Creating a Website
A complete step-by-step walkthrough for adding a new domain and setting up your website in Havenoro CP.
Creating a website in Havenoro CP is straightforward, but understanding each option helps you make the right choices. This guide walks you through the entire process from start to finish, explaining what each setting does along the way.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, make sure you have a domain name ready. This is the address people will type into their browser to visit your site — for example, mycoolwebsite.com. You can purchase a domain from any domain registrar such as Namecheap, GoDaddy, or Google Domains. A domain name typically costs around $10–15 per year.
You will also need your Havenoro CP login credentials (username and password), which were provided to you when your hosting was set up. If you do not have these, contact Havenoro support.
Step 1: Add a Web Domain
Log in and navigate to the Web tab
Log into your Havenoro CP at cp.havenoro.com. Click the Web tab in the top navigation bar. This shows you a list of all your current web domains.
Click "Add Web Domain"
Click the Add Web Domain button in the top right corner of the Web tab. A form will appear with several fields and options.
Enter your domain name
Type your full domain name — for example, mycoolwebsite.com. Do not include www. — you can add that as an alias later. When you save, Havenoro CP creates a folder structure on the server to store your website's files and configures the web server (Nginx) to respond when someone visits your domain in their browser.
Step 2: DNS & Mail Options Explained
When adding a domain, you will see several checkboxes. Understanding these options helps you avoid common mistakes:
| Option | What it does | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Create DNS zone | Automatically creates a full DNS zone in Havenoro CP. DNS stands for Domain Name System — think of it as the phonebook of the internet. It translates your domain name into the IP address of your server so browsers know where to find your site. Without this, visitors would need to type in a hard-to-remember IP address like 203.0.113.5. |
Use if you want Havenoro CP to manage your DNS. You will need to point your domain's nameservers to Havenoro's nameservers at your registrar. |
| Enable mail for this domain | Creates a mail domain and configures MX records. This sets up email for your domain so you can create addresses like info@yourdomain.com. MX records tell other mail servers where to deliver email sent to your domain. |
Use if you want email hosting for this domain. You would also check the Webmail client option to choose Roundcube or SnappyMail for reading email in your browser. |
Click "Save"
Click the Save button in the top right corner. Havenoro CP will create the domain directory on the server and configure the web server. You will be taken back to the Web domains list where you can see your new domain listed.
Step 3: Quick Install an App (Recommended for Beginners)
The Quick Install App feature is the fastest way to get a website up and running. It automatically downloads and configures popular web applications like WordPress, Laravel, Joomla, and Drupal. Instead of manually creating a database, uploading files, and running setup scripts, Havenoro CP handles everything in a few clicks. This is especially helpful if you are new to web hosting.
Click on the domain name
In the Web tab, click the domain name you just created. This opens the domain's detail page where you can manage all settings for that domain.
Click "Quick Install App"
Click the Quick Install App button in the top right corner of the domain page. A list of available applications will appear.
Select your application
Choose the application you want to install. WordPress powers over 40% of all websites — it is the most popular choice for blogs, business sites, and online stores. It has thousands of themes and plugins to customize your site. Laravel is a PHP framework for developers building custom web applications. Joomla and Drupal are alternative content management systems with their own strengths.
Fill in the details and save
Enter your site name, admin username and password, and any other configuration options. If the app uses a database, you can have Havenoro CP create one automatically. Click Save and wait. Installation can take 30 seconds to a few minutes depending on the application. Do not close the tab or navigate away during installation.
Step 4: Upload Your Own Files
If you have a custom website — for example, one built by a developer or exported from a website builder — you can upload your files manually instead of using Quick Install.
Option A: Using the File Manager
The File Manager is built directly into the control panel. You do not need any additional software — just your browser.
In the domain detail page, click the File Manager button (folder icon).
Navigate to /home/username/web/domain.com/public_html/. Replace username with your control panel username and domain.com with your domain.
Click the Upload button and select your website files (HTML, PHP, CSS, JavaScript, images). You can upload individual files or ZIP archives.
Option B: Using FTP
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a standard way to transfer files between your computer and the server. You will need an FTP client like FileZilla (free) or Cyberduck.
Create an FTP account in the domain settings by checking Additional FTP accounts and setting a username and password.
Connect using your FTP client with the hostname (your domain or server IP), username, and password. Use port 21 for standard FTP or port 22 for SFTP.
Upload your files to the public_html directory. Any files placed here will be accessible to visitors at your domain name.
Understanding public_html
The public_html folder is the most important directory for your website. It is the folder that is publicly visible to website visitors. When someone types your domain into their browser, the web server looks inside public_html for the files to serve. Think of it as the storefront of your website — everything in this folder is on display.
Your full website path looks like: /home/username/web/domain.com/public_html/. If you upload an index.html file there, it becomes your homepage. If you upload a file called about.html, it is accessible at yourdomain.com/about.html.
public_html with the name index.html, index.php, or index.htm. The web server automatically looks for an index file when someone visits your root domain.
Step 5: Set Up SSL with Let's Encrypt
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encrypts the connection between your website and its visitors. Sites with SSL show a padlock icon in the browser address bar and use https:// instead of http://. Google also ranks SSL-protected sites higher in search results. Let's Encrypt is a free, automated certificate authority that provides SSL certificates at no cost. Havenoro CP can request and automatically renew Let's Encrypt certificates for your domains.
In the domain detail page, check Enable SSL for this domain.
Check Use Let's Encrypt to obtain SSL certificate.
(Optional) Enable Automatic HTTPS redirection so all visitors are redirected from HTTP to HTTPS automatically. Also consider enabling HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Security), which tells browsers to always use HTTPS for your site.
Click Save. The certificate will be issued within a few seconds. Let's Encrypt validates domain ownership by making a temporary request to your server.
Next Steps
Once your website is created and SSL is enabled, the next steps depend on what you want to do:
- Start building: If you used Quick Install, log into your application's admin panel (e.g.,
yourdomain.com/wp-adminfor WordPress) and start customizing. - Set up email: Head to the Mail tab to create email addresses for your domain. See the Setting Up Mail Domains tutorial.
- Create a database: Go to the DB tab to create a MySQL or MariaDB database for your application if Quick Install did not already do so.
- Manage files: Use the File Manager or FTP to upload additional files, themes, or plugins.