# Control Panel Quick Reference Guide
**Version:** 1.0
**Purpose:** Fast lookup of control panel differences while coding

---

## Quick Panel Detection

```bash
# cPanel
[ -f "/usr/local/cpanel/version" ]                    # Version file
[ -f "/etc/userdatadomains" ]                          # User/domain mapping
command -v whmapi1                                     # WHM API

# Plesk
[ -f "/usr/local/psa/version" ]                        # Version file
command -v plesk                                       # Plesk CLI

# InterWorx
[ -d "/usr/local/interworx" ]                          # Install directory
[ -f "/etc/interworx/iworx.ini" ]                      # Config file
[ -x "/usr/local/interworx/bin/listaccounts.pex" ]    # CLI tool
```

---

## File System Paths

### User Home Directories
| Panel | Path | Notes |
|-------|------|-------|
| **cPanel** | `/home/username` | Standard Linux |
| **Plesk** | `/var/www/vhosts/domain.com` | Domain-centric |
| **InterWorx** | `/home/username` | Standard Linux |

### Document Roots
| Panel | Primary Site | Addon Domain | Subdomain |
|-------|-------------|--------------|-----------|
| **cPanel** | `/home/user/public_html` | `/home/user/public_html/addon` | `/home/user/public_html/sub` |
| **Plesk** | `/var/www/vhosts/domain/httpdocs` | N/A (separate subscription) | `/var/www/vhosts/domain/sub.domain/httpdocs` |
| **InterWorx** | `/home/user/domain.com/html` | `/home/user/addon.com/html` | `/home/user/domain.com/sub/html` |

### Access Logs
| Panel | Location | Filename Pattern |
|-------|----------|------------------|
| **cPanel** | `/var/log/apache2/domlogs/` or `/usr/local/apache/domlogs/` | `domain.com`, `domain.com-ssl_log` |
| **Plesk** | `/var/www/vhosts/system/domain.com/logs/` | `access_log`, `access_ssl_log` |
| **InterWorx** | `/home/user/var/domain.com/logs/` | `access_log` (combined HTTP+HTTPS) |

### Error Logs
| Panel | Location | Notes |
|-------|----------|-------|
| **cPanel** | `/var/log/apache2/domlogs/domain-error_log` | Centralized per-domain |
| **Plesk** | `/var/www/vhosts/system/domain.com/logs/error_log` | Per-domain |
| **InterWorx** | `/home/user/var/domain.com/logs/error_log` | Per-domain in user home |

### PHP Error Logs
| Panel | Location | Notes |
|-------|----------|-------|
| **cPanel** | `/home/user/public_html/error_log` | In document root |
| **Plesk** | `/var/www/vhosts/domain/httpdocs/error_log` | In document root |
| **InterWorx** | `/home/user/domain.com/html/error_log` | In document root |

### SSL Certificates
| Panel | Location | Format |
|-------|----------|--------|
| **cPanel** | `/etc/letsencrypt/live/domain.com/` or `/var/cpanel/ssl/` | Let's Encrypt or AutoSSL |
| **Plesk** | `/etc/letsencrypt/live/domain.com/` | Let's Encrypt |
| **InterWorx** | `/etc/letsencrypt/live/domain.com/` | Let's Encrypt |

### Mail Directories
| Panel | Location | Structure |
|-------|----------|-----------|
| **cPanel** | `/home/user/mail/domain.com/account/` | Per-domain folders |
| **Plesk** | `/var/qmail/mailnames/domain.com/account/` | Qmail structure |
| **InterWorx** | `/home/user/var/domain.com/mail/account/` | Per-domain in user home |

### Cron Jobs
| Panel | Location | Format |
|-------|----------|--------|
| **cPanel** | `/var/spool/cron/username` | Standard crontab |
| **Plesk** | `/var/spool/cron/username` | Standard crontab |
| **InterWorx** | `/var/spool/cron/username` | Standard crontab |

---

## Configuration Files

### User Configuration
| Panel | Location | Format | Contains |
|-------|----------|--------|----------|
| **cPanel** | `/var/cpanel/users/username` | Key-value | DNS, IP, disk quota, domains |
| **Plesk** | Plesk Database | SQL | All config in MySQL/PostgreSQL |
| **InterWorx** | NodeWorx Database + vhost configs | Mixed | listaccounts.pex CLI or DB queries |

### Domain Configuration
| Panel | Location | Format | Contains |
|-------|----------|--------|----------|
| **cPanel** | `/var/cpanel/userdata/user/domain.com` | Apache-like | DocumentRoot, ServerAlias, PHP handlers |
| **Plesk** | Plesk Database | SQL | Vhost config in database |
| **InterWorx** | `/etc/httpd/conf.d/vhost_domain.com.conf` | Apache vhost | Auto-generated from templates |

### Apache Main Config
| Panel | Include Location | How Domains Added |
|-------|------------------|-------------------|
| **cPanel** | `/etc/apache2/conf.d/includes/` | Auto-generated from userdata |
| **Plesk** | `/etc/httpd/conf.d/zz*.conf` | Generated from Plesk DB |
| **InterWorx** | `/etc/httpd/conf.d/vhost_*.conf` | One file per domain |

---

## Database Management

### Database Prefixes
| Panel | Prefix Pattern | Example | Max Prefix Length |
|-------|----------------|---------|-------------------|
| **cPanel** | `username_` | `johndoe_wordpress` | 16 chars total (7 for username + _ + 8 for dbname) |
| **Plesk** | None (user-scoped) | `wordpress` | No prefix |
| **InterWorx** | `first8charsOfDomain_` | `examplec_wordpress` | First 8 chars of domain (dots removed) |

### MySQL User Prefixes
| Panel | User Pattern | Example | Notes |
|-------|--------------|---------|-------|
| **cPanel** | `username_` | `johndoe_wpuser` | Same as database prefix |
| **Plesk** | None | `wpuser` | Scoped to database |
| **InterWorx** | `first8charsOfDomain_` | `examplec_wpuser` | Same as database prefix |

### Database File Locations
| Panel | Data Directory | Notes |
|-------|----------------|-------|
| **cPanel** | `/var/lib/mysql/` | Standard MySQL |
| **Plesk** | `/var/lib/mysql/` | Standard MySQL |
| **InterWorx** | `/var/lib/mysql/` | Standard MySQL |

---

## CLI Tools & APIs

### WHM/Root Level APIs
| Panel | Tool | Example Command | Auth Required |
|-------|------|-----------------|---------------|
| **cPanel** | `whmapi1` | `whmapi1 listaccts` | Root or API token |
| **Plesk** | `plesk bin server` | `plesk bin server --info` | Root |
| **InterWorx** | `nodeworx` | `nodeworx -u -n -c Siteworx -a listAccounts` | Root + setup |

### User-Level APIs
| Panel | Tool | Example Command | Auth Required |
|-------|------|-----------------|---------------|
| **cPanel** | `uapi` | `uapi --user=john DomainInfo list_domains` | User or API token |
| **Plesk** | `plesk bin subscription` | `plesk bin subscription --list` | Root |
| **InterWorx** | `siteworx` | `siteworx -u -n -c Siteworx -a listDomains` | User + setup |

### Account Listing
| Panel | Command | Output Format |
|-------|---------|---------------|
| **cPanel** | `whmapi1 listaccts` | JSON |
| **cPanel** | `/etc/trueuserdomains` | Text: `domain.com: username` |
| **cPanel** | `/etc/userdatadomains` | Text: `domain: user==owner==main==domain==docroot` |
| **Plesk** | `plesk bin subscription --list` | Text list of domains |
| **InterWorx** | `/usr/local/interworx/bin/listaccounts.pex` | Text: `username domain.com` |

### Domain Listing (for specific user)
| Panel | Command | Output |
|-------|---------|--------|
| **cPanel** | `grep "^DNS" /var/cpanel/users/$user` | DNS records from user file |
| **cPanel** | `grep ":${user}==" /etc/userdatadomains` | All domains for user |
| **Plesk** | `plesk bin subscription --list` | All subscriptions (filter by owner) |
| **InterWorx** | `listaccounts.pex` then parse vhosts | Username + primary domain |

### Database Listing
| Panel | Command | Notes |
|-------|---------|-------|
| **cPanel** | `mysql -e "SHOW DATABASES" \| grep "^${username}_"` | Filter by prefix |
| **Plesk** | `plesk bin database --list` | All databases (filter by domain) |
| **InterWorx** | `mysql -e "SHOW DATABASES" \| grep "^${domain_prefix}_"` | **Use domain prefix!** |

---

## PHP Configuration

### PHP Handler Types
| Panel | Handlers Supported | Default | Location |
|-------|-------------------|---------|----------|
| **cPanel** | DSO, suPHP, FastCGI, FPM | EasyApache 4 FPM | `/opt/cpanel/ea-php*/` |
| **Plesk** | Apache module, FPM, FastCGI | FPM | `/opt/plesk/php/*/` |
| **InterWorx** | mod_php, FPM, FastCGI | FPM | `/etc/php-fpm.d/` |

### PHP.INI Locations
| Panel | Global | Per-Domain | Per-Directory |
|-------|--------|------------|---------------|
| **cPanel** | `/opt/cpanel/ea-php*/root/etc/php.ini` | `/home/user/.php.ini` | `/home/user/public_html/.user.ini` |
| **Plesk** | `/etc/php.ini` | `/var/www/vhosts/system/domain/conf/php.ini` | `.user.ini` in directory |
| **InterWorx** | `/etc/php.ini` | `/home/user/domain/conf/php.ini` | `.user.ini` in directory |

### PHP Version Selection
| Panel | Mechanism | Granularity |
|-------|-----------|-------------|
| **cPanel** | MultiPHP Manager (WHM) or `.htaccess` | Per-domain or per-directory |
| **Plesk** | Plesk Panel or plesk CLI | Per-domain or per-subdirectory |
| **InterWorx** | SiteWorx Panel or php-fpm pools | Per-domain |

---

## Email Configuration

### Mail Server Software
| Panel | MTA | POP3/IMAP | Webmail |
|-------|-----|-----------|---------|
| **cPanel** | Exim | Dovecot | Horde, RoundCube, SquirrelMail |
| **Plesk** | Postfix or Qmail | Dovecot or Courier | RoundCube, Horde |
| **InterWorx** | Postfix | Dovecot | RoundCube, SquirrelMail |

### Email Account Locations
| Panel | Config Location | Password Storage |
|-------|-----------------|------------------|
| **cPanel** | `/home/user/etc/domain/passwd` | Shadow file in etc/ |
| **Plesk** | Plesk Database | Database |
| **InterWorx** | `/home/user/var/domain/mail/` | Database + files |

---

## FTP Configuration

### FTP Server
| Panel | FTP Daemon | Config Location |
|-------|------------|-----------------|
| **cPanel** | Pure-FTPd or ProFTPD | `/etc/pure-ftpd.conf` or `/etc/proftpd.conf` |
| **Plesk** | ProFTPD | `/etc/proftpd.conf` |
| **InterWorx** | ProFTPD | `/etc/proftpd.conf` |

### FTP Account Listing
| Panel | Location | Format |
|-------|----------|--------|
| **cPanel** | `/etc/proftpd/$user` or Pure-FTPd DB | Config files or virtual users |
| **Plesk** | Plesk Database | SQL |
| **InterWorx** | `/etc/proftpd.conf` includes | Parsed from config |

---

## Security Features

### Brute Force Protection
| Panel | Feature | How it Works | CLI Access |
|-------|---------|--------------|------------|
| **cPanel** | cPHulk | Tracks failed logins, bans IPs | `whmapi1 cphulkd_*` |
| **Plesk** | fail2ban | Monitors logs, uses iptables | `fail2ban-client` |
| **InterWorx** | ModSecurity + fail2ban | WAF + log monitoring | `fail2ban-client` |

### Firewall Integration
| Panel | Default Firewall | Location |
|-------|-----------------|----------|
| **cPanel** | CSF (optional) or firewalld | `/etc/csf/` or `firewall-cmd` |
| **Plesk** | firewalld or iptables | `firewall-cmd` or `/etc/sysconfig/iptables` |
| **InterWorx** | firewalld or iptables | `firewall-cmd` or `/etc/sysconfig/iptables` |

### ModSecurity
| Panel | Enabled by Default | Config Location |
|-------|-------------------|-----------------|
| **cPanel** | Optional (EasyApache 4) | `/etc/apache2/conf.d/modsec/` |
| **Plesk** | Optional (Extensions) | `/etc/httpd/conf.d/mod_security.conf` |
| **InterWorx** | Optional | `/etc/httpd/conf.d/mod_security.conf` |

---

## Backup Systems

### Native Backup Tools
| Panel | Tool | Backup Location | Incremental Support |
|-------|------|-----------------|---------------------|
| **cPanel** | cPanel Backup | `/backup/` | Yes (JetBackup addon) |
| **Plesk** | Plesk Backup Manager | `/var/lib/psa/dumps/` | No (full only) |
| **InterWorx** | NodeWorx Backup | `/backup/` or custom | Yes |

### Backup File Format
| Panel | Format | Compression | Includes |
|-------|--------|-------------|----------|
| **cPanel** | tar.gz | gzip | Home dir, DBs, email, config |
| **Plesk** | tar | Optional gzip | Subscription data, DBs, mail |
| **InterWorx** | tar.gz | gzip | SiteWorx account, DBs, email |

---

## WordPress Detection

### wp-config.php Locations
```bash
# cPanel
find /home/*/public_html -name "wp-config.php"
find /home/*/public_html/* -name "wp-config.php"  # Addon domains

# Plesk
find /var/www/vhosts/*/httpdocs -name "wp-config.php"

# InterWorx
find /home/*/*/html -name "wp-config.php"
```

### WordPress Paths by Panel
| Panel | Single Site | Multisite | Addon Domain WP |
|-------|------------|-----------|-----------------|
| **cPanel** | `/home/user/public_html/` | `/home/user/public_html/wp/` | `/home/user/public_html/addon/` |
| **Plesk** | `/var/www/vhosts/domain/httpdocs/` | `/var/www/vhosts/domain/httpdocs/wp/` | N/A (separate subscription) |
| **InterWorx** | `/home/user/domain.com/html/` | `/home/user/domain.com/html/wp/` | `/home/user/addon.com/html/` |

---

## Common File Patterns

### .htaccess Locations
```bash
# All panels - in document root
/home/user/public_html/.htaccess          # cPanel primary
/home/user/domain.com/html/.htaccess      # InterWorx
/var/www/vhosts/domain/httpdocs/.htaccess # Plesk
```

### robots.txt Locations
```bash
# Same as .htaccess
# In document root
```

### Log Rotation
| Panel | Rotation Config | Default Retention |
|-------|----------------|-------------------|
| **cPanel** | `/etc/logrotate.d/cpanel` | 30 days |
| **Plesk** | `/etc/logrotate.d/plesk` | Varies |
| **InterWorx** | `/etc/logrotate.d/interworx` | 30 days |

---

## Process Ownership

### Apache/Web Server Processes
| Panel | User | Group | Notes |
|-------|------|-------|-------|
| **cPanel** | `nobody` (main) | `nobody` | Requests run as user via suEXEC/suPHP/FPM |
| **Plesk** | `apache` or `www-data` | `apache` or `www-data` | Depends on OS |
| **InterWorx** | `apache` | `apache` | Requests run as user via suEXEC/FPM |

### PHP-FPM Pools
| Panel | Pool Config | User/Group |
|-------|-------------|------------|
| **cPanel** | `/opt/cpanel/ea-php*/root/etc/php-fpm.d/` | Per-user pools (username:username) |
| **Plesk** | `/etc/php-fpm.d/` | Per-domain pools |
| **InterWorx** | `/etc/php-fpm.d/` | Per-domain pools (username:username) |

---

## Quick Code Snippets

### Get All Users
```bash
# cPanel
cat /etc/trueuserowners | cut -d: -f2 | sort -u

# Plesk
plesk bin subscription --list | awk '{print $1}'

# InterWorx
/usr/local/interworx/bin/listaccounts.pex --output user
```

### Get Domains for User
```bash
# cPanel
grep "^DNS" /var/cpanel/users/$user | awk '{print $2}'

# Plesk
plesk bin subscription --list -o $user

# InterWorx
grep -l "SuexecUserGroup ${user}" /etc/httpd/conf.d/vhost_*.conf | \
    sed 's|.*/vhost_||; s|\.conf$||'
```

### Get Disk Usage for User
```bash
# All panels (if user has /home directory)
du -sh /home/$user

# cPanel (from quota)
quota -u $user | tail -1 | awk '{print $2}'

# Plesk
plesk bin subscription --info domain.com | grep "Disk space used"
```

### Check if Domain Exists
```bash
# cPanel
grep -q "^${domain}:" /etc/userdatadomains

# Plesk
plesk bin subscription --info "$domain" &>/dev/null

# InterWorx
[ -f "/etc/httpd/conf.d/vhost_${domain}.conf" ]
```

---

## Panel-Specific Quirks

### cPanel Gotchas
- **Addon domains** share public_html with primary domain
- **Parked domains** are aliases (same document root as primary)
- **Database names** limited to 64 chars (including prefix!)
- **User passwords** != database passwords != FTP passwords
- **Main IP** stored in `/var/cpanel/mainip`

### Plesk Gotchas
- **Each domain** is a separate subscription (even for same owner)
- **No shared hosting** structure (each domain isolated)
- **Database prefixes** don't exist (databases scoped to subscription)
- **Mail users** are separate from system users
- **CLI requires** lots of `--info` calls (no simple config files)

### InterWorx Gotchas
- **Database prefix** is domain-based, NOT username-based!
- **Logs are per-domain** in user home (not centralized)
- **No separate** HTTP/HTTPS logs (combined in access_log)
- **Domain config** is one vhost file per domain
- **Listaccounts.pex** only returns username + primary domain (not addon domains)

---

## Migration Implications

### cPanel → InterWorx
- ✅ User home structure similar
- ⚠️ Document root changes (public_html → domain.com/html)
- ⚠️ Database prefixes change (username_ → domain_)
- ⚠️ Log locations move to user home
- ✅ Email structure compatible with migration

### cPanel → Plesk
- ❌ Completely different structure
- ❌ Domain-centric vs user-centric
- ❌ No shared hosting model
- ❌ Requires full account restructure

### Plesk → InterWorx
- ⚠️ Structure change (vhosts → home)
- ⚠️ Database prefix added
- ✅ Can map subscriptions to users
- ⚠️ Mail system different

---

## Testing Commands

### Verify Panel Detection
```bash
# Should return: cpanel, plesk, interworx, or none
source /root/server-toolkit/lib/system-detect.sh
echo $SYS_CONTROL_PANEL
```

### Verify Log Discovery
```bash
source /root/server-toolkit/lib/system-detect.sh
echo $SYS_LOG_DIR
ls -la "$SYS_LOG_DIR" | head
```

### Verify User Functions
```bash
source /root/server-toolkit/lib/user-manager.sh
eval $(get_user_info "someuser")
echo "User: $USERNAME"
echo "Primary: $PRIMARY_DOMAIN"
echo "All domains: $ALL_DOMAINS"
```

---

## References

### Official Documentation
- cPanel: https://docs.cpanel.net/
- Plesk: https://docs.plesk.com/
- InterWorx: https://www.interworx.com/support/docs/

### Useful Files to Study
- `/etc/userdatadomains` (cPanel domain mapping)
- `/etc/trueuserowners` (cPanel user→domain)
- `/etc/trueuserdomains` (cPanel domain→user)
- `/etc/httpd/conf.d/vhost_*.conf` (InterWorx vhosts)
- `/var/www/vhosts/` (Plesk structure)

---

**Last Updated:** 2025-11-19
**Maintainer:** Server Toolkit Team