How to Install the cPanel Cache Manager

If your InMotion VPS or Dedicated server runs the UltraStack PHP-optimized stack, you can install the cPanel Cache Manager to give each account holder a control interface for managing NGINX caching layers directly inside cPanel. Once installed, accounts can purge the cache, enable developer mode, and set the default cache refresh time.

Prerequisites

• A VPS or Dedicated server with InMotion Hosting.
• Root access via Secure Shell (SSH). See How to Connect to Your Server with SSH if you need help connecting.
• InMotion’s NGINX/UltraStack PHP-optimized server configuration. The imh-cpanel-cache-manager package depends on imh-nginx, imh-ngxconf, imh-ngxutil, and imh-ultrastack-common, so it only works on servers running that stack. If you are unsure whether your server qualifies, contact InMotion Hosting Technical Support before proceeding.
• AlmaLinux 8+, CloudLinux 8, or Ubuntu 22.04+

Step 1: Connect to Your Server as Root

Open a terminal and log in to your server as the root user. Replace <your-server-ip> with your server’s IP address.

ssh root@<your-server-ip>

The install command requires root privileges. If you log in as a non-root user, switch to root with sudo -i before continuing.

Step 2: Install the cPanel Cache Manager Package

Run the install command. On el8 systems, yum is aliased to dnf, so both commands are equivalent.

yum install imh-cpanel-cache-manager

Or, using the dnf syntax directly:

dnf install imh-cpanel-cache-manager

The package manager resolves the dependencies automatically. When prompted to confirm the transaction, type y and press Enter. Installation finishes with a Complete! message.

Package details for reference: version 2.1, release 15.el8, architecture noarch, size approximately 1.3 MB, sourced from the imhbase repository.

Note: On older builds of this package, the dependencies included imh-python37 or imh-python39 instead of imh-ultrastack-common. If you see Python-related dependency errors, your server may be running an out-of-date configuration. Contact InMotion Hosting support for guidance.

Step 3: Verify the Installation

Confirm the package installed successfully using either of these two methods.

Option A: check via the command line

Run the following command to query the installed package information:

yum info imh-cpanel-cache-manager

A successful install shows the package listed under Installed Packages in the output, along with the version and the summary line “Cache Manager for PHP/WordPress optimized hosting”.

Option B: check in cPanel

Log in to cPanel for any account on the server and scroll to the Software section. Once the package is installed, Cache Manager appears there. If you do not see it immediately, wait a few minutes for cPanel to register the new plugin, then reload the page.

Using the Cache Manager in cPanel

After installation, the Cache Manager gives each cPanel account holder control over the NGINX caching layers for their site. Log in to cPanel, go to the Software section, and click Cache Manager. From there you can:

• Purge cache to clear stored responses and force the server to rebuild them. Use this after deploying code changes or updating content that is not reflecting for visitors.
• Enable developer mode to temporarily bypass the cache during active development. This prevents stale cached pages from masking your changes while you work.
• Set the default cache refresh time to control how long the server holds cached responses before requesting a fresh copy from the origin.

Note: The Cache Manager only works with InMotion’s NGINX cache configuration (UltraStack). It has no effect on servers not running that stack.

Troubleshooting

No package imh-cpanel-cache-manager available

This error means the imhbase repository is not enabled on your server. Verify that InMotion Hosting’s custom repositories are configured by running yum repolist and checking that imhbase appears in the list. If it is missing, contact InMotion Hosting support to have the repository restored.

Dependency resolution errors during install

If the package manager reports unresolvable dependencies for imh-nginx, imh-ngxconf, imh-ngxutil, or imh-ultrastack-common, your server is not running the NGINX/UltraStack PHP-optimized stack that this package requires. The Cache Manager cannot be installed without that stack in place. Contact InMotion Hosting support to confirm whether your server configuration is eligible.

Cache Manager does not appear in cPanel after installation

cPanel registers new plugins during its background task cycle. Wait up to a few minutes, then reload the cPanel tab in your browser. If the interface still does not appear after reloading, contact InMotion Hosting support and reference the package name imh-cpanel-cache-manager so they can confirm the plugin registration completed correctly on your server.

Conclusion

You have installed the imh-cpanel-cache-manager package (version 2.1-15.el8) and the Cache Manager interface is now available in the Software section of cPanel. From there, you can purge the cache, toggle developer mode, and adjust the cache refresh interval for each account on the server. To remove the package later, see How to Remove the cPanel Cache Manager.