The Hepsia Control Panel now offers the option to generate guest user accounts

June 23, 2023
Taking into account your valuable feedback, we have been consistently enhancing the versatility and flexibility of the Hepsia Control Panel.

In a recent update, we introduced the option for users to utilize Hepsia as a PWA-based app, making it lighter and more accessible.

Now, we are further improving its accessibility by allowing account owners to establish guest user accounts and delegate specific management privileges to other users.

What is a guest user?

A guest user is essentially a user profile established by the primary account owner, enabling them to grant access to specific parts of the account to others.

It serves as a valuable tool for site owners looking to collaborate on a particular project, facilitating cooperation with colleagues, friends, developers, or web designers, among others, without the need to disclose their personal login credentials.

Through the customization of third-party access permissions, account owners can ensure that only pertinent information is accessible to others, thereby preserving the overall privacy of the account.

How to create a guest user profile?

The process of creating a guest user profile is straightforward and can be performed only by the master account owner. Here are the steps to create a guest user profile:

  • 1. Access the Guest User Manager: You can find this newly added feature in the Hepsia Control Panel's profile menu, located in the top right corner of the screen. Simply click on your account's name to open the drop-down menu, and then select "Guest User Manager" from the options.
  • 2. Create a Guest User: In the Guest User Manager section, click on the "Create guest user" button located at the top right.
  • 3. Provide Details: Specify the email address for the new guest user you wish to create and set an optional expiration date for their access. You can choose to leave the expiration date field blank for no expiration.
  • 4. Domain Access: In the 'Domain Access' tab, you can grant access to all or selected domains within your account. If you want to provide access to all domains, select the 'Access to all domains' option. Additionally, you can choose to allow access to all mailboxes associated with the domains or permit the guest user to add new hosted domains to the account.
  • 5. Specify Domain Access: If you prefer to grant access to specific domain names within the account, mark the corresponding 'Domain access' checkboxes. You can also specify whether the guest user can create subdomains or manage mailboxes associated with the selected domains.
  • 6. Database Access: In the 'Database Access' tab, you can grant access to all or selected PgSQL/MySQL databases in your account. You can choose to provide access to all databases or authorize the guest user to create new databases. Full access to all databases allows the guest user to install applications using the 1-click Web Apps Installer.
  • 7. Specify Database Access: To grant access to specific databases, click on the PgSQL databases or MySQL databases field and select the desired databases from the list.
  • 8. Create Guest User: After configuring all the settings, click the 'Create Guest User' button.
  • 9. Manage Guest User: The newly created guest user profile will be added to the list of guest user profiles in this section. As the master account owner, you can log into the guest profile, edit its details, modify the expiration date, activate or deactivate it, or delete it when no longer needed.

Note: A master account can have multiple guest users with the same level of access.

Additionally, the system will automatically send an email to the new guest user profile owner at the specified email address. This email will contain a link to set their password and another link for accessing their profile.

Please be aware that if an account owner logs into a guest account, they will be automatically logged out of the master account.

What are the access and permission rights of a guest user?

The access and permission rights of a guest user profile can be customized based on the specific needs of the project delegated by the master account owner. It's important to note that the master account owner has the flexibility to change these permissions at any time, even if the guest user is currently logged in.

Here's a brief overview of the available permissions for each section, and please keep in mind that these actions are applicable to a specific guest user profile:

General Settings

Permissions: Password change and theme change.

My Domains

Accessibility: Management rights over the domains delegated to the profile.

Permissions: Adding new hosted domains and creating subdomains (if authorized).

DNS Records

Accessibility: DNS management rights over the domains delegated to the profile.

Permissions: DNS modification, adding new records, and more.

Email

Accessibility: Access to emails of a specific domain or all emails.

Permissions: Managing existing mailboxes, creating new mailboxes, setting up filters, configuring email forwards, activating Anti-spam protection, and accessing the webmail service.

File Manager

Accessibility: File management for the domains assigned to the profile.

Permissions: Creating, editing, deleting files, and more.

FTP Manager

Accessibility: Accessible if the user has been granted access to all domains within the account.

Permissions: Creating and editing FTP accounts.

Databases (MySQL/PgSQL)

Accessibility: Accessible if the user has been granted access to one or all databases within the account.

Permissions: Managing existing databases and creating new databases (if authorized).

Advanced

Accessibility: Accessible if the user has been granted access to any domains or subdomains.

Permissions: Changing PHP versions, configuring URL redirection, and setting up password protection for authorized domains.

Statistics

Accessibility: Accessible if the user has been granted access to any or all domains/subdomains.

Permissions: Accessing server information, web and traffic statistics for authorized domains, viewing access and error logs for all domains (if granted access).

Web Tools

Accessibility: Accessible if the user has been granted access to any or all domains/subdomains.

Permissions: Creating websites via the Site Builder for the domains they have access to.

Enabling a Guest User with the Same Email Address on Multiple Accounts

A guest user's email address can receive access rights from multiple master accounts.

In such situations, when a guest user logs into a newly created profile with the same email address, they will be prompted to decide whether they want to use this account or not.

If they opt not to access it, the guest user profile will be deactivated, and no further access will be granted.

Creating Guest User Profiles Across Various Service Plans

Guest user profiles are available on most shared hosting plans, two semi-dedicated servers, and all Hepsia-enabled VPS plans and dedicated servers, as outlined below.

Shared hosting plans: The Profile Manager section is enabled by default for Business, Corporate, and Enterprise shared hosting plans. However, the quota limits vary depending on the plan.

For the Starter plan and other plans reaching their profile quotas, this feature can be added as an upgrade.

Additionally, you can include it as a feature (3 guest users) through the Plan Builder.

Please note that guest users are not automatically included in existing custom plans; you must add this feature if you wish to offer it to your customers.

Dedicated Server plans: Semi-dedicated servers with the Hepsia Control Panel by default and dedicated servers pre-installed with Hepsia provide users with an initial quota of 30 accounts and an option to upgrade.

VPS plans: OpenVZ or KVM plans with Hepsia pre-installed receive a specific guest user quota based on their selected setup. Users can also upgrade to additional profiles if necessary.

The Guest User Manager option is another valuable feature designed to enhance the functionality of the Hepsia Control Panel.

Beyond improving user engagement with your services, it can serve as a potent marketing tool for attracting new customers.