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Guide to cPanel Plugins

Introduction

cPanel plugins add new functionality to the cPanel interface. Third-party developers can add features to the cPanel Tools interface that link to new cPanel interfaces or to other files or locations. For information about WHM plugins, read our Guide to WHM Plugins documentation.

Plugin development workflow

This section describes how to create and install your plugins for the cPanel interface.

How to create your plugin

When you create a cPanel plugin, we recommend that you use the following workflow:

1. Create your custom application (the plugin's backend code).
   • cPanel's interface incorporates the RequireJS module loader . RequireJS may conflict with the webpack module loader . We strongly recommend that you do not use webpack with any cPanel plugin or custom interface that you develop.
2. Create the plugin's interfaces .
   • For more information about how to create a new cPanel interface, read our Create a New cPanel Interface and Create a New cPanel Interface in PHP tutorials.
   • For more information about how to customize the appearance of the cPanel interface, read our Guide to cPanel Interface Customization and Branding documentation.

Plugin files

cPanel interfaces can include HTML, Template Toolkit, PHP, or CGI files.

• Store plugin interface files in the /usr/local/cpanel/base/frontend/theme/ directory, where theme represents jupiter or another theme on the server.
• Access these files from the https://example.com:2083/frontend/theme/filename URL, where:
  • example.com represents the domain or IP address.
  • theme represents jupiter or another theme on the server.
  • filename represents the interface file's name.

For example, if you create a custom Support interface in the customsupport.html file, use the following locations:

• Store the file in the following location on the server: /usr/local/cpanel/base/frontend/jupiter/customsupport.html
• Access this file at the following URL: https://example.com:2083/frontend/jupiter/customsupport.html

How to install your plugin

To install your plugin, perform the following steps:

1. Add the plugin to the cPanel interface. You must create an install.json file .
2. Write a plugin installation script .
3. Compress your plugin for distribution. This step is optional.
   • The compressed file contains the application source files, the plugin registration file, and the installation script.
   • We recommend that you compress your plugin as a tarball ( .tar.gz ) file. However, the install_plugin script supports .tar.gz , .bzip , and .zip files, and uncompressed directories.
4. Use the /usr/local/cpanel/scripts/install_plugin script to install the plugin.
   • The /usr/local/cpanel/scripts/install_plugin script extracts plugin files for you but does not move the files to the directories . Instead, your installation script must perform this action.

Installation scripts

Write any plugin installation scripts in your preferred programming language.

Plugin installation scripts must perform the following functions:

1. Verify that the system is compatible with the plugin. For example, confirm that the server uses a compatible version of cPanel & WHM.
2. Use the wget or curl commands to download the compressed plugin file.
3. Extract the compressed file's contents to the appropriate locations.
4. Use the /usr/local/cpanel/scripts/install_plugin script to install the plugin.
5. Remove any installation files that remain.

The install_plugin script

To use the install_plugin script, read The install_plugin script documentation.

Plugin Development Guides

• Guide to cPanel Plugins - Add Plugins
• Guide to cPanel Plugins - Pluggable Statistics Modules
• Guide to cPanel Plugins - The Dynamicui Files
• Guide to cPanel Plugins - Uninstall Plugins