---
title: Web Hosting - Quickstart
description: This page shows you how to get started with Web Hosting.
tags: webhosting cpanel
dates:
  validation: 2025-07-17
  posted: 2021-05-26
---

Web Hosting is a service that allows individuals and organizations to make their website accessible on the internet. It involves storing website files and data on a server, which is connected to the internet and enables users to access the website through a web browser.

Scaleway provides several [Web Hosting plans](https://www.scaleway.com/en/web-hosting/) for individuals, professionals, and everyone in between.

All Scaleway Web Hosting plans use a user-friendly Web Hosting control panel tool.
This interface provides users with intuitive graphical navigation and quick access icons for configuring and monitoring their hosting solutions. With features like website publishing, database launching, email creation, and file management, users can efficiently manage their hosting tasks through this interface, ensuring elevated performance.
Scaleway provides Web Hosting plans with [cPanel](/webhosting/reference-content/cpanel-reference-content/) and WordPress. Check out our documentation on [Understanding cPanel](/webhosting/reference-content/understanding-differences-cpanel-plesk/).

## How to order a Web Hosting plan

### Web Hosting configuration

1. Click **Web Hosting** in the **Domains & Web Hosting** section of the side menu.
2. Click **+ Order Web Hosting** to order a Web Hosting plan. The Web Hosting configuration screen displays.
3. Select the region in which to create your Web Hosting.
4. Choose a management interface for your website's content and settings:

    - cPanel is a web-based control panel for managing web hosting accounts, emails, and websites through a graphical interface.

    - WordPress is a user-friendly content management system (CMS) that lets you create, edit, and manage your website without needing to code or technical skills.
        <Message type="important">
         **If you choose WordPress as your management interface:**

         - You will receive a direct access link to your email box
         - Each WordPress hosting plan supports **only one website**
         - You cannot create additional databases beyond the one that is automatically provided
         - Find out more about what the WordPress plan includes in the [Web Hosting FAQ](/webhosting/faq/)
        </Message>
5. Choose your hosting plan based on your needs.
6. Configure options:
     - Enable backup: for daily automated backups of your website, emails, and databases. Retains backups for three days, with a full weekly backup retained for two months.
     - Dedicated IP: for improving email reputation and SSL setup.
7. Enter your email address. We will send you your password to access your management interface to this email address.
8. Click **Configure domain**.


### Domain configuration

**Choose one of the following option to define which domain you want to link to your Web Hosting.**

    <Tabs>
        <TabsTab label="Use free Scaleway subdomain">
        This option allows you to create and access your Web Hosting service immediately, without needing to add a custom domain. You can later configure a personalized domain via cPanel if you wish.

            1. Enter a subdomain.

            2. Click the search icon to confirm.

            3. Click **Order Web Hosting**.
        </TabsTab>
        <TabsTab label="Use my own domain">
        This option allows you to use your own domain and skip the subdomain selection. A random subdomain will automatically be assigned in parallel to your custom domain. This ensures that your website remains accessible at all times via the assigned subdomain, even if your custom domain is not yet configured.

                Choose between **External domain or register later**, and **Scaleway domain** to add your website domain.
                <Message type="tip">
                 Click the arrow next to each option below to view the purchase journey according to your choice.
                </Message>
            <Accordion>
            <h2 id="external-domain">
                <span>
                 External domain or register later
                </span>
            </h2>
            <p>
                1. Tick **External domain or register later**.
                2. Enter your **domain name** or the name of the domain you plan to register.
                    <Message type="note">
                        [Read our documentation](/domains-and-dns/how-to/register-internal-domain/) to find out how to register a domain name.
                    </Message>
                3. Read the information banner about DNS records configuration.
                4. Click **Order Web Hosting**.
            </p>
            </Accordion>
            <Accordion>
            <h2 id="scaleway-domain">
                <span>
                Scaleway domain
                </span>
            </h2>
            <p>
                1. Tick **Scaleway domain**.
                2. Select your Scaleway domain in the drop-down.
                    <Message type="tip">
                    If you just registered your Scaleway domain and cannot see it displayed in the drop-down, click **Reload list**.
                    </Message>
                3. Tick **Use a subdomain** if you want to use an existing subdomain or to create a new one.
                    <Message type="tip">
                        You can use a subdomain if you want to create a separate section of your website, such as a blog, or shop, if you are not using the main domain for this project.

                        For example, if your main website is `my-cookies.com`, you could use a subdomain like `recipes.my-cookies.com` to create a separate section for sharing cookie recipes, while keeping your main site focused on selling cookies.
                    </Message>
                4. Enter the name of your existing subdomain or a new name to create a subdomain.
                5. Choose between **Automatic DNS configuration** and **Advanced DNS configuration**.
                6. Click **Order Web Hosting**.
            </p>
            </Accordion>
        </TabsTab>
    </Tabs>

## How to configure DNS for Web Hosting

To link your domain name with your Web Hosting plan you have to update the nameservers in the DNS configuration at your registrar. Nameservers are servers used to translate domain names into IP addresses. When you enter a URL in a browser, they show you where the website is located, instead of memorizing entire numerical sequences in the form of IP addresses.

<Message type="important">
  If you are migrating from another web hosting provider to Scaleway Web Hosting, you might need to [update your nameserver information](/webhosting/how-to/configure-dns-webhosting/) with the information available in your console.
</Message>

1. Click **Web Hosting** in the **Domains & Web Hosting** section of the [console](https://console.scaleway.com/) side menu. The **Web Hosting** overview page displays.
2. Click <Icon name="more" /> or the domain name of the Web Hosting you want to configure. The **Hosting information** page displays.
3. Click the **DNS verification** tab. The DNS configuration page displays.
4. Update your DNS servers. Two options are available:
    - Use Scaleway's DNS servers.
        We provide DNS servers for your Web Hosting plan that contain all required DNS configuration. To use these nameservers, update the nameservers associated with your domain name with the servers provided by Scaleway.
    - Manual DNS update (advanced).
        If you prefer to continue using your current DNS servers, update the DNS zone at your registrar with all DNS records provided.
    <Message type="note">
        It can take 24 to 48 hours until your DNS updates are propagated on the internet.
    </Message>
5. Click **Verify domain** once you have updated your DNS configuration to launch the DNS verification process. Once the process is complete, a green check with the text **Configured** will display next to the nameservers and records to configure.

## How to access your hosting dashboard from the Scaleway console

Your hosting dashboard is the admin interface where you can manage your website's content and settings.

<Message type="tip">
    You can manage your [email accounts](/webhosting/how-to/manage-email-accounts/), [databases](/webhosting/how-to/manage-databases/), and [FTP accounts](/webhosting/how-to/manage-ftp-accounts/) directly from the Scaleway console.
</Message>

1. Click **Web Hosting** in the **Domains & Web Hosting** section of the [console](https://console.scaleway.com/) side menu. The **Web Hosting** overview page displays.
2. Click <Icon name="more" /> and **More info**, or the domain name of the Web Hosting plan you want to configure. The **Overview** tab displays information about your Web Hosting, such as your credentials to access your hosting dashboard.
3. Click **Open hosting dashboard** in the **Hosting information** section of the page. The cPanel or WordPress hosting dashboard opens in a new tab.
    <Message type="tip">
     Retrieve your username under **Main user name** in the **Hosting information** section and your password in the **Initial password** section.
    </Message>

## How to create a mailbox from the Scaleway console

1. Click **Web Hosting** in the **Domains & Web Hosting** section of the [console](https://console.scaleway.com/) side menu. The **Web Hosting** overview page displays.
2. Click <Icon name="more" /> and **More info**, or the domain name of the Web Hosting service you want to configure. The **Hosting information** page displays.
3. Click the **Emails** tab to display information related to your email accounts.
4. Click **Create email account** to create a new one. A pop-up displays.
5. Select the domain you want to associate the email account with from the drop-down list, then enter a username and password.
    <Message type="tip">
        The username is the part of your email address in front of the `@`.
    </Message>
6. Click **Create email account** to confirm the action and create the account.

    <Message type="tip">
     To access webmail for the email account, click **Access webmail** next to the email account.
    </Message>

## How to access the webmail interface from the Scaleway console

You can access the webmail platform for your Web Hosting directly from your Scaleway console.

1. Click **Web Hosting** in the **Domains & Web Hosting** section of the [console](https://console.scaleway.com/) side menu. The **Web Hosting** overview page displays.
2. Click <Icon name="more" /> and **More info**, or the domain name of the Web Hosting service you want to configure. The **Hosting information** page displays.
3. Click the **Emails** tab to display information related to your email accounts.
4. Click **Access webmail** next to the email address you want to access. The webmail interface displays in a new browser tab.

<Message type="tip">
 - Find out how to access cPanel, create a mailbox, access your webmail interface from cPanel, and more, in the [documentation dedicated to managing a cPanel Web Hosting](/webhosting/how-to/manage-cpanel-webhosting/)
 - Find out how to access WordPress, create a mailbox, access your WordPress webmail interface, and access your backups in the [documentation dedicated to managing a WordPress Web Hosting](/webhosting/how-to/manage-wordpress-webhosting/)
</Message>