If you have a ZIPROF account, you actually have two different logins, not one. The Client Area is where you handle billing, support, and domain ownership. Your control panel (cPanel or DirectAdmin) is where you manage the website, email accounts, and files that actually sit on your hosting server. Mixing the two up is one of the most common sources of confusion for new customers, so it helps to know what each one is for before you go looking for a setting in the wrong place.
What the Client Area Is For
Your Client Area is ZIPROF's own customer portal. You log into it with the email address and password you set when you signed up. Use it for anything related to your relationship with ZIPROF as a company, including:
- Viewing and paying invoices
- Opening and tracking support tickets
- Renewing, transferring, or managing ownership of a domain
- Upgrading, downgrading, or cancelling a hosting plan
- Updating your contact details or account password
The Client Area does not let you create an email account, edit a website file, or set up a database. For those tasks, you need your control panel.
What Your Control Panel Is For
Your control panel is a separate piece of software, hosted on the actual server where your website lives. ZIPROF hosts clients on either cPanel or DirectAdmin, depending on the plan. This is where the real, technical work happens: creating email accounts, uploading files, managing databases, installing SSL certificates, and checking your disk space usage.
In cPanel
You reach cPanel at a web address like https://yourdomain.com:2083, or through a direct link in your welcome email. The username and password are usually different from your Client Area login and are generated when your hosting account is created.
In DirectAdmin
DirectAdmin is reached at an address like https://yourdomain.com:2222. As with cPanel, its login credentials are separate from your Client Area account and are issued when your hosting account is set up.
How to Tell Which Login You Need
- Need to pay an invoice, raise a support ticket, or renew a domain? Use the Client Area.
- Need to create an email address, upload website files, or set up a database? Use your control panel.
- Not sure which control panel you have? Check your welcome email, or ask ZIPROF support through a ticket.
Keep both sets of login details somewhere safe, and don't assume a password reset on one account changes the other. They are two separate systems with two separate logins, even though both belong to the same ZIPROF account.
For step-by-step login instructions for your control panel, see How to Log In to Your Hosting Control Panel.