A control panel is a web-based graphic interface that permits you to manage various aspects of your hosting service. A few examples of what you can do by using this type of a software instrument are email and file management, DNS records editing, URL forwarding, etcetera. As you'll find many control panel brands, the services that you can control are also different and may also depend on the characteristics that the web hosting company provides. For example, you may have a given option in one control panel and not in another, or it could take more steps to perform a specific task. Such an instrument offers you the chance to use a point-and-click interface instead of typing commands with complex syntax inside a command line. Even though some users prefer the latter option, the majority of users welcome the easier level of administration that a control panel can give.