What is CloudLinux? The complete guide 2024

CloudLinux is a Linux distribution tailored for hosting purposes, built upon CentOS and employing the LVE kernel technology akin to OpenVZ or other OS-based virtualization methods. In shared hosting scenarios, a common cause of downtime is one account monopolizing resources due to heavy sites or inefficient scripts. CloudLinux OS addresses this by creating isolated environments for each client, limiting resource usage and enhancing server stability. This is achieved through containers and CageFS, ensuring each user has their own functional environment with system files and tools.

How CloudLinux benefits shared hosting environments

A shared hosting environment involves multiple website accounts hosted on a single server, with resources divided equally among them. However, in such setups, administrators often lack granular control over individual accounts' resource usage. If one account consumes disproportionate resources due to reasons like a DDoS attack, poorly coded scripts, or a sudden traffic surge, it can severely impact server performance for all other users.

Traditional shared hosting setups lack the ability to set specific limits on RAM, CPU, and other resource usage per account. Identifying problematic accounts is time-consuming, and resolving issues may involve suspending those accounts, leading to dissatisfied customers and potential business repercussions.

Effects of problems in a CloudLinux hosting environment

In shared hosting environments powered by CloudLinux, when a website account exceeds its allocated resources, the site's performance will degrade, and the account will be temporarily suspended until resource usage stabilizes. This suspension only affects the problematic account, ensuring that other accounts on the server remain unaffected and continue to operate smoothly.

CloudLinux imposes limits primarily to safeguard against abuse and poorly optimized scripts rather than restricting regular usage of an account.

Now, let's delve into the benefits of CloudLinux for enhancing shared hosting environments.

Advantages of CageFS

• Users only have access to safe binaries.
• User visibility and detection of other users on the server are blocked.
• Configuration files like Apache configurations are hidden from users.
• Limited visibility of the /proc file system prevents users from viewing other users' processes.
• CageFS confines script executions, preventing malware from spreading to other cPanel accounts.

Benefits of CloudLinux

• Prevents the "neighbor effect" by isolating users from each other.
• Users cannot access configuration files or private information.
• Offers monitoring and control of resource limits like CPU, RAM, and I/O usage.
• Monitors and manages MySQL usage.
• Utilizes CageFS to encapsulate each customer's file system uniquely.
• Allows end users to choose PHP versions from 5.2 to 5.6, 7.0 to 7.4, and 8.0 to 8.1.
• Protects against symbolic link attacks.
• Compatible with major control panels.

CloudLinux features

CloudLinux offers several distinctive features that set it apart:

• Individual resource allocation: CloudLinux utilizes LVE technology to assign dedicated server resources to each customer's website account, ensuring that resources are not shared with other accounts.
• Stability in hosting environments: Sudden traffic spikes from one account do not cause downtime for other accounts or the server overall. Each account's allocated resources protect it from such disruptions, maintaining uninterrupted website operations.
• Secured and hardened kernel: CloudLinux's hardened kernel enhances security by preventing malicious users from attacking other accounts on the same server.
• Multiple PHP versions: CloudLinux includes a PHP selector feature that allows users to choose their desired PHP version, offering flexibility with over 120 PHP extensions available. PHP versions ranging from 4.4 to 5.6 are packaged, and users can easily switch between versions, select extensions, and customize PHP settings.
• Stable MySQL database performance: Managing MySQL in shared hosting environments can be challenging, but CloudLinux's MySQL Governor feature helps administrators identify and throttle resource abusers in real time. It monitors CPU and disk IO usage per account and applies limits to MySQL queries, ensuring stable performance. With support for the latest MySQL and MariaDB versions, it's an essential tool for shared hosting providers.