The website folder
| Hosting | Folder | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| cPanel (Linux) | public_html | www is a shortcut to the same folder |
| Plesk (Windows) | httpdocs | Custom error pages go in error_docs |
Everything inside the website folder can be reached from the internet unless you password-protect it. Everything outside it cannot — a good place for backups and configuration you don't want public.
A file at public_html/about.html is shown at yourdomain.com/about.html. A folder public_html/shop becomes yourdomain.com/shop.
Which file is the home page
When someone opens a folder — yourdomain.com or yourdomain.com/shop — the server looks for these files in this order and shows the first it finds.
| Order | cPanel (Linux) | Plesk (Windows) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | index.html | index.html |
| 2 | index.htm | index.htm |
| 3 | index.php | index.cfm |
| 4 | index.php3 | index.shtml |
| 5 | index.php4 | index.shtm |
| 6 | index.shtml | index.stm |
| 7 | default.html | index.php |
| 8 | default.htm | index.php3 |
| 9 | default.php | index.asp |
| 10 | home.html | default.htm |
| 11 | home.htm | default.asp |
| 12 | home.php | default.aspx |
Important
Installed WordPress but still see a placeholder page? An index.html left in the folder wins over index.php. Delete or rename it.