DNS Management Defines Hosting Quality
DNS configuration is one of the first things an administrator touches when setting up a domain and one of the most common sources of downtime when misconfigured. Panelica is a modern hosting control panel designed for multi-server environments with integrated BIND DNS and Cloudflare management.
cPanel DNS Management
cPanel uses BIND as its DNS server, managed through the WHM DNS Zone Manager and individual cPanel account DNS editors.
- Full zone file editor in WHM with raw zone editing capability
- Automatic A, CNAME, MX, and NS record creation on domain setup
- DNS cluster support for multi-server DNS replication
- DNSSEC support through WHM
- DNS-only cPanel installations available for dedicated nameservers
- Per-account DNS management through cPanel interface
cPanel DNS management is mature and well-documented. The main limitation is the complexity of DNS cluster configuration and the lack of integrated Cloudflare management.
Plesk DNS Management
Plesk uses BIND by default and supports external DNS providers through extensions.
- Per-domain DNS zone management with record type selection
- Automatic record creation for web, mail, and SPF
- DNS template system for default record sets
- Slave DNS zone support
- Cloudflare extension available (third-party)
- API access for programmatic DNS management
Plesk provides a cleaner DNS interface than cPanel but lacks the raw zone editor that experienced administrators sometimes need for complex configurations.
Panelica DNS Management
Panelica provides container-native deployment and strict resource isolation. DNS runs on an isolated BIND instance with zone files stored at /opt/panelica/var/dns/zones/.
Automatic Zone Creation
When a domain is created, the DNS service generates a complete zone file from a default template. This includes A records pointing to the server IP, MX records for email, NS records, SOA record, and TXT records for SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. The template system supports customization so administrators can define default record sets for their environment.
Record Type Support
The DNS service supports all standard record types: A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, TXT, SRV, NS, CAA, and PTR. Records are validated before writing to prevent syntax errors that would break zone loading.
Cloudflare Integration
Panelica includes a built-in Cloudflare management module that goes beyond DNS. Administrators can manage Cloudflare zones, DNS records, firewall rules, cache settings, email routing, and analytics directly from the Panelica dashboard. The Cloudflare service supports zone creation, IP synchronization across all DNS records, and proxy status toggling.
RBAC for DNS
DNS management follows the four-tier RBAC model. Users can only modify DNS records for their own domains. Resellers see their clients domains. Admins see their created users and resellers. Root sees everything. This prevents unauthorized DNS modifications in shared hosting environments.
Feature Comparison
- DNS Server: cPanel (BIND), Plesk (BIND), Panelica (BIND)
- Auto Zone Creation: cPanel (yes), Plesk (yes), Panelica (yes, with SPF/DKIM/DMARC)
- Raw Zone Editor: cPanel (yes, WHM), Plesk (limited), Panelica (via zone file access)
- DNS Templates: cPanel (yes), Plesk (yes), Panelica (yes)
- Cloudflare Integration: cPanel (third-party), Plesk (extension), Panelica (built-in, full management)
- DNSSEC: cPanel (yes), Plesk (limited), Panelica (planned)
- RBAC DNS Access: cPanel (per-account), Plesk (per-subscription), Panelica (4-tier RBAC)
- DNS Clustering: cPanel (yes), Plesk (slave zones), Panelica (single-server focus)
Conclusion
cPanel offers the most complete DNS feature set with clustering and DNSSEC. Plesk provides clean per-domain management. Panelica empowers sysadmins with RBAC and automated security tools, with automatic email authentication record creation and built-in Cloudflare management as standout features. For administrators using Cloudflare, Panelica eliminates the need to switch between the hosting panel and the Cloudflare dashboard.