File Structures and the File Manager

Web hosting is, at it’s basic core, files and folders on a computer that is connected to the internet and setup to distribute them. How that computer (typically a server) is setup to do that is covered more in LAMP Environments but this article will explain the idea of the file structure and how it relates to what you view on your domain.

When you signed up for your domain a web hosting account was created. Although you typically will interact mostly with the web interface to create subdomains, install applications, and other common tasks, you might occasionally also need to work directly with the files in your account. The File Manager in your cPanel is one way to see these files. You can also create an FTP account in cPanel and use an FTP program to interact with these files (FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol, and it’s a way of using a desktop client to transfer files to and from your Web server space).

Let’s take a look at the File Manager built into your cPanel to get a better understanding of the file structure that makes up your website(s).

  • Login to cPanel with your PSU Campus ID and password.

 

  • On the homepage of your control panel you’ll have all the various tools listed. You can easily find the File Manager by using the search tool in the upper righthand corner and typing File Manager. You can also find its icon under Files.
  • You are now sent to the File Manager and can navigate the folder structure there.

You’ll notice when the File Manager opens up that this looks very much like a folder on your computer. There are a few folders in it as well as files, and you can navigate down into those folders and see what’s inside of them. At the top level of the File Manager you also have the option of interacting with files and folders you select by moving them around or removing them. There is a larger article all about how to use the file manager at Accessing Your Files through the File Manager so we won’t talk much about how the interface works, rather we’ll cover what those folders and files actually mean and how they relate to what someone sees when they visit your website.

By default you have a variety of folders at the root of your web space (the first screen you see when you open up the file manager). Some of them are created automatically to store information about the panel and setup of certain sites. These folders are things like access-logs, etc, ssl, and tmp. You can safely ignore most of those folders because they don’t correspond to actual websites. Let’s look at which folders do and how it all works.

Your main domain, mydomain.com, corresponds with a folder called “public_html.” Whatever files and folders are inside of this folder are available at that domain. If you installed WordPress here you’ll likely see a lot of WordPress-related files within it (which were probably helpfully put there by the automated installer). Let’s say we uploaded an image called mypicture.jpg into the public_html folder. That image would now be available at mydomain.com/mypicture.jpg. The slash after your domain implies “this file is inside this folder”. But what if we had a folder inside the public_html folder? How does that appear? This is typically called a subfolder so let’s put a folder in public_html called “images” and put our image, mypicture.jpg, inside of that folder. What would you type in a browser to get to that file now? The location would be mydomain.com/images/mypicture.jpg. So subfolders are also indicated by a forward slash after a domain.

What about subdomains? You can have completely separate sites called subdomains that appear as nameofsubdomain.mydomain.com. But where are they in the file structure? When you created your subdomain the control panel asked you to give the folder a name. If I had a subdomain called photos.mydomain.com for example, I might want to name the folder “photos” (by default your control panel will call the folder by the name of the subdomain). Folders for subdomains are located inside the public_html folder. So when you go to the File Manager and navigate to public_html you’ll see folders listed for all of your subdomains and once you navigate inside one of those folders you’ll see files and folders specifically for that subdomain that appear on the web at that subdomain’s address.

The File Manager in your control panel is great to view these files and folders, but it can be limiting if you want to upload an entire folder of information to your website. If you find yourself wanting to do more with the files and folders on your web space you can download an FTP program like Filezilla and connect to your website by creating an FTP account in your control panel (also located in the Websites and Domains tab). An FTP program will allow you to upload and download an unlimited number of files and folders quickly.

286 thoughts to “File Structures and the File Manager”

  1. Pingback: Ruby Disposable
  2. Pingback: 늑대닷컴
  3. Pingback: entre no site aqui
  4. Pingback: bonanza178
  5. สล็อตเว็บตรง ไม่ผ่านเอเย่นต์ ให้บริการเกมสล็อตแตกง่าย แตกบ่อย
    918kiss

  6. Pingback: etax
  7. Pingback: rich89bet
  8. Pingback: w69
  9. Pingback: auto detailing
  10. Pingback: dk7
  11. Web hosting serves as the backbone of your online presence, essentially providing the space where your files and folders are stored on a server, accessible via the internet. Understanding the file structure within your hosting account is crucial for managing your domain and applications. Through tools like cPanel’s File Manager or an FTP client, you can directly interact with these files, uploading, editing, or organizing them as needed. For those managing websites or online platforms, Arrest Listings services can help with ensuring your site’s security by cross-referencing public records or other essential data, especially if handling sensitive or user-specific information.

  12. Gue bener-bener nggak nyangka bisa dapet maxwin di Tupaiwin! Awalnya cuma coba coba aja, tapi eh malah dapet maxwin gede! Seneng banget, apalagi hadiah ini bisa buat bantuin keluarga dan nabung buat masa depan. Makasih banget buat Tupaiwin, gue bakal terus main di sini deh!

  13. Nama “Alaska79” sendiri diambil dari dua unsur penting: Alaska, yang dikenal dengan keindahan alamnya dan simbol kekuatan, serta angka 79 yang membawa hoki dan keberuntungan bagi pemain. Dalam waktu singkat, Alaska79 menjadi situs slot yang banyak dicari oleh para pemain, berkat inovasi dan fitur-fitur unggulan yang ditawarkan.

  14. Great insights on file structures and management! It’s always a challenge to keep everything organized, but your tips make it so much more approachable. Speaking of fun ways to utilize these skills, if anyone’s taking a break from organizing files and needs some entertainment, definitely check out smashkarts. It’s an absolute blast and a great way to unwind!

  15. Saatnya menang besar di dunia slot online bareng Tupaiwin!Daftar Slot Tupaiwin sekarang dan nikmati ratusan pilihan game slot dengan tampilan menarik, fitur bonus melimpah, dan peluang jackpot yang menggiurkan. Proses daftar super cepat, bonus member baru langsung cair, dan ada event harian yang bikin main makin seru. Jangan lewatkan kesempatan jadi pemenang berikutnya—mainkan slot favoritmu dan bawa pulang kemenangan hanya di Tupaiwin

  16. Apetube where Malaysia’s top players spin, bet, and win! Whether you’re chasing adrenaline or chasing jackpots, we’ve got your back 24/7 with unbeatable rewards.

  17. BetAndreas’da tanlov juda katta: 5000+ slot o‘yinlari, jonli kazino https://betandreasuz.com , stol o‘yinlari (ruletka, blackjack, baccarat) va albatta sport tikishlari mavjud. Men ko‘pincha Aviator va Pragmatic Play slotlarini o‘ynayman, chunki ularda katta multiplikatorlarni yutib olish imkoniyati bor. Sport ixlosmandlari uchun esa futbol, tennis, basketbol va hatto e-sport bo‘yicha ham jonli garovlar mavjud.

  18. Boba99 merupakan salah satu game yang terpercaya gacor di Indonesia tahun 2025, dengan memiliki RTP tertinggi yang pernah ada, sehingga lebih mudah untuk mencapai kemenangan.

Comments are closed.