Welcome to CartOS Hosting

Logging In

Your CartOS control panel is accessible from any web browser.

1. Open your browser and navigate to your control panel URL. This is typically https://your-server:8083 — the exact address was provided in your welcome email.
2. Enter your username and password. These were sent to the email address on file when your account was created.
3. Click Log In. You'll be taken to the dashboard which shows an overview of all your active services.

Your Account

Manage your profile, password, and notification preferences.

Click your username in the top-right corner of the panel, then select Edit User to update your account settings.

Changing Your Password

1. Go to Edit User from the top-right menu.
2. Enter your new password in both the Password and Confirm Password fields. Use the Generate button if you want a strong random password.
3. Click Save at the top right of the page.

Two-Factor Authentication

For extra security, you can enable two-factor authentication (2FA). Once enabled, you'll need to enter a code from your authenticator app (such as Google Authenticator or Authy) each time you log in.

1. Go to Edit User.
2. Scroll to the Two-Factor Authentication section and click Enable.
3. Scan the QR code with your authenticator app, then enter the verification code to confirm.

Notifications

The bell icon in the top bar shows system notifications. These include important messages about your account, such as disk usage warnings, SSL certificate expirations, and backup status updates.

Web Domains

Add and manage the websites hosted on your account.

Adding a Domain

1. Click the WEB tab in the left sidebar.
2. Click the Add Web Domain button in the top right.
3. Enter your domain name (e.g., example.com).
4. Optionally check Create DNS zone if CartOS should manage your DNS, and Enable mail for this domain if you need email.
5. Click Save.

Editing a Domain

Click the domain name or the edit icon to modify its settings. Available options include:

• Domain aliases — Add alternate domain names that point to the same site (e.g., www.example.com).
• Custom document root — Point the domain to a subdirectory, such as /public/ for Laravel applications.
• Proxy settings — Configure how traffic is handled by the web server.
• Statistics — View visitor logs and bandwidth usage.

Uploading Your Website Files

Your website files go in the public_html directory for each domain. The full path is:

/home/your-username/web/example.com/public_html/

You can upload files using the built-in File Manager or via FTP.

SSL Certificates

Secure your websites with free SSL certificates from Let's Encrypt.

1. Go to the WEB tab and click on the domain you want to secure.
2. Scroll to the SSL Certificate section.
3. Check the Enable SSL box.
4. Select Let's Encrypt to get a free, auto-renewing certificate.
5. Click Save. The certificate will be issued within a few moments.

You can also upload a custom SSL certificate if you have one from another provider. Choose Upload certificate instead of Let's Encrypt, then paste in your certificate, key, and CA bundle.

Quick Install Apps

Install popular applications like WordPress with a single click.

1. Go to the WEB tab and click the domain where you want to install the application.
2. Click the Quick Install App button.
3. Select the application you want (WordPress, Drupal, PrestaShop, etc.) and click Setup.
4. Fill in the required fields — site name, admin email, and admin password. A database will be created automatically if needed.
5. Click Save and wait for the installation to complete.

File Manager

Browse, upload, edit, and manage your website files directly from the control panel.

Click the File Manager icon in the top bar to open it. You'll start in your home directory. From here you can navigate to your web files at web/your-domain/public_html/.

Common Actions

• Upload files — Click the upload button or drag and drop files from your computer.
• Edit text files — Click any text-based file (HTML, PHP, CSS, JS) to open the built-in code editor.
• Create folders — Right-click in the file list or use the toolbar to create new directories.
• Change permissions — Right-click a file and choose Permissions to set read/write/execute flags.
• Extract archives — Upload a .zip or .tar.gz file and extract it directly on the server.

Mail Domains

Set up and manage email for your domains.

If you checked Enable mail for this domain when adding a web domain, a mail domain was created automatically. Otherwise, you can add one:

1. Click the MAIL tab in the left sidebar.
2. Click Add Mail Domain.
3. Enter your domain name and click Save.

SSL for Email

To secure your email connections with SSL, edit the mail domain and enable Let's Encrypt. This ensures encrypted connections for sending and receiving email through mail clients.

SMTP Relay

If you use an external SMTP service for improved deliverability (such as Mailgun, SendGrid, or Amazon SES), you can configure it in the mail domain settings by checking SMTP Relay and entering your relay provider's details.

Mail Accounts

Create individual email addresses on your domain.

1. In the MAIL tab, click on your domain name.
2. Click Add Mail Account.
3. Enter the account name (the part before the @), such as info for info@example.com.
4. Set a password and click Save.

Account Features

Webmail Access

Check your email from any browser without a mail client.

Webmail is available at:

https://webmail.yourdomain.com  or  https://mail.yourdomain.com

Log in with your full email address and password. The webmail interface lets you read, compose, and organize email directly from your browser.

DNS Management

Manage DNS records for your domains if CartOS handles your DNS.

Click the DNS tab to view your DNS zones. Click a domain to see and edit its records.

Adding a DNS Record

1. Click on the domain name in the DNS tab.
2. Click Add Record.
3. Select the record type and fill in the required fields.
4. Click Save.

Common Record Types

Databases

Create and manage MySQL/MariaDB or PostgreSQL databases.

Creating a Database

1. Click the DB tab in the left sidebar.
2. Click Add Database.
3. Enter a database name, database user, and password. These will be prefixed with your username (e.g., user_mydb).
4. Click Save.

Managing Databases with phpMyAdmin

To browse and manage your database contents, click the phpMyAdmin icon next to your database. This opens a web-based interface where you can run queries, import/export data, and manage tables.

Cron Jobs

Schedule tasks to run automatically at specified times.

1. Click the CRON tab.
2. Click Add Cron Job.
3. Enter the command you want to run and set the schedule using the time fields (minute, hour, day of month, month, day of week).
4. Click Save.

Schedule Shortcuts

A common use is scheduling WordPress cron: /usr/bin/php /home/user/web/example.com/public_html/wp-cron.php

Backups

Download backups of your websites, email, and databases.

Click the BACKUP tab to see your available backups. Backups are created automatically on a schedule set by your hosting plan.

Downloading a Backup

Click the download icon next to any backup to download a full archive of your account at that point in time.

Restoring from a Backup

1. Click on the backup date to expand the details.
2. You can choose to restore specific components: Web, DNS, Mail, or Databases individually, or restore everything.
3. Click Restore to begin. The process may take several minutes depending on the size of your data.

FTP Access

Upload and manage files using an FTP client.

You can connect to your server using any FTP client (such as FileZilla, Cyberduck, or WinSCP) with the following settings:

Additional FTP Accounts

If you need to give someone access to only a specific directory (e.g., a web developer working on one site), you can create additional FTP accounts:

1. Go to the WEB tab and edit the domain.
2. Check Additional FTP accounts.
3. Enter a username, password, and the path to restrict access to.
4. Click Save.

Email Client Setup

Configure Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail, or your phone to send and receive email.

Use the following settings in your email client:

Incoming Mail (IMAP — recommended)

Incoming Mail (POP3)

Outgoing Mail (SMTP)

Getting Help

We're here to help if you run into any issues.

If you need assistance with your hosting account, there are a few ways to reach us:

• Support Portal — Visit cart-os.com/HelpDesk to submit a ticket or browse our knowledge base.
• Email — Send a message to support@cart-os.com with a description of the issue.

Before Contacting Support

To help us resolve your issue faster, please include:

• Your CartOS username and the affected domain name.
• A clear description of what you expected vs. what happened.
• Any error messages you're seeing (screenshots are helpful).
• Steps you've already tried to fix the issue.