A hosting control panel is a collection of software instruments that you can access from a web browser to take care of your online content. Since you will get a graphic point-and-click interface, you could use these tools to execute various tasks easier than if you have to type complex commands in a command line. All control panels allow you to do some basic things such as controlling your files, e-mail addresses and databases or opening statistics and logs, however some of them are much easier to use than others and include more attributes which can save you time and efforts. In this light, the control panel that you will receive with a new web hosting account can really make a difference, which means that you should check it and see whether it will provide what you need before you sign up for the service.