cPanel Cheat Sheet: Ports, URLs, DNS and Email Settings

Bookmark this page. It collects the cPanel and WHM ports, URLs, email settings, DNS record types and file permissions that you will look up again and again while managing a website.

cPanel, WHM and Webmail login URLs

Service	Secure URL (SSL)	Port
cPanel	`https://yourdomain.com:2083` or `https://yourdomain.com/cpanel`	2083
WHM	`https://server-hostname:2087` or `https://yourdomain.com/whm`	2087
Webmail	`https://yourdomain.com:2096` or `https://yourdomain.com/webmail`	2096
cPanel (non-SSL, avoid)	`http://yourdomain.com:2082`	2082
WHM (non-SSL, avoid)	`http://server-hostname:2086`	2086
Webmail (non-SSL, avoid)	`http://yourdomain.com:2095`	2095

Tip: If a port is blocked on your office or college network, use the /cpanel, /whm or /webmail path on port 443 instead.

Email client settings (IMAP, POP3, SMTP)

Setting	Value
Username	Your full email address, e.g. `you@yourdomain.com`
Incoming server	`mail.yourdomain.com` (or the server hostname your host gives you)
IMAP port	993 (SSL/TLS)
POP3 port	995 (SSL/TLS)
Outgoing (SMTP) server	`mail.yourdomain.com`
SMTP port	465 (SSL/TLS) or 587 (STARTTLS)
SMTP authentication	Required, same username and password as incoming

Other common ports

Service	Port	Notes
FTP	21	Use explicit FTP over TLS (FTPS) where possible
SFTP / SSH	22	Some hosts use a custom SSH port
HTTP / HTTPS	80 / 443	Website traffic
MySQL	3306	Remote access must be allowed in “Remote Database Access”
DNS	53	Used by nameservers

DNS record types at a glance

Record	What it does	Example
A	Points a name to an IPv4 address	`yourdomain.com → 203.0.113.10`
AAAA	Points a name to an IPv6 address	`yourdomain.com → 2001:db8::10`
CNAME	Makes one name an alias of another	`www → yourdomain.com`
MX	Tells the world which server receives your email	`yourdomain.com → mail.yourdomain.com` (priority 0)
TXT	Holds text such as SPF, DKIM, DMARC and verification codes	`v=spf1 +a +mx ~all`
NS	Lists the nameservers for the domain	`ns1.yourhost.com`
CAA	Limits which certificate authorities can issue SSL for your domain	`0 issue "letsencrypt.org"`

File and folder permissions

Item	Recommended	Meaning
Folders	755	Owner can read, write, open; others can read and open
Files	644	Owner can read and write; others can only read
wp-config.php / config files	600 or 640	Restrict access to sensitive settings
Never use	777	Anyone can write, a serious security risk

Important folders in your home directory

Path	What it holds
`/home/username/public_html`	Files for your main domain
`/home/username/public_html/.htaccess`	Apache/LiteSpeed rules: redirects, HTTPS, caching
`/home/username/mail`	Mailboxes for all email accounts
`/home/username/logs`	Archived access logs
`/home/username/tmp`	Temporary files and some statistics
`/home/username/etc`	Email account and domain configuration

Cron schedule quick reference

Schedule	Cron expression
Every 5 minutes	`/5 * * *`
Every hour	`0 * * * *`
Every day at 2:30 AM	`30 2 * * *`
Every Monday at 9 AM	`0 9 * * 1`
First day of each month	`0 0 1 * *`

Useful .htaccess snippets

Force HTTPS

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]

Redirect www to non-www

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.(.*)$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%1/$1 [R=301,L]

Block access to a sensitive file

<Files "wp-config.php">
  Require all denied
</Files>

Where to find things in cPanel

Task	cPanel section
Create email addresses	Email → Email Accounts
Fix SPF/DKIM	Email → Email Deliverability
Add a domain or subdomain	Domains → Domains
Edit DNS records	Domains → Zone Editor
Upload files	Files → File Manager
Take a backup	Files → Backup / Backup Wizard
Create a database	Databases → Manage My Databases / Database Wizard
Change PHP version	Software → MultiPHP Manager
Install WordPress	Software → WordPress Manager by Softaculous
Check SSL	Security → SSL/TLS Status
Schedule tasks	Advanced → Cron Jobs
See resource usage	Metrics → Resource Usage (CloudLinux servers)

Frequently asked questions

What is the default cPanel port?

Port 2083 for secure (HTTPS) access. Port 2082 is the unencrypted version and should be avoided.

Should I use IMAP or POP3?

Use IMAP if you read email on more than one device, because it keeps everything in sync with the server. POP3 downloads mail to one device and is rarely the better choice today.

Why can’t I reach cPanel on port 2083?

Some networks block non-standard ports. Try https://yourdomain.com/cpanel, which runs over the normal HTTPS port 443.