Understanding the Default Folders on Your Hosting Account (Plesk and cPanel)

When you host a website with Fast2host, the folder structure depends on whether your service is running on Plesk (Windows Server 2022) or cPanel (Linux). Below is a full explanation of the default folders you will see and what each one is used for.

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Default Folders in Plesk (Windows Hosting)

On Windows Server 2022 hosting with Plesk, your subscription includes three main folders:

• httpdocs (formerly WWWROOT)
• private or db (secure storage)
• logs (automatically generated)

1. httpdocs (public website folder)

httpdocs is the public web root for your domain. Upload all website files here, including:

• HTML, ASP, ASP.NET, PHP files
• Images, CSS, JavaScript
• Media files and assets

Your homepage must be named index.html, default.aspx, or similar depending on your platform.

2. private / db (secure storage)

These folders are not publicly accessible and are ideal for storing:

• Access databases (.mdb)
• SQLite databases
• Configuration files
• Password lists or secure data

Scripts can access the folder, but visitors cannot browse it via the web, improving security.

3. logs (visit logs and activity reports)

Plesk automatically generates log files for:

• Access logs
• Error logs
• Traffic statistics

Logs rotate automatically and can be downloaded or cleared from Plesk or via FTP.

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Default Folders in cPanel (Linux Hosting)

On cPanel hosting, the folder structure differs and includes:

• public_html
• mail
• logs (or inside Metrics)

1. public_html (website root)

The public_html folder is where your website files must be uploaded.

• PHP, HTML, images and assets go here.
• This folder is publicly accessible on the web.
• Addon domains will have separate subfolders inside your home directory.

2. mail (email storage)

The mail folder contains all mailbox data for your domain, including IMAP storage. You should not edit or delete files here manually.

3. logs (automatic web logs)

cPanel stores log files inside the logs directory or within the Metrics tools (Awstats, Raw Access Logs and Errors).

You may download logs, but they rotate automatically to prevent excessive disk usage.

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Folder Structure Overview

PLESK (Windows)
│
├── httpdocs       ← Website files
├── private / db   ← Databases and secure files
└── logs           ← Access and error logs

CPANEL (Linux)
│
├── public_html    ← Website files
├── mail           ← Email data
└── logs           ← Raw logs (rotated)
      

Unsure where a file should go or need help preparing your site for upload - just ask.

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