Using the In-Browser Terminal

cPanel includes a built-in terminal emulator that gives you command-line access to your hosting account directly from your web browser. This is a convenient alternative to using a separate SSH client.

Please note: Screens and options may vary slightly depending on your cPanel version and hosting plan.

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Accessing the Terminal

1. Log in to your cPanel account.
2. In the Advanced section, click Terminal.
3. Accept the terms of use (first time only).
4. A terminal window opens in your browser.

What You Can Do

The terminal gives you the same access as an SSH connection. You can:

• Navigate files and directories (cd, ls, pwd).
• Edit files (nano, vi).
• Manage databases (mysql, mysqldump).
• Run scripts (php, python, node, bash).
• Check disk usage (du, df).
• View logs (tail, cat, grep).
• Manage Git repositories.
• Install application dependencies (composer, npm, pip).
• Compress and extract files (tar, zip, gzip).

Useful Commands

# Check your current directory
pwd

# List files with details
ls -la

# View disk usage summary
du -sh ~/public_html

# View the last 50 lines of an error log
tail -50 ~/logs/error.log

# Search for a text string in files
grep -r "search term" ~/public_html/

# Check PHP version
php -v

# Run a PHP script
php ~/public_html/script.php

# Check available memory and processes
free -m

Limitations

• The in-browser terminal is subject to the same access restrictions as SSH — you don't have root access on shared hosting.
• Sessions may time out after a period of inactivity. Long-running commands may be interrupted.
• For long-running tasks, use screen or nohup to keep processes running even if the terminal disconnects.
• The terminal may not be available if your hosting provider has disabled SSH access for your account.

Tips

• Use the terminal for quick tasks. For extended work, a dedicated SSH client (PuTTY, Terminal, MobaXterm) provides a better experience.
• You can copy and paste in the terminal using standard keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+Shift+C / Ctrl+Shift+V on Linux, Cmd+C / Cmd+V on macOS).
• If a command seems stuck, press Ctrl+C to cancel it.

What Next?

• Using SSH Access — Set up SSH keys for secure external access.
• Setting Up Cron Jobs — Automate terminal commands on a schedule.

Related Articles

• Using SSH Access
• Setting Up Cron Jobs (Scheduled Tasks)
• Using Git Version Control