--- title: "cPanel, Plesk, DirectAdmin: the universal method" description: "Install Éclair on cPanel, Plesk, DirectAdmin: PHP 8.3, HTTPS certificate, archive extraction and the universal FTP method, with the official menus." url: "https://eclair.academy/en/hosting/cpanel-plesk-directadmin" lang: "en" author: "Thierry Gustin" published: "2026-11-02" updated: "2026-11-02" --- # cPanel, Plesk, DirectAdmin: the universal method > **Key takeaways** — With cPanel, Plesk, DirectAdmin, installing Éclair follows the same steps: choose PHP 8.3, turn on the HTTPS certificate, empty the public folder, upload and extract the archive, then run the wizard over https://. Only the menus change. If the file manager can't extract ZIP files, the FTP method with FileZilla works at every web host, hidden files included. With cPanel, Plesk, DirectAdmin, installing Éclair always follows the same steps, even if your web host has no dedicated guide: PHP 8.3, HTTPS certificate, empty public folder, file upload, wizard, checks. This page gives the standard menus of each control panel, taken from its official documentation, then the FTP method that works everywhere. > **Before you start** — Time: 30 minutes. Have at hand: your control panel and FTP credentials (often in your web host's welcome email), a domain linked to the hosting and the [eclair-cms-1.8.0.zip](https://github.com/Jacckisback/eclair-cms/raw/main/dist/eclair-cms-1.8.0.zip) archive. The labels quoted come from the official documentation, in English: your web host may translate them, rename them or hide some tools. The requirements are in [Prepare your installation](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/beginner/prepare-installation). ## cPanel, Plesk, DirectAdmin: how do you recognize your control panel? The easiest way is to reread your web host's welcome email, which usually names its control panel. Otherwise, the home screen gives it away: | Control panel | What gives it away | Web hosts studied that use it | | --- | --- | --- | | cPanel | Tool sections such as **Files**, **Domains**, **Software** and **Security** (translated at some web hosts) | o2switch, Raiola Networks, LWS's cPanel plans, some older PlanetHoster accounts | | Plesk | Everything starts from **Websites & Domains** | None of the ten web hosts studied | | DirectAdmin | A **User Level** and a **Domain Setup** menu; the current skin is called Evolution | None of the ten web hosts studied | Hostinger, SiteGround, PlanetHoster, Webempresa, LWS, OVHcloud, IONOS and Infomaniak have their own control panel: follow their guide instead, listed in [Choosing your web hosting for Éclair](https://eclair.academy/en/hosting). ## The menus at a glance | Step | cPanel | Plesk | DirectAdmin | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | PHP 8.3 | **MultiPHP Manager** or **Select PHP Version** | **Websites & Domains › PHP** | **Domain Setup › PHP Version Selector** | | Certificate | AutoSSL, checked in **SSL/TLS Status** | **SSL/TLS Certificates › Install** | **SSL Certificates**, ACME settings | | Force HTTPS | **Force HTTPS Redirect** | “Redirect from http to https” | “Force Redirect” | | Extract | **File Manager › Extract** | **File Manager › Extract Files** | **File Manager › Extract** | Before uploading anything, open the site's public folder: if your web host left a placeholder page there (`index.html`, `default.htm`…), delete or rename it, because it could load instead of Éclair. ## Install Éclair with cPanel ### Choose PHP 8.3 cPanel offers two tools, depending on how the server is set up: - **MultiPHP Manager**, in **Software**: tick your domain, choose PHP 8.3, then click **Apply**. The `inherit` value means “the server's default version”. If 8.3 is missing, your web host hasn't installed it: ask support for it. - **Select PHP Version**, in **Software**, on CloudLinux servers: choose 8.3 in the list, tick the modules you need, then click **Set as current**. When your domain uses this selector, it's the one that counts, as at o2switch or Raiola Networks. ### Turn on HTTPS AutoSSL issues and renews certificates automatically; your web host chooses the authority, Let's Encrypt or Sectigo. Check the status of yours in **Security › SSL/TLS Status**. To force HTTPS on the server side, turn on your domain's **Force HTTPS Redirect** toggle in **Domains › Domains**. ### Upload and extract the archive 1. Open **Files › File Manager**. 2. Click **Settings**, tick “Show Hidden Files (dotfiles)”, then click **Save**. 3. Go into the site's folder (`public_html` for the main domain) and upload the archive with **Upload**: cPanel can't upload folders. 4. Select the archive, then click **Extract**. This feature requires the Zip tool to be installed on the server. 5. Open the `eclair` folder created, select all of its contents, `.htaccess` included, and move them into the site's folder. For an additional domain, open **Domains › Domains**, then **Create a New Domain**, untick “Share document root”, enter the **Document Root**, then click **Submit**. This folder is always inside `public_html`. ## Install Éclair with Plesk ### Choose PHP 8.3 1. In **Websites & Domains**, find your domain and click **PHP**. 2. Tick “PHP support”, choose 8.3 as the **PHP version** and pick the handler, then click **OK**. If these settings are greyed out, your subscription lacks the “PHP version and handler management” permission: ask your web host to make the change. ### Turn on HTTPS 1. In **Websites & Domains**, open **SSL/TLS Certificates** for your domain. 2. Under “More options”, click **Install** to get a free certificate from Let's Encrypt. 3. Choose what it covers (main domain, `www`, webmail…), then confirm. On the same screen, “Redirect from http to https” sets up a 301 redirect, which is on by default on a new Plesk Obsidian installation. On older versions, a separate “Let's Encrypt” icon replaces this screen. ### Upload and extract the archive 1. In **Websites & Domains**, open your domain's **File Manager**, then the site's folder. 2. Upload the archive, click its row, then click **Extract Files**. Tick “Replace existing files” if needed, then click **OK**. 3. Move the contents of the `eclair` folder up into the site's folder. The name of the public folder depends on your web host's configuration: its welcome email or its support team will tell you. ## Install Éclair with DirectAdmin ### Choose PHP 8.3 Open **User Level › Domain Setup**, click your domain, then choose 8.3 in “PHP Version Selector” and save. For a subdomain, the setting is in **Sub-Domains Setup**, under “Document Root Override”. If 8.3 isn't offered, the server administrator has to install it. ### Turn on HTTPS In **User Level › SSL Certificates**, the ACME settings provide a Let's Encrypt certificate (ZeroSSL is also offered), issued and renewed automatically. The redirect to HTTPS is off by default, to avoid loops: turn on “Force Redirect” for your domain in **User Level › Domain Setup**. ### Upload and extract the archive In the **File Manager**, right-click the archive, then choose **Extract**, or use the “Extract” link in the actions column. Extraction depends on the tools installed on the server; if it fails, use FTP instead. ## The universal FTP method It works at every web host, with or without a control panel: 1. Extract the archive on your computer. 2. Find your FTP credentials: in the welcome email or in the FTP section of your control panel. 3. In FileZilla, enter the **Host**, **Username**, **Password** and port, then click **Quickconnect**. For SFTP, type `sftp://` before the host. 4. Turn on **Server › Force showing hidden files**. 5. On the left, open the `eclair` folder and select all of its contents; on the right, open the public folder. 6. Drag the selection to the right, then check that `.htaccess` has arrived. SFTP ports vary: 22 at o2switch, OVHcloud or IONOS, 5022 at PlanetHoster, 18765 at SiteGround, 65002 in Hostinger's example. So does the name of the public folder: | Public folder | Web hosts | | --- | --- | | `public_html` | o2switch, Hostinger, SiteGround, PlanetHoster, Raiola Networks | | `public_html/your-domain` | Webempresa | | `www` | OVHcloud | | `htdocs` | LWS | | `/sites/your-domain` | Infomaniak | | Folder of your choice | IONOS | ![The contents of the eclair folder uploaded to the hosting's public folder](https://eclair.academy/media/2026/11/eclair-academy-upload-en.png) *The golden rule: the contents of the eclair folder, not the folder itself* ## Run the wizard, then check Open your site over `https://`: Éclair's setup wizard checks the server, then asks its 4 questions, detailed in [Install Éclair step by step](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/beginner/install-eclair). When run over `https://`, it ticks **Force HTTPS** itself, and once the site address is verified, Éclair redirects every visit to the official address: the control panel's redirect becomes optional. Once you're logged in, open the **Security** page: “Encrypted connection (HTTPS) enforced” and “Site address verified” must be ticked, and every file in the “Folder protection test” must show **Protected**. If you use the AI assistant, click **Test the connection** in **Settings › AI assistant**. ## What if something goes wrong? | Problem | Cause | Solution | | --- | --- | --- | | PHP 8.3 missing from the list | Version not installed on the server | Ask your web host's support for it | | PHP settings greyed out in Plesk | No permission to manage PHP | Ask your web host to make the change | | No extract button, or extraction fails | Zip tool missing from the server | Use the FTP method | | Redirect loop | Two conflicting HTTPS rules | Turn off the control panel's redirect: Éclair forces HTTPS | | 404 error on every page except the home page | `.htaccess` not uploaded | Show hidden files and upload it again | | Site shows up at the `/eclair/` address | Folder uploaded instead of its contents | Move its contents up one level | Other messages are explained on the [Troubleshooting](https://eclair.academy/en/docs/troubleshooting) page. ## Key points - With cPanel, Plesk, DirectAdmin, the method stays the same: only the menus change. - Choose PHP 8.3, turn on the certificate, then upload the contents of the `eclair` folder, `.htaccess` included. - If extraction fails, the FTP method works everywhere. - Run the wizard over `https://` so that Éclair forces HTTPS itself. ## Going further - [Prepare your installation](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/beginner/prepare-installation) and [Install Éclair step by step](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/beginner/install-eclair). - [Nginx, VPS, proxy and CDN](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/expert/nginx-vps), if your server uses neither Apache nor LiteSpeed. - [Choosing your web hosting for Éclair](https://eclair.academy/en/hosting) and its ten guides by web host. - Official documentation: [cPanel File Manager](https://docs.cpanel.net/cpanel/files/file-manager/), [MultiPHP Manager](https://docs.cpanel.net/cpanel/software/multiphp-manager-for-cpanel/), [Plesk and Let's Encrypt](https://support.plesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/43603461610519-How-to-install-Let-s-Encrypt-SSL-certificate-for-a-domain-in-Plesk) and [DirectAdmin and SSL](https://docs.directadmin.com/webservices/ssl/ssl-and-letsencrypt-for-domains.html). ## Frequently asked questions ### In cPanel, should I use MultiPHP Manager or Select PHP Version? On a CloudLinux server where your domain uses the selector, **Select PHP Version** decides. Otherwise, use **MultiPHP Manager**. If in doubt, change the version, then check the one shown by Éclair's setup wizard. ### Should I turn on the control panel's HTTPS redirect? It isn't required: if you install Éclair over `https://`, it redirects `http://` visits itself. If you also turn on the control panel's redirect and a loop appears, keep only one rule. ### What if my web host uses none of these control panels? The FTP method works everywhere. Just check the name of the public folder and the PHP version in your customer area. ### Does Éclair install on an Nginx server? Yes, but Nginx ignores `.htaccess` files: you need to reproduce their rules in the server configuration, as the [Nginx, VPS, proxy and CDN](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/expert/nginx-vps) lesson explains.