# PHP hosting without cPanel

Source: https://www.fortrabbit.com/php-hosting/without-cpanel
Published: 2026-10-01
Reviewed: 2026-10-01

> fortrabbit replaces the control panel with a dashboard, git push deploys, SSH and an API. No cPanel, no 1-click installers, no email hosting, no domain registration.


fortrabbit is managed PHP hosting without cPanel, Plesk or any classical control panel. In their place is a self-service dashboard for apps, environments, components, domains and PHP settings, plus a public API, a CLI and an MCP server that expose the same operations to scripts and coding agents. Code reaches the server by git push through the GitHub App or over SSH and SFTP, not through a file manager. There are no 1-click installers: Laravel, Craft CMS, WordPress or Symfony are installed by Composer from the repository, so the deployed code matches version control. Things a cPanel account bundles are absent on purpose: no email hosting, no domain registration, no phpMyAdmin on the server, no root shell. Mail goes through a transactional provider, domains stay at the registrar and point to the environment, and a local database client connects over the SSH tunnel. The smallest environment costs €2.50 a month, and every new app starts with seven free days.

## What replaces cPanel

- Apps and environments, with components sized per environment
- PHP version, extensions and settings per environment
- Domains and automatic TLS certificates
- Deployment settings, deploy logs, build commands
- Environment variables, SSH keys, team members
- Backups, restores, metrics and logs

Everything in that list is also an API call. The [automation docs](https://docs.fortrabbit.com/platform/automation) cover the [public API](/features/public-api), the `frbit` CLI and the [MCP server](/features/mcp-server).

## Missing on purpose

| cPanel | fortrabbit |
| -- | -- |
| File manager | git push, SFTP, rsync |
| Softaculous installers | Composer, from the repository |
| Email accounts | Transactional mail provider |
| Domain registration | Any registrar, pointed at the environment |
| phpMyAdmin | SSH tunnel for a desktop client |
| Root or reseller access | Jailed shell per environment, keys per person |

The reasoning for each gap is on the [no X page](/platform/no-x). A platform that runs only PHP can leave out the parts of a panel that need a mail server, a DNS server or root on the box.

## Who PHP hosting without a panel fits

Developers who deploy from a repository and would rather not own an operating system. A freelancer with a dozen client sites gets one dashboard, individual logins per collaborator and a handover that is a team change rather than a password reset. Somebody who wants a WordPress button and an email inbox on the same invoice is better served by a panel host, and we would rather say so here.

## FAQ

### How do files get onto the server without a file manager?

**Git or SFTP** — Push to the connected GitHub branch and fortrabbit builds and deploys. For uploads and legacy sites, SFTP and rsync over SSH work with every client, authenticated by key.

### Is there phpMyAdmin?

**Not on the server** — The MySQL component is reached over an SSH tunnel with a desktop client such as Sequel Ace or TablePlus, or with a local phpMyAdmin pointed through the tunnel.

### Where do email and domains go?

**Elsewhere** — Domains stay at the registrar and point to the environment; fortrabbit issues the TLS certificate. Mail goes through a transactional provider such as Postmark or Mailgun, which is what a CMS password reset needs anyway.

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- [No X](/platform/no-x)
- [Public API](/features/public-api)
- [MCP server](/features/mcp-server)