What is reseller hosting?

Reseller hosting allows you to sell web hosting under your own brand using 0724 Hosting's infrastructure. You purchase a reseller account with allocated resources (disk space, bandwidth, accounts), then divide those resources into packages and sell them to your own clients.

Who is reseller hosting for?

  • Web designers and developers: Offer hosting as an additional service to web design clients
  • Digital agencies: Bundle hosting with web development and marketing services
  • IT consultants: Manage multiple client websites on one platform
  • Entrepreneurs: Start a hosting business without server infrastructure
  • Freelancers: Generate recurring revenue from hosting management

Benefits of 0724 Hosting reseller hosting

  • South African servers for fast nationwide performance
  • DirectAdmin with LiteSpeed web server
  • White-label hosting (your brand, our infrastructure)
  • Free WHMCS billing software
  • Private nameservers (ns1.yourbusiness.co.za)
  • Dedicated South African support
  • No setup fees, affordable pricing

Step 1: Sign up for reseller hosting

  1. Visit 0724 Hosting Reseller Plans
  2. Choose a reseller plan based on how many clients you expect:
    • Starter: 10-20 small clients or 5-10 larger websites
    • Business: 20-50 clients
    • Professional: 50-100+ clients
  3. Complete the order and payment
  4. Wait for your welcome email (usually within 1 hour)

Welcome email contains

  • Reseller DirectAdmin login URL
  • Reseller username and password
  • Server hostname
  • Nameservers (ns1.0724.co.za, ns2.0724.co.za)
  • Resource allocations

Step 2: Access your reseller DirectAdmin

  1. Go to the DirectAdmin URL in your welcome email
  2. Log in with your reseller credentials
  3. You will see the reseller-level DirectAdmin interface with additional options not available to regular users

Reseller DirectAdmin features

As a reseller, you can:

  • Create and manage user accounts for your clients
  • Create hosting packages with resource limits
  • Suspend and unsuspend accounts
  • View resource usage across all accounts
  • Configure private nameservers
  • Install WHMCS and other software

Step 3: Create hosting packages

Hosting packages define resource limits for accounts you create. Create packages that match the plans you want to sell.

Access package management

  1. In reseller DirectAdmin, go to Account Manager → Manage User Packages
  2. Click Add Package

Configure a basic hosting package

Example "Basic Plan" package:

  • Package Name: basic_hosting (internal name for WHMCS)
  • Bandwidth: 10GB or unlimited
  • Disk Space: 5GB
  • Inodes: 250,000 (file count limit)
  • Email Accounts: 50 or unlimited
  • MySQL Databases: 10
  • Subdomains: Unlimited
  • Parked Domains: 1
  • Addon Domains: 5
  • FTP Accounts: 10
  • CGI: Enabled
  • PHP: Enabled
  • SSL: Enabled
  • Cron Jobs: Enabled
  1. Click Add to save the package
  2. Repeat for each plan you want to offer (e.g., Business, Pro)

Recommended package structure

  • Basic: 5GB disk, 5 domains, suitable for small business websites
  • Business: 15GB disk, 15 domains, for agencies managing multiple client sites
  • Professional: 30GB+ disk, 30+ domains, for larger agencies or high-traffic sites

Step 4: Install WHMCS (optional but recommended)

WHMCS automates billing, invoicing, account provisioning, and client management.

Install WHMCS via Softaculous

  1. In reseller DirectAdmin, go to Advanced Features → Softaculous Apps Installer
  2. Find WHMCS under Billing
  3. Click Install
  4. Configure:
    • Domain: Where to install (e.g., billing.yourbusiness.co.za or yourbusiness.co.za/whmcs)
    • Admin username, password, email
  5. Click Install
  6. Wait for installation to complete (2-3 minutes)

Licence WHMCS

WHMCS requires a licence:

  • Free with reseller hosting: 0724 Hosting includes a free WHMCS "Owned" licence with reseller accounts
  • Activate your licence in WHMCS admin during initial setup
  • Contact support if you need help activating the licence

Connect WHMCS to DirectAdmin

See our WHMCS DirectAdmin connection guide for detailed instructions.

Step 5: Set up your brand

Create your business website

  1. Register a domain for your business (e.g., yourbusiness.co.za)
  2. Point the domain to 0724 Hosting nameservers
  3. Create an addon domain in DirectAdmin for your business site
  4. Install WordPress or build a website
  5. Include:
    • Hosting plans and pricing
    • About your company
    • Contact information
    • Link to your client area
    • Knowledge base or support portal

Configure private nameservers (optional)

Private nameservers use your domain instead of 0724 Hosting's:

  • Instead of: ns1.0724.co.za
  • You use: ns1.yourbusiness.co.za

To set up:

  1. Register nameserver hostnames at your domain registrar
  2. Point them to 0724 Hosting server IPs (provided in welcome email)
  3. Configure in DirectAdmin: Account Manager → Nameservers
  4. Contact support for assistance

Step 6: Create your first client account

Manual account creation in DirectAdmin

  1. Go to Account Manager → Add New User
  2. Fill in:
    • Username: Client's username (lowercase, no spaces)
    • Email: Client's email
    • Password: Strong password (client can change later)
    • Domain: Client's domain name
    • Package: Select hosting package
    • IP: Use shared IP
  3. Click Create
  4. The client account is created with its own DirectAdmin login

Automated account creation via WHMCS

Once WHMCS is connected:

  1. Client orders hosting through your website/WHMCS
  2. Client pays invoice
  3. WHMCS automatically creates the DirectAdmin account
  4. Client receives welcome email with login details

Step 7: Provide client login details

Give clients access to DirectAdmin:

  • DirectAdmin URL: Your WHMCS URL or server hostname
  • Username: Their DirectAdmin username
  • Password: Initial password (they should change it)
  • Nameservers: ns1.0724.co.za and ns2.0724.co.za (or your private nameservers)

Managing client accounts

View all accounts

  1. Go to Account Manager → List Accounts
  2. You will see all client accounts with:
    • Username, domain, package
    • Disk and bandwidth usage
    • Status (active, suspended)

Suspend an account

  1. Go to List Accounts
  2. Find the client account
  3. Click Suspend
  4. The account will be disabled (website offline, no DirectAdmin access)

Unsuspend an account

  1. Find the suspended account in List Accounts
  2. Click Unsuspend
  3. The account is restored immediately

Change a client's package

  1. Go to List Accounts
  2. Click Modify User
  3. Change the Package dropdown
  4. Click Save
  5. New resource limits apply immediately

Monitoring resource usage

View your reseller resource usage

  1. In DirectAdmin dashboard, view:
    • Disk Usage: Total used vs allocated
    • Bandwidth: Monthly bandwidth used
    • Domains: Number of accounts created
  2. Upgrade your reseller plan if approaching limits

View individual client usage

  1. Go to Account Manager → List Accounts
  2. View disk and bandwidth for each client
  3. Identify clients approaching their limits
  4. Upgrade their package or contact them

Pricing your hosting plans

Set prices that cover costs and provide profit margin:

Calculate costs

  • Reseller hosting plan cost (e.g., R500/month)
  • WHMCS licence (included free with 0724 Hosting)
  • Domain registration (if you include domains)
  • Your time for support and management

Example pricing structure

If your reseller plan costs R500/month:

  • Basic Plan: R150/month (break even at 4 clients, profit after)
  • Business Plan: R300/month
  • Professional Plan: R500/month

Adjust based on your target market and competition.

Support and technical knowledge

What you need to know

As a reseller, you should be familiar with:

  • DirectAdmin basics (creating accounts, managing email)
  • DNS and nameserver configuration
  • Basic website troubleshooting (DNS, FTP, databases)
  • Email setup and deliverability
  • WordPress installation and basic maintenance

What 0724 Hosting handles

  • Server maintenance and security updates
  • Server performance and uptime
  • Infrastructure-level issues
  • DirectAdmin software updates
  • Backup systems

Support channels

  • For resellers (you): Contact 0724 Hosting support for server/infrastructure issues
  • For your clients: You provide first-line support; escalate technical issues to us

Best practices for reseller hosting success

  • Start small: Begin with a few clients, learn the business, then scale up
  • Automate with WHMCS: Save time with automated billing and provisioning
  • Set clear expectations: Define what support you provide vs what clients must handle
  • Monitor usage: Keep an eye on resource usage to avoid running out of space
  • Backup client data: Use DirectAdmin backup features regularly
  • Stay organised: Keep track of client accounts, packages, and support requests
  • Provide value beyond hosting: Offer web design, SEO, maintenance services
  • Document processes: Create knowledge base articles for common client questions

Common challenges and solutions

Challenge: Running out of disk space

Solution: Monitor usage regularly, upgrade reseller plan before hitting limits, or limit client package sizes.

Challenge: Clients don't understand DNS

Solution: Offer to configure nameservers for clients, create simple guides, or include domain setup in your service.

Challenge: Managing support requests

Solution: Use WHMCS support ticket system, set clear support hours, create FAQ and knowledge base.

Challenge: Clients exceed package limits

Solution: Monitor usage, contact clients proactively, offer package upgrades, or suspend if necessary.

Next steps

  1. Review our client management guide
  2. Learn about white-label setup
  3. Configure WHMCS automation
  4. Create your first hosting package
  5. Sign up your first client

Getting help

If you need assistance setting up your reseller hosting, configuring WHMCS, creating packages, or managing clients, contact 0724 Hosting support. We provide dedicated reseller support including:

  • Initial reseller account setup and configuration
  • WHMCS installation and DirectAdmin integration
  • Private nameserver setup
  • Package configuration assistance
  • Technical troubleshooting and escalations