WebHostRight

Depending on what type of web hosting you are using, you may have fantastico included as part of your package or even if you dont have use of it you may have seen it being advertised as part of many web hosting packages available.

What it basically is, is a script library which makes it easier for you to install scripts to run on your account, and this may be a blogging script, or a forum script or a CMS script like Joomla for example, they are included as part of fantastico and if you dont like the thought of installing php scripts manually then this will come in very handy for you.

You will normally find fantastico in place when logged into the Cpanel ( control pnael ) of your hosting account and from there it will allow to to choose a script of your choice that is part of the library and enable you to install from there.

There is a downside to using fantastico and that being that the scripts wont neccessarily be updated immediately, so although there may be a recent update for wordpress for example, this most recent update will often not be updated within the fantastico library so if you install through fantastico then be aware that you may be installing a slightly older version of the script that you intend to use.

This may not concern you, but if the script updates are to address vulnerabilities and you install an older script because fantastico has not been updated through your hosting then you will be using a potentially insecure version of the website script.

Note: That is the scripts within the fantastico library may be “not up to date” and not that fantastico itself is not secure.

Which brings me to self installation, and the approach that i personally prefer and highly recommend.

Now at first you may think to yourself “Ive never installed a script on a web hosting account before, what the hell do i do” and understandably you may feel mildly intimidated by the process but i assure you that once you have installed one script on your hosting and completed it successfully it does get much easier.

Sure from time to time you can get the odd hiccup during installation and it can sometimes be hosting issues but generally it will give you confidence and more understanding of how things are setup and will give you added appreciation for web site and web hosting security, that is if you do it correctly and follow instructions that are usually included with scripts that you download to use on your web hosting account.

Also you wont be limited to the scripts offered within fantastico, so this will give you more freedom to choose a script that you want to use, as long as the script is suitable and compatible with your web hosting account features.

So there is no right or wrong way, you can see the benefits from either installation method, you may prefer to carry on performing your installs through fantastico and thats fine, but if you would rather have the choice to use the most updated versions of website scripts then you may find yourself feeling more comfortable with self installation.

If you go for self installation then just take your time, read all instructions carefully, always pay special attention to any actions regarding security and if you get confused at any point then there is usually plenty of helpful advice and guidance both on blogs like this one and on forums associated with many particular website scripts.