This interface of cPanel helps you to enable gzip compression. Apache allows you to compress the data before sending it to the browser and then web browser extracts the data and displays the webpage. All modern browsers support gzip compression. This gzip compression needs Apache mod_deflate to function currently, which is available in most cPanel installed Linux servers. This compression is very useful, because it helps in compressing data hence our bandwidth is saved, plus it makes our website to load much faster.
You can compress specific types of MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) or you can compress all the files using this interface.
To enable gzip compression, follow these steps −
Step 1 − Open cPanel Optimize Website interface by clicking on Optimize Website link in the Software section of cPanel.
Step 2 − In Optimize Website, you will see Compress Content.
You can choose from the following −
Choose Disable to disable gzip compression.
Choose Compress All Content to enable gzip compression for all content.
Choose Specified MIME types and provide MIME types in text box. MIME type are similar to file types. It has both file type and file format information separated with a slash. E.g. text/javascript, text/css, image/jpg, image/png etc.
Step 3 − Click Update Settings to update the settings.
When you are successfully logged into a cPanel Dashboard, first and foremost, change the password of your cPanel account. This is very important, so that the security of cPanel remains intact. Nobody would want their website to be hacked.
To change your cPanel Password, follow these steps −
Step 1 − In cPanel Home, click username written over the right corner of the dashboard.
Step 2 − Click Password & Security option. You will find Change Password Interface.
Step 3 − Write your old password and in the following fields, write your new password twice.
Step 4 − Enable digest authentication option if you need to access your webdisk via an unencrypted connection in windows machine. This type of connection is unsecured and not recommended.
Step 5 − Click Change your password now! Button to change your current password. If successful, then cPanel will automatically log you out and you will have to login again with your new password.
SSL (Socket Security Layer) or TLS (Transport Layer Security) is a mechanism for encrypting data, which is transferring from your computer to host or server and vice versa.
Generate Private Key
Private Key resides at your server and decrypts the incoming data coming from visitor’s device. Without Private Key, your server will not be able to decode the data sent by user. Private Key is automatically generated when generating a CSR.
To generate a Private Key, follow these steps −
Step 1 − Open cPanel SSL/TLS manager, by clicking on SSL/TLS found under the security section of cPanel.
Step 2 − In Private Keys, click on Generate, view, upload, or delete your private keys.
Step 3 − You can use Generate a New Private Key Interface to generate a new key.
Step 4 − Choose a Key Size from the dropdown menu. Provide a description which is optional, you can leave it blank.
Step 5 − Click on Generate Button to generate a new private key.
Upload a Private Key
To upload a Private Key to your server, you can use the interface below to Generate a New Key Section, which is Upload a New Private Key. Just paste your existing key into textbox and provide a description. Then click Save to import the key.
Or if you have an existing private key in ‘.key’ file, you can also import it. Just scroll down to choose a .key file under Upload a New Private Key. Browse for the file and select it. Click Upload button to Import the key into server.
Generate a CSR
CSR (Certificate Signing Request) is an encoded certificate, which CA authorities ask for when we purchase a SSL certificate from them. To issue a SSL certificate they need some additional information, which we provide in the CSR.
To generate a CSR, follow these steps below.
Step 1 − Click SSL/TLS link found under Security section of the cPanel.
Step 2 − Under Certificate Signing Request (CSR) click Generate, view, or delete SSL certificate signing requests.
Step 3 − In SSL Certificate Signing Request Interface, scroll down to see Generate a New Certificate Signing Request (CSR).
Step 4 − Choose an existing Private Key from Key dropdown. You can also choose to generate a new Private Key.
Step 5 − Enter Domains for which you want to generate CSR. You can choose a wild card domain by putting * as a subdomain. E.g. *.tutorialspoint.com.
Step 6 − Provide all necessary information in text fields like City, State, Country, Company etc.
Step 7 − Click Generate Button to generate a CSR.
Upload an SSL / TLS Certificate
If you have obtained an SSL/TLS certificate from a Trusted Certificate Provider, then you will need to upload it to your server to use it on your website.
To generate Upload a SSL/TLS certificate, follow these steps below −
Step 1 − Click on SSL/TLS link found under Security section of cPanel.
Step 2 − Under Certificates (CRT), click on Generate, view, upload, or delete SSL certificates.
Step 3 − Scroll down to Upload a New Certificate, paste your SSL/TLS code in textbox and click Save Certificate or Upload a .crt file, which will be provided by hosting provider and Click Upload Certificate.
Self–Signed Certificate
You can also use a self–signed certificate on your website too, but when somebody will open your website, it will show an error that the certificate is not form a trusted certificate provider. It is recommended that in production environment, you use a purchased SSL/TLS certificate.
To Generate a Self–signed Certificate, you can follow these steps.
Step 1 − Scroll down to Generate a New Certificate in Certificates section.
Step 2 − Choose an existing Private Key from Key dropdown, you can also choose to generate a new Private Key.
Step 3 − Enter Domains for which you want to generate CSR, you can choose a wild card domain by putting * as a subdomain. E.g. *.tutorialspoint.com.
Step 4 − Provide all necessary information in text fields like City, State, Country, Company etc.
Step 5 − Click Generate to generate a Certificate.
Installing SSL
To activate SSL/TLS certificate in your domain or Subdomains follow these steps −
If you have obtained a SSL/TLS certificate from a Trusted Certificate Provider, to use it on your website, you will need to upload it to your server.
To generate Upload a SSL/TLS certificate, follow these steps below.
Step 1 − Click SSL/TLS link found under Security section of cPanel.
Step 2 − Under Certificates (CRT), click Install and Manage SSL for your site (HTTPS).
Step 3 − In this interface, you can choose to install SSL in your website. Scroll down to install an SSL Website.
Step 4 − Choose a certificate from the installed certificates by clicking on Browse Certificates. At the same time, you can also select a Domain from the dropdown box and Click Autofill by Domain.
Step 5 − All fields of Certificates, Private Key and Certificate Authority bundle will be filled automatically.
Step 6 − Click Install Certificate button to activate the certificate for the Domain or Subdomain.
In this interface of cPanel, you are allowed to change the system email address. It is the email address on which the system can notify you for important updates. You cannot use your system email address or any email address, which is connected with your domain, so that you do not lose any important update, when the system is down.
To update your contact email, follow these steps −
Step 1 − In cPanel Home, click username on the right corner of your dashboard.
Step 2 − Click on Contact Information option. You will find Contact Information Interface.
Step 3 − Enter the email address on which you want the system to contact you for important notifications.
Step 4 − You can enter a second email address on which you can receive the copy of that email sent on your primary email.
Step 5 − You can choose the options of an event on which the system should send you notification in contact preference. It is recommended that you leave every checkbox selected.
Step 6 − Click the Save button to save your contact preference.
