Overview
While cPanel & WHM automates many server administration tasks, familiarity with the Linux command line (CLI) can prove useful for both WHM and cPanel users. This documentation describes how to access the command line.
- cPanel & WHM requires the
rootuser to use BASH by default. System administrators can modify the shell for other users. - In cPanel & WHM version 72 and later, you can use cPanel’s Terminal interface (cPanel >> Home >> Advanced >> Terminal) or WHM’s Terminal interface (WHM >> Home >> Advanced >> Terminal) to access the command line from within the interface.
Access the command line
To access your cPanel & WHM server from the command line, perform the
following steps:
-
Use the correct method for your computer’s operating system to open the CLI:
- Microsoft Windows® — Open the Command Prompt program. To do this, click Start and enter
Command Promptin the Search text box. Double-click Command Prompt in the list that appears. - macOS® — Open the Terminal program. To do this, click the Applications icon in the dock, click the Utilities icon, and then click the Terminal icon.
- Ubuntu® — Open the Terminal program. To do this, press the
Ctrl,Alt, andTkeys simultaneously.
- Microsoft Windows® — Open the Command Prompt program. To do this, click Start and enter
-
Your CLI program opens with access to the local computer. You must use SSH to access the cPanel & WHM server. To do this, enter the following command and press Enter:
ssh username@hostnameIn this comment,
usernameis your account’s username andhostnameis the server’s hostname. For example, to log in as therootuser on theexample.comserver, run the following command:ssh root@example.com -
The CLI prompts you for the account’s password. Enter it and press Enter.
-
The CLI’s display will appear similar to the following example:
1 2 3 4 5Last login: Fri Feb 6 12:50:38 on ttys000 MyComputer:~ myname$ ssh username@example.com Password: Last login: Fri Feb 6 12:52:33 2015 from 10.1.4.202 username@example [~]#You can now navigate the server’s file system and run commands, within the limits of your account’s permissions on the server.
If you receive an error message that appears similar to the following example, you may not have SSH privileges enabled on the server.
ssh: connect to host example.com port 22: Connection refused
