SSH.

    It's stable, low resources, updated all the time, easy to fix when problems occur.

    Like Layer0 said, from an end-user perspective people seem to like cPanel more due to things like fantastico.
    Charlie Creed
    GetPro Internet Services
    E: charlie.creed@getpro.co.uk

  16. #16
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Florida, USA
    Posts
    364
    I'll follow layer0's question (without sarcasm... I would really like to know) from a reseller perspective what feature(s) does cPanel have on DA?

    Thanks!
    Host, YES! ™
    Reselling? Partner for profit instead!

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by getpro
    Like Layer0 said, from an end-user perspective people seem to like cPanel more due to things like fantastico.
    Just a matter of presenting things IMO. You've got Installatron in DA.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    New York, NY
    Posts
    10,710

    *

    Quote Originally Posted by TCP/IP Warrior
    I'll follow layer0's question (without sarcasm... I would really like to know) from a reseller perspective what feature(s) does cPanel have on DA?

    Thanks!
    None, as far as I know.

  19. #19
    I no longer have my DA test machine, but when I had it about 6 months ago the features for the admin, reseller and client didn't even compare to cpanel.

    I remember many little things here and there that made the user interface not user friendly. One being the cron setup page, it doesnt have the easy to use cron manager like cpanel.

    I looked at the DA demo for reseller and admin, but it appears they must have many features missing from the demo or I dont even know how you could compare its features to cpanel.

    Try each panels demos:

    http://www.directadmin.com/demo.html
    http://www.cpanel.net/products/cPane...try_cp_whm.htm

    and you need to remember that cpanel doesn't show a demo of their administrative WHM. Here are some screenshots of the admin WHM:
    http://ziaka.com/whmscreenshots/
    Eleven2 Web Hosting - World-Wide Hosting, Done Right!

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    New York, NY
    Posts
    10,710
    Quote Originally Posted by SJRHosting
    I no longer have my DA test machine, but when I had it about 6 months ago the features for the admin, reseller and client didn't even compare to cpanel.

    I remember many little things here and there that made the user interface not user friendly. One being the cron setup page, it doesnt have the easy to use cron manager like cpanel.

    I looked at the DA demo for reseller and admin, but it appears they must have many features missing from the demo or I dont even know how you could compare its features to cpanel.

    Try each panels demos:

    http://www.directadmin.com/demo.html
    http://www.cpanel.net/products/cPane...try_cp_whm.htm

    and you need to remember that cpanel doesn't show a demo of their administrative WHM. Here are some screenshots of the admin WHM:
    http://ziaka.com/whmscreenshots/
    The cronjobs page is fine in DA, what makes cPanel's cronjobs page better?

    You still have not named any features besides the cronjob as to what DA is lacking. Please name specific things.

  21. #21
    Cpanel has two versions of the cron management it has the simple easy to use version and the advanced user version as DA has. The DA way may be fine for you, but is it for your clients that may not have any computer knowledge?

    It is quite hard for me to name off specific features when I don't have access to a DA control panel at this time. I'm going off my experience when I tested all the major panels a few months back. The client interfaces were similar, but the further you go up the ladder the less features were present. Please post screenshots of your admin panel and then I can compare them in detail.
    Eleven2 Web Hosting - World-Wide Hosting, Done Right!

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    New York, NY
    Posts
    10,710
    Cpanel has two versions of the cron management it has the simple easy to use version and the advanced user version as DA has. The DA way may be fine for you, but is it for your clients that may not have any computer knowledge?
    Attached is a screenshot for the cron page. It looks very straightforward to me. And if someone clicks "Help" on the icons above they can get more information about the cronjob page. cPanel doesn't have that

    It is hard to compare the two (cpanel and DA) because they have different setups. DA is tiered, reseller, admin, user. Some options that are not seen on the admin tier are available in the reseller tier, etc.

    Overall, I don't see a 'critical' feature that cPanel has which DA does not. Look through the DA demos a bit more...
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails da-cronjobs.gif  

  23. #23
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Posts
    1,426
    what a tired discussion. Direct Admin is awesome ftrom an admin and reseller standpoint. I do like the way cpanel manages ips better but overall I like da better because it doesnt take over your server as much and its very very light on resources as opposed to cpanel.
    But the fact of the matter is, at least for me is that DirectAdmin hosting does not sell as good. I started out selling nothing but directadmin hosting and ended up getting a cpanel server to even things out. Without the cpanel server I would still be in the hole, it has really helped my business.

    DirectAdmin is good but Cpanel sells better

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    New York, NY
    Posts
    10,710
    I do like the way cpanel manages ips
    What is better about the way cPanel manages IPs? Honestly, I think DA is better for that. It is a lot cleaner.

    If you market DA correctly, it can sell just as much as cPanel, if not more...

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    HK
    Posts
    310
    Quote Originally Posted by SJRHosting
    but is it for your clients that may not have any computer knowledge?
    i dun really think such clients know what cron job is/for.
    Rails in DA - Ruby on Rails plugin for Directdmin | DA-Tomcat - Tomcat Manager plugin for Directdmin
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    DeeperAdmin - Manager your DirectAdmin server "deeper"
    Order now at http://www.daplugin.com

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