Advantages and Disadvantages of DirectAdmin 2019
DirectAdmin is web hosting control panel software, similar to cPanel, that lets you administer your web site and hosting options using a graphical, web-based interface. You can manage an unlimited number of websites, email accounts, etc. using a DirectAdmin control panel.
After operating system, control panel is the second most significant software package selection you will make for the success of your web presence. while cPanel is the clear leader in market share, DirectAdmin is usually considered the next best.
Like other control panels it comes with its unique set of installation needs and sports a handful of features that aren’t available in cPanel at the moment. DirectAdmin features a web based graphical user interface which has all the basic features that a control panel must have.
Today, we take a look at the Advantages and Disadvantages of DirectAdmin
Advantages:
Cheap: DirectAdmin is thecheapest among the highestfivecontrol panels out there. even though it costsless thanthe competition, it doesn’t skimp on functions, reliability or security.
Speed: It had been designed to be fast and compact. The load on the resources is quite low. In restricted hosting environments, it leaves more resources for your website.
Stability: Known for being stable, DirectAdmin needs low maintenance. It uses minimal code. It is easy to expand and maintain. The unplanned downtime is usually low because it recovers automatically after a crash. More often than not, you can modify it without downtime.
Usability: cPanel can be overwhelming for a first time user. DirectAdmin benefits from its simple interface. Three main categories “Your account”, “Email management” and “Advanced features” keep things simple and organized.
Manual Configuration: It offers most server configuration through the UI, but DirectAdmin users have to manually configure root shell. Some server admins prefer to have that kind of control over root shell compared to the automated approach of cPanel. Needless to say, it is popular among VPS and dedicated server admins.
Disadvantages:
Advanced User Friendly: New users may find it difficult to locate what they are looking for. DirectAdmin menu is divided into three headings and it takes time to locate basic functions. It is organized under these main headings and then under sub headings which can be confusing. It also looks and feels outdated when compared with cPanel.
Expanding Functionality: At this, DirectAdmin loses out hands down to cPanel. Adding functions is possible but at a steep cost. cPanel on the other hand benefits from the massive community that builds and maintains plugins and modules.
Small User Base: The user base is not as huge as cPanel. You can easily find self help tutorials, FAQs or users willing to share their knowledge in the cPanel community. Finding help for your DirectAdmin queries can be frustrating at times.
DirectAdmin offers 3 access levels: Admin, Reseller, User. You can even add a fourth e-mail level supported by an official free plugin.
Below for the features provided by each access level and general features of DirectAdmin.
Administrative Features:
- Create / Modify Admins and Resellers: Admins can create resellers or extra admins quickly and easily with this feature.
- Reseller Packages: Admins can create predefined account packages using this feature. When creating an account, the admin simply chooses a package instead of manually setting each account feature.
- Show All Users: This feature allows the admin to quickly view every single account on the system and sort this list in various ways.
- DNS Administration: This feature allows the admin to create, modify, or delete any DNS records on the server.
- IP Manager: This is where the admin sets the IP address available to the server. The admin can also allocate IP address to resellers from this menu.
- Mail Queue Administration: Tool to view mail queue and it’s messages. Includes tools to take action on those messages.
- System / Services Info: The admin can view, stop, start, and restart services from this menu.
- Complete Usage Statistics: This feature provides the admin with a complete overview of system usage. Exact input and output from the server’s Ethernet card is also monitored.
- DNS Clustering: DirectAdmin talks to other DirectAdmin machines to automatically transfer DNS data between them. It also has the ability to check the other server for a domain so as to not allow duplicate domains on your DA network.
- SPAM fighting tools in DirectAdmin: A wide varienty of SPAM-fighting tools are provided with DirectAdmin. Please check http://help.directadmin.com/item.php?id=577 for a full list.
- Licensing / Updates: The admin can view his or her license status and download the latest DirectAdmin security and software upgrades from this menu.
Reseller Features:
- Create / List / Modify Accounts: Account creation, listing, modification, and deletion is done quickly and easily.
- User Packages: Resellers can create predefined account packages using this feature. When creating an account, the reseller simply chooses a package instead of manually setting each account feature.
- Reseller Statistics: Resellers are provided with a complete overview of their total usage. Resellers may also sort data by users to quickly assess the overall situation.
- Message All Users: Resellers can quickly send a message to all their customers by using DirectAdmin’s built in ticket support system.
- Import / Manage Skins: With this menu option, resellers can quickly import and apply new skins with the click of a button.
- IP Assignment: Resellers can allocate IP address to their customers by using this menu option.
- System / Services Information: By clicking this feature, resellers have instant access to server status and system information.
- Name Servers: Resellers can create personalized nameservers for their customers from this menu.
User Features:
- E-mail Administration: Users can create POP/IMAP accounts, catch-all e-mail addresses, forwarders, mailing lists, autoresponders, and webmail. Filters allow users to block mail by domain, keyword, and size. Adult Filter is also available.
- FTP Management: Users can create FTP accounts and set directory permissions for each account. Anonymous FTP is also supported.
- DNS Menu: Users can can add and remove records, change MX settings, and anything else that goes with full DNS control.
- Statistics Menu: Users have available every possible statistic about their account. More advanced options and Webalizer are also included.
- Subdomains Menu: Users can list, create, delete, and get statistics on subdomains.
- File Manager: A user-friendly and fast alternative to FTP. Includes every feature needed to build and maintain a web site.
- MySQL Databases: Users can easily create, modify, and delete MySQL databases from this menu.
- Site Backup: Using this powerful tool, users can backup and restore only what they want to. For example, account data but not web site files.
- Error Pages: Users can create custom messages and outputs for 401, 403, 404, and 500 error codes.
- Directory Password Protection: Users can password protect any directory with a username and password.
- PHP Selector: Allows the client to select which version of PHP should be associated with the .php extension.
- Advanced Tools: Users can install SSL certificates, view sever information and installed perl modules, set cron jobs, mime types, and apache handlers, and enable site redirection and domain pointers.
According to the DirectAdmin control panel site, DirectAdmin allows you to:
General Features of DirectAdmin
- Create and manage email addresses
- Create and manage FTP user accounts
- Manage DNS
- View statistics
- Manage FrontPage Extensions
- Create and manage subdomains
- Upload and manage file using a file manager
- Manage MySQL Databases
- Backup and restore site files and account data
- Set up error pages
- Set up directory password protection
- Install SSL certificates, set up cron jobs, and other advanced tools
