What are user accounts in reseller hosting?

As a reseller, you create user accounts for each of your hosting clients. Each user account is a separate hosting environment with its own DirectAdmin login, email accounts, databases, files, and resource limits defined by the package you assign.

User accounts vs your reseller account:

  • Your reseller account: Master account with access to create and manage multiple users
  • User accounts: Individual hosting accounts you create for your clients
  • Each user gets: Their own DirectAdmin login, control panel access, and isolated hosting environment
  • You control: Resource limits, package assignments, suspension status, and access

Accessing account management

Step 1: Log in to DirectAdmin reseller

  1. Log in to WHMCS at https://ca.0724.co.za
  2. Go to Services → My Services
  3. Click your reseller hosting service
  4. Click Log in to DirectAdmin

Step 2: Navigate to account manager

  1. In DirectAdmin, click Account Manager in the left sidebar
  2. You will see options to add users, list users, and manage packages

Creating a new user account

Step 1: Start account creation

  1. Click Account Manager → Add New User
  2. You will see the user creation form

Step 2: Enter user details

Username:

  • Must be lowercase letters and numbers only
  • No spaces or special characters (except underscore)
  • Usually the client's company name or domain name
  • Example: acmecorp or johndoe
  • Cannot be changed after creation

Email address:

  • Client's contact email (not an email on the hosting account)
  • Used for DirectAdmin notifications and password resets
  • Example: admin@clientdomain.co.za

Password:

  • DirectAdmin login password for the user
  • Must be strong (8+ characters, mixed case, numbers, symbols)
  • Provide this to your client securely
  • User can change it after logging in

Domain:

  • Primary domain name for the account
  • Example: clientdomain.co.za
  • Must be a valid domain that you will point to your hosting server
  • Becomes the main website domain for this account

Step 3: Select package

  • Choose from packages you created earlier
  • Package determines disk space, bandwidth, email limits, databases, etc.
  • See Creating Hosting Packages for package setup
  • You can modify individual limits after account creation if needed

Step 4: Select IP address

  • Shared IP (recommended): User shares IP with other accounts (standard for most hosting)
  • Dedicated IP: User gets unique IP address (required for some SSL scenarios, costs extra)
  • Most accounts should use shared IP
  • Dedicated IPs must be purchased from 0724 Hosting separately

Step 5: Create account

  1. Review all settings
  2. Click Create Account or Submit
  3. DirectAdmin creates the account (takes 5-10 seconds)
  4. You will see a confirmation with login details

Step 6: Provide credentials to client

Send your client the following information:

  • DirectAdmin URL: Usually https://serverXX.0724.co.za:2222 (check your server details)
  • Username: The username you created
  • Password: The password you set
  • Nameservers: ns1.practiwebs.co.za and ns2.practiwebs.co.za (for DNS)
  • FTP/SFTP host: Their domain name or server hostname
  • Email settings: IMAP port 993, SMTP port 465 (SSL/TLS)

Viewing and listing user accounts

List all users:

  1. Go to Account Manager → List Users
  2. You will see all user accounts you have created
  3. View: username, domain, disk usage, bandwidth usage, package, status

Account information shown:

  • Username: Account username
  • Domain: Primary domain
  • Disk Usage: Current disk space used / allocated
  • Bandwidth: Current monthly bandwidth used / allocated
  • Package: Assigned package name
  • Status: Active, suspended, or deleted
  • IP: Shared or dedicated IP address

Modifying user accounts

Change account settings:

  1. Go to Account Manager → List Users
  2. Find the user you want to modify
  3. Click Modify or the username
  4. You can change:
    • Email address
    • Package assignment
    • Disk quota
    • Bandwidth quota
    • Email limits
    • Database limits
    • Domain limits
    • Feature access (SSH, CGI, PHP, SSL, etc.)
  5. Click Save to apply changes

Override package limits:

You can set custom limits for individual users that override package defaults:

  • Increase disk space for a high-usage client
  • Give extra databases to a client running multiple WordPress sites
  • Reduce bandwidth if a client is exceeding fair use
  • Enable SSH for a specific user while keeping it disabled in the package

Changing user passwords

Reset user password:

  1. Go to Account Manager → List Users
  2. Find the user
  3. Click Change Password or Modify User
  4. Enter new password (or generate random password)
  5. Click Save
  6. Securely provide new password to client

Note: Users can change their own passwords from their DirectAdmin login. Only reset passwords when clients forget them or for security reasons.

Suspending and unsuspending users

Suspend a user account:

Suspending disables access to DirectAdmin, email, FTP, and websites. Use when:

  • Client has not paid their invoice
  • Account is being used for abuse or violates terms of service
  • Client requested temporary suspension

To suspend:

  1. Go to Account Manager → List Users
  2. Find the user
  3. Click Suspend
  4. Confirm suspension
  5. Account is immediately disabled

Unsuspend a user account:

  1. Go to Account Manager → List Users
  2. Find the suspended user (marked as suspended)
  3. Click Unsuspend
  4. Confirm unsuspension
  5. Account is immediately reactivated

What happens when suspended:

  • Website shows suspension page
  • Email stops working (bounce messages)
  • DirectAdmin login disabled
  • FTP/SFTP access disabled
  • Databases remain intact but inaccessible
  • Files are not deleted

Deleting user accounts

Before deleting:

  • Backup first: Download any important data before deletion
  • Permanent action: Deleted accounts cannot be recovered
  • Releases resources: Disk space and bandwidth allocation returned to your reseller pool

To delete a user:

  1. Go to Account Manager → List Users
  2. Find the user
  3. Click Delete
  4. Confirm deletion (usually requires typing username or confirming checkbox)
  5. Account is permanently deleted

What gets deleted:

  • All website files
  • All email accounts and messages
  • All databases
  • All DNS records
  • DirectAdmin login
  • Everything associated with the account

Logging in as a user

You can log in to a user account directly to troubleshoot or configure settings on behalf of your client:

Login as user:

  1. Go to Account Manager → List Users
  2. Find the user
  3. Click Login as User or similar option
  4. You are logged in to their DirectAdmin panel
  5. Make necessary changes
  6. Log out to return to your reseller panel

Use cases:

  • Help client set up email accounts
  • Install WordPress or applications for them
  • Troubleshoot configuration issues
  • Perform migrations or updates

Viewing user statistics and resource usage

Check individual user usage:

  1. Go to Account Manager → List Users
  2. View disk and bandwidth columns for each user
  3. Click username to see detailed statistics

User statistics available:

  • Disk space usage: Files, databases, email storage
  • Bandwidth usage: Monthly data transfer (resets each month)
  • Email accounts: How many created vs limit
  • Databases: Number of databases vs limit
  • Domains: Addon domains and subdomains
  • Inodes: Total files and folders (inode count)

Monitor for abuse or overuse:

  • Users approaching disk or bandwidth limits
  • Sudden spikes in usage (may indicate compromise or abuse)
  • High inode counts (excessive files can slow server)
  • Contact users to upgrade packages or optimise usage

Changing user packages

Upgrade or downgrade a user:

  1. Go to Account Manager → List Users
  2. Click Modify User
  3. Change Package dropdown to new package
  4. Click Save
  5. New package limits apply immediately

Important when downgrading:

  • If user is over new limits, they receive "quota exceeded" errors
  • User must delete files/emails to get under new limit
  • Warn clients before downgrading packages

Managing user domains

Change primary domain:

You cannot directly change the primary domain after account creation, but you can:

  • Add the new domain as an addon domain
  • Move all files to the new domain's directory
  • Use domain pointers to make old domain redirect to new one
  • Or create a new account and migrate content

View user domains:

  • Log in as the user
  • View addon domains, subdomains, and pointers in their DirectAdmin

User account best practices

  • Use descriptive usernames: Makes account management easier (e.g., client company name)
  • Store credentials securely: Keep a record of usernames and initial passwords
  • Monitor resource usage: Check weekly for accounts approaching limits
  • Set realistic packages: Assign appropriate packages based on client needs
  • Communicate changes: Notify clients before modifying limits or suspending
  • Backup before deletion: Always backup accounts before deleting
  • Document client agreements: Keep notes on which clients are on which packages
  • Use suspension before deletion: Suspend first to allow grace period for payment

Common user management issues

Issue: Cannot create user account

  • Username already exists: Choose a different username
  • Out of reseller resources: You have allocated all disk/bandwidth - upgrade reseller plan
  • Invalid domain format: Ensure domain is properly formatted (domain.co.za, not www.domain.co.za)
  • Permission error: Ensure you are logged in as reseller, not regular user

Issue: User cannot log in to DirectAdmin

  • Check credentials: Verify username and password
  • Account suspended: Unsuspend the account
  • Wrong DirectAdmin URL: Provide correct server hostname and port (usually :2222)
  • Password expired or changed: Reset password

Issue: User exceeds disk quota

  • Upgrade package: Assign higher-tier package
  • Increase custom limit: Override package limit for this user
  • User cleanup: Ask client to delete old files, emails, or database backups
  • Check for issues: Large log files, forgotten backups, or compromised account

Issue: Cannot delete user account

  • DirectAdmin lock: Try suspending first, then deleting
  • Active processes: Wait a minute and try again
  • Permission issue: Ensure reseller permissions are correct

Automating user management with WHMCS

If you use WHMCS for billing and client management, you can automate user account creation:

  • WHMCS can automatically create DirectAdmin accounts when clients order
  • Automatically suspend accounts for non-payment
  • Automatically provision packages based on WHMCS products
  • Contact 0724 Hosting support for WHMCS integration assistance

Getting help with account management

If you need assistance managing user accounts, troubleshooting account issues, or setting up automation, contact 0724 Hosting support. We can help with:

  • Creating and configuring user accounts
  • Troubleshooting login or access issues
  • Account migrations from other resellers
  • Resource allocation and package optimisation
  • WHMCS integration and automation setup
  • Bulk account operations