DirectAdmin Features Guide: Everything You Can Do in DirectAdmin

DirectAdmin is a control panel used on some GrabbyHost hosting plans to manage your website, email, databases, and files — similar in purpose to cPanel, but with its own layout and terminology. This guide covers how to log in and walks through everything DirectAdmin lets you do, organized by category.

How to Log In to DirectAdmin

1. Go to yourdomain.com:2222 in your browser (replace "yourdomain.com" with your actual domain), or use the server hostname or IP address from your welcome email if your domain isn't pointing to GrabbyHost yet.
2. Enter the DirectAdmin username and password sent to you in your welcome email after your hosting order was set up.
3. Click Login.

You can also reach DirectAdmin directly through the "Manage" button on your hosting service in the GrabbyHost client area — this logs you in automatically without needing to re-enter your control panel password.

Email

DirectAdmin's Email tools cover everything related to sending and receiving mail on your domain:

• Email Accounts – Create and manage POP/IMAP mailboxes (e.g. you@yourdomain.com), set mailbox size limits, and reset passwords.
• Forwarders – Redirect mail sent to one address to another address automatically.
• Autoresponders – Set up automatic reply messages, useful for out-of-office notices.
• Mailing Lists – Create and manage list-based email distribution for a group of subscribers.
• Webmail – Access your inbox from a browser without configuring a desktop or mobile mail app.
• Email Filters / Spam Settings – Filter mail by keyword, sender, or size, and manage spam protection settings for your domain.
• Catch-All Address – Route mail sent to any non-existent address on your domain to a single mailbox.

Files & FTP

• File Manager – Upload, download, edit, rename, move, and delete your website's files directly from the browser, without needing a separate FTP client.
• FTP Accounts – Create additional FTP logins with access limited to specific folders, useful for giving a developer or contractor limited access.
• Backup/Restore – Create a downloadable backup of your account's files, email, and databases, and restore from a previous backup when needed.
• Disk Usage – See how much of your hosting plan's storage allowance is currently in use.

Databases

• MySQL/MariaDB Databases – Create, rename, and delete databases and database users, and assign privileges between them — required for WordPress and most other CMS platforms.
• phpMyAdmin – A browser-based tool for directly viewing and editing database tables and running SQL queries.

Domains & DNS

• Subdomains – Create subdomains (e.g. blog.yourdomain.com) that point to a folder within your hosting account.
• Domain Pointers / Redirects – Point an additional domain at your existing website, or redirect one URL to another.
• DNS Management – Add, edit, or remove DNS records (A, CNAME, MX, TXT, and more) for domains hosted on your account.
• MX Records – Control where email for your domain is routed, useful if you use an external email provider.

Security

• SSL Certificates – Install and manage SSL certificates to serve your site over HTTPS.
• Directory Password Protection – Restrict access to specific folders on your site with a username and password.
• Two-Factor Authentication – Add a second verification step to your DirectAdmin login for extra account security.

Statistics

• Usage Statistics – Review visitor, bandwidth, and disk usage reports for your account.
• Webalizer / Website Stats – Browser-based reports showing traffic patterns, visited pages, and referrers for your site.

Other Tools

• PHP Version Selector – Switch which PHP version your hosting account uses, useful for compatibility with different applications.
• Cron Jobs – Schedule scripts or commands to run automatically at set intervals.
• Custom Error Pages – Set your own pages for common errors such as 404 (page not found).

DirectAdmin groups these tools by function rather than an identical menu on every server, so exact wording and layout can vary slightly depending on the skin/theme in use — but the features above are available on every GrabbyHost plan that uses DirectAdmin. If you can't find a specific tool, or something isn't behaving as expected, open a support ticket and our team will point you in the right direction.