What is the control panel? The control panel is a vital part of any web hosting account. Without some sort of control panel, you would not be able to do very much. The control panel is where you perform actions on your website, such as creating email accounts, creating databases, setting up security, and many other things. You need some sort of panel, even a basic one. Among the most widely used web hosting panels are cPanel, Plesk, and DirectAdmin. Some control panels only run on Linux, some are meant for Windows, and some will work with both types of operating systems.

One Important Note: Just because your computer at home is running Windows, it doesn't mean that you need to find a Windows hosting account. You only need a Windows account if your website requires features that only work on Windows. Otherwise, a Linux account will work just as will, and with very few differences. Most Windows accounts cost a little more because of the license costs. This concludes this tutorial.