# WP Squared

> Documentation for WP Squared

Base URL: https://docs.wpsquared.com/
Generated: 2026-06-11

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## [File Manager](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/wpsquared/file-manager/)

The File Manager page is an overview of the File Manager interface in WP Squared. It explains how to open File Manager from the Expanded Website View and how to use the Search text box with filter options to locate files. For complete coverage of file and folder operations such as creating, uploading, moving, renaming, deleting, and managing permissions, see the Manage Files and Folders page.


## [Getting Started With WP Squared](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/get-started/getting-started-with-wp-squared/)

WP Squared is a hosting control platform from WebPros International, LLC that simplifies WordPress site creation and management for users of all skill levels. Install it on an AlmaLinux 8 server by running the provided installer script, which converts the OS to CloudLinux 8 Pro. Before installing, verify that your server meets hardware requirements (minimum 2 GB RAM, 20 GB disk), holds a valid WP Squared license, has a resolvable fully-qualified domain name, uses a static IP address, and has SELinux disabled. After installation, create a WP Squared account in WHM and use the setup wizard to launch your first WordPress website.


## [Manage Files and Folders](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/wpsquared/manage-files-and-folders/)

This page covers all file and folder operations available in WP Squared's File Manager: creating, copying, moving, renaming, editing, uploading, downloading, compressing, extracting, and deleting. Update permissions using the Permissions toolbar option. Deleted files move to the Trash folder and are not permanently removed until you click Empty Trash or confirm permanent deletion. Right-clicking a file or folder opens a context menu with actions specific to that item type, including editing files under 1 MB, viewing contents, and extracting or compressing archives.


## [How to Install WP Squared on Amazon AWS](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/get-started/how-to-install-wp-squared-on-amazon-aws/)

Launch WP Squared on Amazon Web Services (AWS) using the official WP Squared Amazon Machine Image (AMI) available in the AWS Marketplace. Steps cover creating or adding an SSH key pair, selecting a version and instance type (m7a.medium recommended), configuring VPC, subnet, and security group settings, assigning a permanent elastic IP address, and setting the root password on first login. You must create a WP Squared account in WHM after launch and hold a valid WP Squared license. If you change the hostname after launch, run the provided cloud-config command to prevent AWS from resetting it on reboot.


## [Content Delivery Network](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/wpsquared/content-delivery-network/)

The Content Delivery Network (CDN) feature in WP Squared lets you connect your website to a CDN provider to improve load times by serving content from the geographically closest server. Currently, only Cloudflare is supported. Configure the CDN provider in the Advanced tab of the Expanded Website View using either a Global API key paired with your email address or a custom API token with specific zone permissions. Your hosting provider must enable CDN at the server level before you can use this feature.


## [How Do I Create a Website?](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/wpsquared/how-do-i-create-a-website/)

Create a website in WP Squared from the Website Dashboard by clicking Create New Site. You can use a registered domain name or a temporary placeholder domain to design your site before making it publicly accessible. Choose from three creation methods: Walk Me Through for a guided setup using Extendify templates, Start With Settings to configure the website name, tagline, and theme manually, or Import My Website (Beta) to pull in an existing WordPress site with a valid SSL certificate. The first time you log in, a setup wizard walks you through creating your account's primary website.


## [Managing a Website](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/wpsquared/managing-a-website/)

The Expanded Website View is the central management interface for each WP Squared website, accessible by clicking the Manage Website icon. It provides tabs for Overview (traffic stats, SSL status, and vulnerability protection), Backups, Themes, Plugins, Settings, Advanced, Logs, and Security. The Settings tab covers domain name changes, preview links, WordPress update preferences, and per-site tools such as search engine indexing, debugging, and NGINX caching. The Advanced tab includes Zone Editor, PHP Settings with Smart PHP Update, database details via phpMyAdmin, and SSL certificate management. The Staging Tool, Clone, and Maintenance Mode features are also accessible from the Expanded Website View.


## [How to Preview Your Website Before Your Domain is Ready](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/wpsquared/how-to-preview-your-website-before-your-domain-is-ready/)

Preview links let you view and share your WP Squared website before your domain settings are finalized. Enable the Use my preview link toggle in the Settings interface under Manage Website to generate a preview URL. The system displays a banner on the preview site and provides links to preview the site and return to settings. Preview links are not available for temporary domains. Preview websites do not appear in search engine results, even when search engine indexing is enabled in the Tools section.


## [How to Install a Custom SSL Certificate](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/wpsquared/how-to-install-a-custom-ssl-certificate/)

WP Squared automatically protects websites with a Let's Encrypt AutoSSL certificate, but you can replace it with a custom certificate from a specific Certificate Authority (CA). Generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) in the SSL Certificate section of the Advanced tab in the Expanded Website View by providing your organization details, then download and submit the CSR to your CA. Once your CA issues the certificate, return to the same section to install the certificate and CA bundle. You can only install one custom certificate per domain at a time. To revert to AutoSSL, click Run AutoSSL.


## [How Do I Create a Backup?](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/wpsquared/how-do-i-create-a-backup/)

The Backups tab in WP Squared lets you create, schedule, restore, and manage backups for your WordPress websites. Create an immediate backup with the Create Backup Now button, or configure scheduled backups by selecting days of the week and the number of backups to retain (minimum three). Backups are stored as tar.gz files in /home/wp-backups/USER and include all WordPress core files, wp-content, wp-config.php, and the MySQL database dump. Restore any saved backup from the Backups tab; restoring overwrites the current version of the website.


## [Customize Feature Lists with Feature Manager](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/whm/customizing-feature-lists/)

WHM's Feature Manager lets you control which WP Squared features are available to user accounts. Two predefined lists ship by default: default, which grants access to selected features for all users, and disabled, which blocks features for all users and overrides other feature lists. Create additional feature lists to assign specific capabilities to different accounts or packages. Available features include AccelerateWP, Backup Manager, File Manager, CDN, phpMyAdmin, Redis Object Cache, Site Cloning, Site Staging, SSH Access and Terminal, SSL/TLS, Temporary Domains, Two-Factor Authentication, and Zone Editor options.


## [Terminal Access](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/wpsquared/terminal-access/)

The Terminal interface provides in-browser command-line access within a WP Squared session, supporting WP-CLI commands for direct WordPress management. Terminal access is enabled by default, but an administrator can disable it in WHM. Before accessing the Terminal, you must accept a warning notice by clicking I understand and want to proceed. Logging out of WP Squared closes all associated Terminal sessions after a short delay, though commands already running continue until the session closes. Only users with command-line experience should use this feature, as incorrect commands can render your WP Squared account inoperable.


## [Customize WHM Search for Your Users](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/whm/customize-whm-search-for-users/)

Add custom search keywords to WHM plugin configuration files so users can find plugins more easily in WHM's search. Only plugins whose .conf filenames do not start with cpanel support custom search keywords. Add keywords using the searchtext option in the plugin's .conf file, then clear the plugins cache by running the provided command and refreshing WHM. Remove keywords by deleting them from the .conf file and repeating the cache-clear process.


## [Customize WP Squared for Your Users](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/whm/customize-wp2-for-users/)

The Customization interface in WHM allows hosting providers to brand the WP Squared experience for their users. Upload separate logos for dark and light backgrounds in the Logos tab, including alt text for accessibility. Provide a help link, documentation link, and webmail link in the Links tab to direct users to your preferred support resources. Select a color palette for the WP Squared interface in the WP Squared Colors tab.


## [What Ports Does WP Squared Use?](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/wpsquared/what-ports-does-wp-squared-use/)

WP Squared installs and manages many services that require external network access, so your firewall must allow traffic on the ports those services use. This reference table lists each port number, the associated service (such as SSH on 22, HTTP on 80, HTTPS on 443, WHM on 2086 and 2087, WP Squared on 2082 and 2083, and MySQL on 3306), whether it uses TCP or UDP, and whether traffic is inbound, outbound, or localhost-only. Only open ports for services you actively use, and always maintain console access to the server when modifying firewall rules.


## [How to create deployment images used in virtualized environments](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/whm/how-to-create-deployment-images/)

Use the snapshot_prep script to prepare a WP Squared server for use as a deployment image template for VPS or VM environments. The script cleans server configuration, removes unique identifiers, and installs an on-first-boot service that runs post_snapshot to complete instance setup automatically. Before running the script, install WP Squared on a 64-bit system with at least 20 GB disk space, apply OS updates, and optionally pre-configure cpupdate.conf and cpsources.conf. Never run the script on a production server with customer data. Plugin developers can extend the script with custom tasks using .json files placed in /var/cpanel/snapshot_prep.d.


## [WP Squared vs cPanel & WHM](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/whm/wp-squared-vs-cpanelwhm/)

WP Squared and cPanel and WHM share a large set of hosting management features, including account administration, AutoSSL, DNS management, backups, email routing, and package management. WP Squared adds exclusive features not available in cPanel and WHM, including AI website creation via Extendify, AccelerateWP, Cloudflare CDN configuration, CloudLinux OS Shared Pro, Imunify360, Redis Object Cache, and Patchstack-powered vulnerability protection. Conversely, WP Squared does not support features available in cPanel and WHM such as email services, resellers, PostgreSQL, demo mode, and the Market Provider Manager.


## [Enable the Imunify Security WordPress Plugin](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/whm/enable-the-imunify360-plugin/)

The Imunify Security WordPress plugin brings Imunify360 malware scanning, cleanup actions, and site protection visibility directly into each customer's WP Admin Dashboard. As a hosting provider, enable this plugin for all WordPress sites on your server either through WHM's Imunify360 settings interface or via a CLI command. Installation runs in the background and may take a few hours. Users who prefer not to use the plugin can disable it from their WP Squared interface or from their WordPress Admin Dashboard under Installed Plugins.


## [PHP Versions and Compatibility](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/whm/php-versions-and-compatability/)

WP Squared installs multiple PHP versions via EasyApache 4, defaulting to ea-php74, ea-php80, ea-php82, and ea-php83. As a hosting provider, you can make additional PHP versions available to users by selecting other EasyApache 4 profiles in WHM. Older PHP versions remain available and secured via HardenedPHP by CloudLinux. WP Squared does not display PHP 5.x versions in its interface by default; you must enable them manually in WHM's MultiPHP Manager. AccelerateWP requires ea-php73 or newer.


## [How to Run WP-CLI Commands](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/wpsquared/how-to-run-wpcli-commands/)

WP-CLI (WordPress Command Line Interface) lets you manage your WordPress site directly from the command line in WP Squared's Terminal interface. Access the Terminal by clicking the terminal icon in the left menu bar. Navigate to your website's root directory at ~/public_html/your_domain/ before running commands. WP-CLI commands start with wp followed by a command and subcommand, for example, wp plugin list. Terminal access is enabled by default; contact your hosting provider if the Terminal interface is unavailable.


## [Hookable Events](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/whm/hookable-events/)

WP Squared hookable events extend cPanel and WHM's standardized hook system, letting you run custom action code before or after specific WP Squared events. Each hookable event is identified by a category, event name, and stage (pre or post). Pre events can signal a failure that skips the execution phase entirely. This reference covers the remove_website, create_website, and clone_website events, including the data each event returns at its available stages.


## [CDN Host Mode](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/whm/cdn-host-mode/)

CDN host mode synchronizes DNS records for WP Squared domains to a CDN provider's nameservers automatically when you create or update a domain in WHM or WP Squared. Currently, WP Squared supports Cloudflare as the only CDN provider. Enable CDN host mode using WHM's API function cdn_defaultconfig_set with either an email-and-API-key pair or an API token. Enabling CDN host mode disables the per-user CDN interface in WP Squared. Disable it using cdn_defaultconfig_disable, which stops future synchronization without reverting existing DNS records.


## [Manage Wordpress Websites](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/whm/manage-wordpress-websites/)

WHM's WP Toolkit Installations tab centralizes per-website management for all WordPress sites on your server. Use it to create new sites, scan for existing ones, copy data between sites, clone sites, back up and restore sites, and view per-site event logs filterable by date, severity, actor, and message. Configure per-site tools such as search engine indexing, debugging, password protection, hotlink protection, and wp-cron.php control. To manage predefined sets of themes and plugins instead of individual sites, see the Manage Themes and Plugins page.


## [Manage Themes and Plugins](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/whm/manage-themes-plugins/)

WHM's WP Toolkit Sets tab lets you create and manage sets, which are predefined collections of WordPress themes and plugins you deploy across user accounts. Add themes and plugins to a set by searching the WordPress repository or uploading .zip files. Assign a set to one or more websites using the Install Set option to automatically install its plugins and make its themes available. For managing individual WordPress website installations rather than sets, see the Manage WordPress Websites page.


## [Manage LVE Limits](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/whm/manage-lve-limits/)

LVE (Lightweight Virtual Environment) limits control how much CPU, RAM, and disk I/O each account can consume on a shared WP Squared server, preventing any single user from monopolizing resources. Manage limits for individual accounts in the CloudLinux Manager interface, or create a package with custom LVE limits using the LVE Settings package extension and assign it to user accounts. WP Squared uses CloudLinux exclusively for LVE technology, ensuring resource isolation across all hosted accounts.


## [Create a Staging Website](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/wpsquared/create-a-staging-website/)

The Staging Tool in WP Squared creates a complete copy of your production website on a temporary subdomain of wpsquared.site, so you can test changes without affecting your live site. Create a staging website from the Expanded Website View by clicking the Staging Tool icon, optionally enabling password protection. Publish changes from staging to production by selecting which files and database tables to copy, with the default options preserving pages, posts, and users on the production site. Sync your staging site from production to incorporate authorized third-party changes before publishing. Cloning, custom domains, backups, CDN, and Smart PHP Update are not available for staging websites.


## [Manage WP Squared Accounts](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/whm/manage-wp-squared-accounts/)

WHM's List Accounts interface lets you search, filter, and manage all WP Squared accounts on your server. From this interface you can change account passwords, contact email addresses, and assigned packages. Suspend or unsuspend accounts with an optional reason using List Accounts or WHM's Manage Account Suspension interface. Terminate individual or multiple accounts permanently from the Terminate Accounts interface. Account termination is irreversible and removes all account data; you must manually remove or relocate the account's backups to avoid username collisions when creating new accounts.


## [Create a New WP Squared Account](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/whm/create-a-new-wp-squared-account/)

Create a new WP Squared account in WHM's Create a New Account interface by providing a domain, username, password, and contact email. Assign a package to define resource limits such as disk space, monthly bandwidth, maximum WordPress websites, and maximum backups per site. In the Package section, you can also select an Autoinstall Set for themes and plugins and enable Vulnerability Protection. Additional options include dedicated IP addresses, shell access, and locale settings.


## [Manage Package Options](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/whm/manage-package-options/)

Packages (also called domain templates) define the resource limits and feature access for WP Squared accounts. Create packages in WHM's Add a Package interface by setting disk space, monthly bandwidth, maximum WordPress websites, and maximum backups per site. Settings options include dedicated IP, shell access, digest authentication, feature list assignment, and locale. Package extensions such as Default WP Set and LVE Settings let you apply WP Toolkit sets and CloudLinux LVE limits. You cannot rename a package or add and remove package extensions after creation; edit other settings or delete unused packages from the corresponding WHM interfaces.


## [Transfer a Website](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/whm/transfer-a-website/)

Transfer an existing WordPress website to a WP Squared server using either the WHM Transfer Tool or a manual SSH-based process. The Transfer Tool copies cPanel and WHM WordPress accounts with root-level access but does not support features such as email accounts, FTP accounts, or non-WordPress websites. The manual transfer involves creating a tarball and MySQL dump on the source server, creating a WP Squared account with domain creation skipped, importing files and the database on the destination server, and registering the site via the WP UAPI. A helper script (wp-manual-transfer.sh) is available to automate the destination server setup steps.


## [How Do I Forward My Domain?](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/wpsquared/how-to-forward-my-domain/)

Domain forwarding in WP Squared lets you redirect traffic from one domain to your website using either a permanent 301 redirect or a temporary 302 redirect. Add a forwarding domain from the Website Dashboard by choosing to create a new subdomain or to point another domain you own, then selecting the redirect type. Edit or remove existing forwarding domains from the expanded domain list in the Website Dashboard. Note that changing a website's primary domain name removes all associated forwarders.


## [How to Change Your Default Language](https://docs.wpsquared.com/docs/wpsquared/how-to-change-your-default-language/)

WP Squared lets you set your preferred display language from the Account Profile interface. Select your language from the Language menu and the interface refreshes immediately. Supported languages include English, French, German, Spanish, Iberian Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Polish, Romanian, Indonesian, Japanese, Thai, and Turkish.