Control panels are a trap for beginners

I've been in hosting support for six years and I see the pattern every week. New customer signs up, learns cPanel clicks, hits a wall the moment something breaks. No understanding of file permissions, no concept of where logs live, no ability to troubleshoot outside the GUI.

The trap: you think you're learning "hosting," but you're learning a single interface. When that interface changes—or disappears—you're back to zero.

What I'd recommend instead:

• Start with a basic VPS from any provider
• Force yourself through SSH for common tasks
• Use a panel only after you can do the task by hand

— Jane @ Contabo