The Manage cPAddons Site Software interface in WHM lets you upgrade or uninstall individual cPAddon installations across your server. You can search for outdated installations, manage orphaned scripts, and keep your users' site software up to date from one central location.
What Are cPAddons?
cPAddons are pre-packaged web applications and scripts that you can offer to your hosting customers through cPanel's Site Software interface. These include content management systems, forums, blogs, and other popular web applications. As a server administrator, you control which cPAddons are available to your users and can manage all installations from WHM.
Accessing the Manage cPAddons Interface
To access this interface in WHM, navigate to Home > cPanel > Manage cPAddons Site Software. From here, you can view all cPAddon installations across your server, filter by user or installation status, and perform maintenance tasks like upgrading or removing installations.
Searching for cPAddon Installations
The interface provides powerful filtering options to help you locate specific installations:
- Next to Show, select one of these options:
- All Outdated Installations: Displays cPAddons that have newer versions available
- Orphaned Installations: Shows cPAddons that cannot be upgraded due to broken links between WHM and cPanel
- All Installations: Displays every installed cPAddon on your server
- Select a specific user from the dropdown menu, or choose All Users to view installations across all accounts
- Click Manage to display results matching your criteria
The results show each cPAddon's name, owner, latest available version, and currently installed version, making it easy to identify which installations need attention.
Understanding Orphaned Installations
Orphaned installations occur when the connection between WHM and a cPAddon installation breaks. This can happen in several ways:
- Removing a cPAddon from the Install cPAddons Site Software interface after users have installed it
- Deleting cPAddon files directly through the file system instead of using cPanel or WHM
- Manually moving the /.cpaddons directory to another location
- Editing a cPAddon's .yaml configuration file manually
- Making manual updates in WHM after a user has installed the cPAddon through cPanel
Orphaned installations typically need to be uninstalled and reinstalled to restore proper management functionality.
Upgrading cPAddon Installations
To upgrade outdated cPAddons, use the filtering options to display installations that need updates. Select the cPAddons you want to upgrade and click the appropriate action button. The system will automatically download and install the latest version while preserving user data and settings when possible.
Regular updates are important for security and functionality. Consider checking for outdated installations weekly or enabling automatic notifications when updates become available.
Configuring Available cPAddons
To control which cPAddons your users can access, use the Install cPAddons Site Software interface in WHM (Home > cPanel > Install cPAddons Site Software). This separate interface lets you add, remove, or update the cPAddons available in your users' cPanel accounts.
At OBHost, we recommend carefully selecting which cPAddons to offer based on your customers' needs and your server resources. Popular applications may require additional PHP modules or database support.
Important Notes About cPAddon Moderation
The Moderation feature for cPAddons has been deprecated and will be removed in a future version of cPanel. You cannot enable moderation for any new cPAddons. If you currently have cPAddons using moderation, they will continue to function, but if you disable moderation, you cannot reactivate it. Plan to transition away from moderated cPAddons as this feature will be completely removed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens to user data when I upgrade a cPAddon?
Most cPAddon upgrades preserve user data, databases, and configuration files. However, you should always recommend that users back up their data before major version upgrades. Some applications may require manual database migrations or configuration adjustments after upgrading.
Can I uninstall a cPAddon for all users at once?
You can remove a cPAddon from the Install cPAddons interface to prevent new installations, but this does not uninstall existing copies. To remove installations, you must use the Manage cPAddons Site Software interface to uninstall each instance individually or write a custom script for bulk removal.
How do I fix an orphaned cPAddon installation?
The safest approach is to uninstall the orphaned installation and have the user reinstall it through cPanel's Site Software interface. Before uninstalling, ensure the user has backed up any important data or files associated with that installation.
Why aren't some cPAddons showing up in the list?
If cPAddons are missing, check that they are properly installed in the Install cPAddons Site Software interface. Also verify that you have selected the correct user and filter options. Manually installed scripts that were not deployed through the cPAddons system will not appear in this interface.
Our support team is available 24/7 to help you manage your server and assist with any cPAddon-related questions. Visit our contact page or email us at support@obhost.org for assistance.
