Skip to main content
Terminal opens a real bash shell in your browser, scoped to your cPanel account. No SSH keys, no client setup. Useful for one-off commands when you’re already in cPanel.
Terminal interface running in the browser

​
What you can do

The shell behaves like SSH: full bash, your full home directory, your account’s PATH, and the same per-account resource caps as any other process. Everyday things that work fine here:
  • Edit files with nano or vim.
  • Run git pull, composer install, npm install.
  • Read logs with tail -f.
  • Run any binary in your account’s PATH (php, mysql, wp-cli, etc.).

​
What you can’t do

  • No root. Anything that requires sudo or affects shared system files is off-limits.
  • No long sessions. The browser tab closes mean the shell dies. For long-running tasks, run them inside nohup or screen, or use SSH.
  • No port binds outside your account. Server-level network listeners are locked down by the LVE policy.

​
When to prefer real SSH

Terminal is convenient for short tasks. For anything serious, real SSH is better:
TaskWhere to do it
Quick file edit, one-off commandTerminal
File transfer with scp or rsyncSSH (Terminal can’t do scp)
Long-running process you don’t want to babysitSSH with screen, tmux, or nohup
Anything needing SSH key auth (Git push to GitHub, etc.)SSH
Tab in a tab on a tab in a tabReal terminal app
To set up SSH access, see SSH Access.

​
Common questions

Closing the browser tab or losing the network kills the shell. If the command was important and short, just rerun it in a fresh terminal. If it’s a long-running command (a backup, a composer install on a slow connection), wrap it in nohup so it survives the disconnect:
nohup /home/USER/long-script.sh > /home/USER/long-script.log 2>&1 &
Or run from real SSH inside screen or tmux so you can detach and reattach.
sudo and anything that needs root are blocked. For “command not found”, check the binary’s full path: which php, which mysql. If you’re using a tool from a non-default location (e.g., ~/.composer/vendor/bin/), add it to your PATH or use the full path.
Yes. Most browsers handle paste with Ctrl+Shift+V (Linux/Windows) or Cmd+V (Mac) into the terminal area. If you have a long block to paste, it sometimes helps to type slowly or paste in chunks; the browser-side terminal can drop characters under load.
Both work, but the terminal emulator handles screen redraws differently from a native terminal. Resize the browser window, or use top -b -n 1 for a one-shot batch view instead of the live UI.

​
Need a hand?