When Do I Need Root Access to my Web Server?

There are many different features found in Web Host Manager (WHM) that are useful in maintaining your dedicated server. However, not all of them are available to the default user you were given when you signed up. Determining what requires root access can be complicated. We take the guesswork out of that with the chart below. It lists the features found in the WHM, and whether or not you need root access to use it. The list order follows the default listing of categories found in the left hand menu of WHM. Keep in mind, if you’re not logged in as root, you will not see all the options below.

Server Configurations

Feature	Requires Root Access
Basic cPanel & WHM Setup	No
Change Root Password	Yes
Configure cPanel CronJobs	Yes
Initial Quota Setup	Yes
Server Time	Yes
Statistics Software Configuration	Yes
Tweak Settings	Yes
Update Preferences	Yes

Support

Feature	Requires Root Access
Grant cPanel Support Access	Yes
Legacy Configure Customer Contact
Support Center	Yes

Networking Setup

Feature	Requires Root Access
Change Hostname	Yes
Resolver Configuration	Yes

Security Center

Feature	Requires Root Access
Apache mod_userdir Tweak	Yes
Compiler Access	Yes
Configure Security Policies	Yes
cPHulk Brute Force Protection	Yes
Host Access Control	Yes
Manage External Authentications
Manage root’s SSH Keys	Yes
Manage Wheel Group Users	Yes
ModSecurity Configuration	Yes
ModSecurity Tools	Yes
ModSecurity Vendors	Yes
Password Strength Configuration	Yes
PHP open_basedir Tweak	Yes
Security Advisor	Yes
Security Questions	Yes
Shell Fork Bomb Protection	Yes
SMTP Restrictions	Yes
SSH Password Authentication Tweak	Yes
Traceroute Enable/Disable	Yes
Two-Factor Authentication

Server Contacts

Feature	Requires Root Access
Contact Manager	Yes
Edit System Mail Preferences	Yes

Reseller Management

Feature	Requires Root Access
Change Ownership of an Account	Yes
Change Ownership of Multiple Accounts	Yes
Edit Reseller Nameservers and Privileges	Yes
Email all Resellers	Yes
Manage Reseller’s IP Delegation	Yes
Manage Reseller’s Shared IP	Yes
Reseller Center	Yes
Reset Resellers	Yes
Show Reseller Accounts	Yes
View Reseller Usage and Manage Account Status	Yes

Service Configuration

Feature	Requires Root Access
Apache Configuration	Yes
Bandmin Password	Yes
Configure PHP and sUEXEC	Yes
cPanel Log Rotation Configuration	Yes
cPanel Web Disk Configuration	Yes
cPanel Web Services Configuration	Yes
Exim Configuration Manager	Yes
FTP Server Configuration	Yes
FTP Server Selection	Yes
Mailserver Configuration	Yes
Mailserver Selection	Yes
Manage Service SSL Certificates	Yes
Nameserver Selection	Yes
PHP Configuration Editor	Yes
Service Manager	Yes

Locales

Feature	Requires Root Access
Configure Application Locales
Copy a Locale
Delete a Locale
Edit a Locale
Locale XML Download
Locale XML Upload
View Available Locales

Backups

Feature	Requires Root Access
Backup Configuration	Yes
Backup Restoration	Yes
Backup User Selection	Yes
Configuration File Rollback	Yes
Legacy Backup Configuration	Yes
Legacy Restore Backups	Yes
Legacy Restore Multiple Backups	Yes
Restore a Full Backup/cpmove file	Yes

Clusters

Feature	Requires Root Access
Configuration Center	Yes
DNS Cluster	Yes
Remote Access Key

System Reboot

Feature	Requires Root Access
Forceful Server Reboot	Yes
Graceful Server Reboot	Yes

Server Status

Feature	Requires Root Access
Apache Status	Yes
Daily Process Log	Yes
Server Information
Server Status

Account Information

Feature	Requires Root Access
List Accounts
List Parked Domains	Yes
List Subdomains
List Suspended Accounts
Search Accounts
Show Accounts Over Quota
View Bandwidth Usage

Account Functions

Feature	Requires Root Access
Change Site’s IP Address	Yes
Create a New Account
Email All Users	Yes
Force Password Change
Limit Bandwidth Usage
Manage Account Suspension
Manage Demo Mode
Manage Shell Access	Yes
Modify an Account
Modify Suspended Account Page
Password Modification
Quota Modification
Raw Apache Log Download	Yes
Raw FTP Log Download	Yes
Rearrange an Account
Reset Account Bandwidth Limit	Yes
Show Active and Inactive Accounts	Yes
Skeleton Directory
Terminate an Account
Unsuspend Bandwidth Exceeders	Yes
Upgrade/Downgrade an Account
Web Template Editor

Multi Account Functions

Feature	Requires Root Access
Change Multiple Sites’ IP Addresses	Yes
Modify/Upgrade Multiple Accounts
Terminate Multiple Accounts

Transfers

Feature	Requires Root Access
Convert Addon Domain to Account
Copy an Account From Another Server	Yes
Copy and Account From Another Server With an Account Password	Yes
Copy Multiple Accounts/Packages From Another Server	Yes
Review Transfers and Restores	Yes
Transfer Tool	Yes

Themes

Feature	Requires Root Access
Change WHM Theme
Theme Manager	Yes

Packages

Feature	Requires Root Access
Add a Package
Edit a Package
Delete a Package
Feature Manager

DNS Functions

Feature	Requires Root Access
Add a DNS Zone
Add an Entry for Your Hostname	Yes
Delete a DNS Zone	Yes
Edit a DNS Zone	Yes
Edit MX Entry
Edit Zone Templates
NS Record Report	Yes
Park a Domain	Yes
Perform a DNS Cleanup	Yes
Reset a DNS Zone	Yes
Set Zone Time To Live (TTL)	Yes
Setup/Edit Domain Forwarding	Yes
Synchronize DNS Records	Yes

SQL Services

Feature	Requires Root Access
Additional MySQL Access Hosts	Yes
Change MySQL User Password	Yes
Database Map Tool	Yes
Manage Database Users	Yes
Manage Databases	Yes
Manage MySQL Profiles	Yes
MySQL Root Password	Yes
phpMyAdmin	Yes
Repair a MySQL Database	Yes
Show MySQL Processes	Yes

IP Functions

Feature	Requires Root Access
Add a New IP Address	Yes
Assign IPv6 Address	Yes
Change a Site’s Address	Yes
Configure Remote Service IPs	Yes
IP Migration Wizard	Yes
IPv6 Ranges	Yes
Rebuild the IP Address Pool	Yes
Show IP Address Usage	Yes
Show or Delete Current IP Addresses	Yes
Show/Edit Reserved IPs	Yes

Software

Feature	Requires Root Access
EasyApache 3	Yes
EasyApache 4	Yes
Install a Perl Module	Yes
Install an RPM	Yes
Module Installers	Yes
MySQL/MariaDB Upgrade	Yes
Rebuild RPM Database	Yes
System Update	Yes
Update Server Software	Yes

Email

Feature	Requires Root Access
Greylisting	Yes
Mail Delivery Reports
Mail Queue Manager	Yes
Mail Troubleshooter
Repair Mailbox Permissions	Yes
Spamd Startup Configuration	Yes
View Mail Statistics Summary	Yes
View Relayers	Yes
View Sent Summary	Yes

System Health

Feature	Requires Root Access
Background Process Killer	Yes
Process Manager	Yes
Show Current Disk Usage	Yes
Show Current Running Processes	Yes

cPanel

Feature	Requires Root Access
Branding
Change Log
Install cPAddons Site Software	Yes
Manage cPAddons Site Software	Yes
Manage Plugins	Yes
Modify cPanel & WHM News
Reset a Mailman Password	Yes
Synchronize FTP Passwords
Upgrade to Latest Version	Yes
x3 Branding

SSL/TLS

Feature	Requires Root Access
Generate an SSL Certificate and Signing Request
Install an SSL Certificate on a Domain
Manage SSL Hosts
Purchase and Install an SSL Certificate	Yes
SSL Storage Manager

Market

Feature	Requires Root Access
Market Provider Manager

Restart Services

Feature	Requires Root Access
DNS Server (BIND/NSD/MyDNS)
FTP Server (ProFTPd/PureFTPd)
HTTP Server (Apache)
IMAP Server
Mail Server (Exim)
Mailing List Manager (Mailman)
SQL Server (MySQL)
SSH Server (OpenSSH)

Development

Feature	Requires Root Access
x3 Plugin File Generator	Yes
Apps Manage by AppConfig	Yes
cPanel Development Forum
cPanel Plugin File Generator	Yes
Manage Hooks	Yes
Software Development Kit

Plugins

Feature	Requires Root Access
Add IP to Firewall
Google Apps Wizard	Yes
Softaculous – Instant Installs

At this point, you should understand what functions within WHM require root access. If you need root access, please review our article on how to request root access.

When Do I Need Root Access?