~4 min read • Updated Feb 24, 2026
1. Overview
This document explains how to create a Microsoft Azure® virtual machine using the official cPanel & WHM image from the Azure Marketplace.
2. Log In to Your Azure Account
Sign in to your Azure account. If you do not have one, create a new Azure account.
3. Access the cPanel & WHM Marketplace Listing
Warning: Always create your VM from the official cPanel & WHM Marketplace listing. Creating a VM directly from the Virtual Machines interface will not configure required settings properly.
Choose your preferred operating system:
- cPanel & WHM – BYOL for CentOS
- cPanel & WHM on Ubuntu – BYOL
- cPanel & WHM on Rocky Linux – BYOL
Click Create to open the VM creation interface.
4. Create the Virtual Machine
4.1 Project Details
- Subscription — Select the subscription to bill.
- Resource group — Choose an existing group or create a new one.
Note: Creating a new resource group for each VM makes cleanup easier.
4.2 Instance Details
- Virtual machine name — Choose a name (cannot be changed later).
- Region — Select a region close to you or your customers.
- Availability options — Choose redundancy settings.
- Security type — Options include:
- Standard
- Trusted launch virtual machines
- Confidential virtual machines
- Image — The selected cPanel & WHM OS image.
- VM architecture — Choose the desired architecture.
- Azure Spot — Do not enable for cPanel & WHM.
- Size — Select the VM size.
Warning: Minimum requirements: 1GB RAM and 20GB disk. Recommended: 2GB RAM and 40GB disk.
4.3 Authentication Type
You may authenticate using either:
- Password
- SSH key
Notes:
- Password authentication allows immediate WHM login.
- SSH key authentication requires extra steps before first WHM login.
4.4 SSH Key Options
- Generate a new key pair
- Use existing key stored in Azure
- Use existing public key
4.5 Additional Configuration Tabs
You may configure Disks, Networking, Management, Monitoring, Advanced, and Tags. These are optional.
Click Review + create, verify the VM details, then click Create.
Note: If you generated a new SSH key pair, download it when prompted.
5. Deployment
Azure will deploy the VM and display progress. Once complete, click Go to resource.
Your VM’s public IP address appears under Public IP address. Use this IP for SSH and WHM access.
6. WHM Installation Process
WHM installation begins automatically in the background.
To monitor installation:
sudo su -l
Warning: Installation takes 10–15 minutes. You cannot log in to WHM until it completes.
7. Logging in to WHM for the First Time
7.1 If Using a Password
Open your browser and go to:
https://IPADDRESS:2087
Log in using your administrator username and password.
To access the root account:
- Log in to WHM
- Go to WHM » Server Configuration » Change Root Password
You cannot change the root password from the Azure portal.
7.2 If Using an SSH Key
Before logging in to WHM, add your SSH key to your computer.
macOS:
mv ~/Downloads/example.pem ~/.ssh
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/example.pem
ssh-add ~/.ssh/example.pem
Then connect to your VM:
ssh -i key user@IP
To get a temporary WHM login URL:
sudo whmlogin
Use the URL to set a root password.
8. Configure WHM
After logging in, complete the initial setup. For full configuration details, refer to the WebHost Manager documentation.
You can also follow the From WHM to Website guide to quickly build a website.
Note: A valid cPanel & WHM license is required. New installations qualify for a free 15‑day trial.
9. Manage Your Azure Virtual Machine
For more information on managing Azure VMs, refer to Microsoft’s official documentation.
Conclusion
This guide covers the complete process of launching, configuring, and accessing a cPanel & WHM virtual machine on Azure. Following these steps ensures a stable, secure, and fully functional hosting environment.
Written & researched by Dr. Shahin Siami