Quick answer: Getting started with hosting normally involves confirming your package, registering or connecting your domain, checking DNS, creating your website and email accounts, and testing HTTPS and backups.
If you are moving an existing website, use our pre-migration DNS checklist so business email does not stop working unexpectedly.
Welcome to the HexHosting.
We’ve built out a really comprehensive documentation system that will show you how to manage all aspects of your Hex hosting, as well as give you tips and tricks on how to manage your website and domains.
Logging in to cPanel
Once you’ve ordered your hosting from Hex Hosting, you’ll receive a welcome email with details of how to log in to your hosting control panel with us once your hosting is activated (it should be within a few minutes of your order going through). If for some reason you don’t receive your welcome email, please get in touch and we can check that everything has gone through OK.
In terms of logging in to your hosting, the first step is to log in to the https://clients.hexhosting.uk area. Once you have logged in here, click Services and then My Services. Your hosting package(s) will be listed here – click the one you want to log in to and then on the next page click Login to cPanel.
Your login credentials are stored as a secure token in this area (rather than a plaintext username and password) – if the log-in fails for any reason please get in touch and we can reset this to enable you to log in.
Once you’ve logged in to cPanel, you’ll be presented with a number of icons that enable you to manage all aspects of your hosting with Hex Hosting. One of the most common things to get set up straight away is Email – click Email Accounts and from here you can start setting up email addresses @yourdomain.com.
To access your email, you can use an email client like Mac Mail, Outlook or Thunderbird, or you can use webmail. You can usually open webmail through cPanel, or use the secure webmail address provided in your hosting welcome email. Avoid guessing a webmail URL if your domain or SSL is not configured yet. You’ll need to log in with the mailbox username and password you created earlier. If you need any help getting set up in your email client, please let us know – we can talk you through the setup.
Installing Applications (e.g. WordPress)
In cPanel, scroll down and find the icon that says `Softaculous Apps Installer. Click the icon of the application you’d like to install, for example – WordPress, Magento, Prestashop, Joomla – and then the system will ask you for some more information. Click ‘Install’ once you’ve entered that and then you’ll be able to log in to the admin area to get started with your application.
Nameservers
If you ordered a domain from Hex Hosting with your hosting, your nameservers will be set automatically to link to your hosting with us. If you have transferred a domain, or if you want to use a domain you have registered elsewhere, you’ll need to update the nameservers to:-
ns0.thundercloud.ukns1.thundercloud.ukAfter making the change, it can take up to 24 hours for the change to propagate and to see that in your browser.
Compare current services on our web hosting plans page.
Your first hosting account checks
Keep your welcome email and client portal details in a safe place. Confirm that the registered domain and hosting package are correct, then check whether DNS is managed by Hex Hosting or a separate provider. Website and email services can be hosted separately, so review existing MX and authentication records before changing nameservers.
Test the site over HTTPS, send and receive a mailbox test message, and make sure you understand which backups your plan includes. For more detail, see setting up hosting and email.