There are three practical ways to get your website onto Fast Hive shared hosting: the browser-based cPanel File Manager, an FTP or SFTP client such as FileZilla, and SSH with SFTP or rsync for larger sites. This guide walks through each one, explains where files must go, and covers the permission and path problems that cause most "my site shows a blank page" tickets.
Your website files must live in
public_html. Anything above that folder is not served to the web. For an addon domain the folder is usually public_html/addondomain.com, and your homepage file must be named index.html or index.php.
Method 1 - cPanel File Manager
Best for small sites, single-file fixes and anyone who would rather not install software.
- Log in to cPanel from My Products & Services.
- Under Files, open File Manager.
- Double-click public_html in the left-hand tree.
- Click Upload in the toolbar. A new tab opens.
- Drag your files in, or click Select File. Wait for every progress bar to reach 100%.
- Click Go Back to… at the bottom, then press Reload to see the new files.
Uploading a whole site as a ZIP (much faster)
Uploading 2,000 individual files through a browser is slow and error-prone. Upload one archive instead:
- On your computer, compress your site into a single
.zipfile. Compress the contents of your site folder, not the folder itself, or everything will end up one level too deep. - Upload the ZIP into
public_html. - Select the ZIP, click Extract in the toolbar, confirm the destination path and click Extract Files.
- Delete the ZIP afterwards so it is not publicly downloadable.
Method 2 - FTP and SFTP with FileZilla
Best for ongoing development, large sites and anything you upload more than once.
Connection settings
| Setting | FTP over TLS | SFTP (recommended) |
|---|---|---|
| Host | yourdomain.com | yourdomain.com |
| Protocol | FTP – File Transfer Protocol | SFTP – SSH File Transfer Protocol |
| Encryption | Require explicit FTP over TLS | Built in |
| Port | 21 | 22 |
| User | Your cPanel username, or a dedicated FTP user | Your cPanel username |
Every Fast Hive shared plan includes SSH and SFTP with key-based authentication, so SFTP is available to you from day one. Use it in preference to plain FTP.
Creating a dedicated FTP account
Never hand your main cPanel password to a contractor. Create a scoped account instead:
- In cPanel, open Files → FTP Accounts.
- Enter a Log In name and a strong password.
- Set Directory to the exact folder they need, for example
public_html/staging. This becomes the account's root; they cannot climb above it. - Set a quota if you want one, then click Create FTP Account.
- Delete the account the moment the work is finished.
Method 3 - SSH, SFTP keys and rsync
Best for large sites, repeat deployments and anyone comfortable at a terminal. Key-based authentication is enabled on every plan.
Generate a key pair on your own machine with ssh-keygen -t ed25519. There is no SSH key manager tile in cPanel on shared hosting, so open a ticket with Technical Support, paste the contents of your public key file (.pub) and ask for it to be authorised on your account. Never send the private key. Once it is in place, deploy with:
# Mirror a local build directory into public_html
rsync -avz --delete ./dist/ cpaneluser@yourdomain.com:~/public_html/
# Or copy a single file
scp index.php cpaneluser@yourdomain.com:~/public_html/--delete. It removes anything on the server that is not in your local folder, which will happily delete user uploads, cached assets and configuration files. Take a backup first, or leave the flag off until you are certain.
File and folder permissions
Wrong permissions cause both "500 Internal Server Error" and "403 Forbidden". The safe defaults on shared hosting are:
| Item | Permission | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Directories | 755 | Readable and traversable by the web server. |
| Files | 644 | Readable, not writable by others. |
| Config files with credentials | 600 | For example wp-config.php or .env. |
| Anything | 777 | Never. It is not required on Fast Hive servers and it is a direct security risk. If a tutorial tells you to use 777, it is wrong. |
To change permissions in File Manager, right-click the item and choose Change Permissions. Over SSH:
cd ~/public_html
find . -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;
find . -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Cause and fix |
|---|---|
| Files uploaded, but the browser still shows the default holding page | A leftover index.html is being served ahead of your index.php. Delete or rename the placeholder file. |
| Site shows a directory listing instead of a page | There is no index file in that folder, or it is named something else such as Index.html with a capital I. Linux paths are case sensitive. |
Site loads at yourdomain.com/mysite/ only |
You zipped the folder rather than its contents. Move everything up one level into public_html and delete the empty folder. |
| 403 Forbidden | Directory permissions are below 755, or a stray .htaccess has a deny rule. Fix permissions first, then inspect .htaccess. |
| 500 Internal Server Error | Usually a file or directory set to 777, or a syntax error in .htaccess. Rename .htaccess temporarily to confirm. |
| FileZilla connects, then hangs on "Retrieving directory listing" | Passive-mode ports are blocked by your local firewall. In FileZilla, go to Settings → Connection → FTP and switch between Passive and Active, or move to SFTP on port 22, which uses one port only. |
| Uploads fail part-way, repeatedly | Check your disk usage in cPanel. If the account is at its ceiling, remove old backups and archives first. |
Hidden files like .htaccess are invisible |
In File Manager click Settings (top right) and tick Show Hidden Files (dotfiles). In FileZilla use Server → Force showing hidden files. |
Frequently asked questions
Should I use FTP or SFTP?
SFTP, always, when you have the choice. Plain FTP sends your password in clear text. SFTP is included on every Fast Hive shared plan and uses a single encrypted connection on port 22.
What is the maximum file size I can upload?
File Manager uploads are limited by PHP settings and by your browser's patience. For anything over a few hundred megabytes, use SFTP or rsync, which have no such limit and can resume interrupted transfers.
Where do addon and subdomain files go?
cPanel creates the folder for you when you add the domain, normally public_html/addondomain.com. Check the exact path under Domains in cPanel before uploading.
Can Fast Hive move my existing site for me?
Yes. Migration from another host is free. Open a ticket with Technical Support with your current host's cPanel details and our team will handle the transfer.
