As part of its commitment to improving performance, security, and compatibility, cPanel regularly deprecates certain features, functions, and interfaces that are outdated or no longer align with industry best practices. If you’re a developer, hosting provider, or website administrator, staying informed about the cPanel Deprecation Plan is essential for avoiding disruptions and planning migrations.
What is the cPanel Deprecation Plan?
The cPanel Deprecation Plan is a documented schedule that outlines:
Features marked for deprecation (no longer recommended for use)
Features scheduled for removal in future releases
Alternative tools or methods that should be used instead
This plan allows users to prepare in advance, update scripts, and explore new solutions.
Key Stages of Deprecation
Announced: Feature is marked as deprecated in documentation.
Deprecated: Feature still works but may show warning messages.
Disabled by Default: You must manually enable it if needed.
Removed: Feature is completely eliminated from cPanel.
Examples of Deprecated/Removed Items
Below are a few recent or ongoing deprecations:
Legacy Paper Lantern Theme
Fully replaced by the Jupiter theme.
Paper Lantern is no longer supported in cPanel v108+.
MySQL 5.6 and Earlier
Deprecated due to lack of upstream support and security risks.
Recommended to upgrade to MySQL 8.0 or MariaDB 10.5+.
Legacy File Manager
Replaced with a more modern File Manager interface with drag-and-drop and better UX.
Horde Webmail (Removed in v108)
Replaced by Roundcube due to Horde’s outdated codebase and security concerns.
FrontPage Extensions
Removed due to Microsoft’s discontinuation and security vulnerabilities.
Why Does cPanel Deprecate Features?
Security: Old features can pose vulnerabilities.
Performance: Modern features are faster and more resource-efficient.
Compliance: To stay aligned with supported versions of PHP, MySQL, etc.
User Experience: Simplifies the interface for end users and administrators.
How to Stay Informed
Visit the official cPanel Deprecation Schedule regularly.
Subscribe to cPanel mailing lists or RSS feeds.
Review the Release Notes and Changelogs for every new cPanel version.
Follow your hosting provider’s announcements or changelogs.
What Should You Do?
Audit Your cPanel Usage: Identify legacy tools or scripts that may break.
Test on a Staging Server: Before updating cPanel, test apps and plugins for compatibility.
Educate Your Team: Make sure developers, resellers, and clients know what’s changing.
Migrate Early: Don’t wait until a feature is removed — migrate while support still exists.
The cPanel Deprecation Plan is about moving forward with a safer, faster, and cleaner hosting experience. By staying proactive and adapting early, you protect your workflows, websites, and users from unnecessary disruptions.