Fantastico The Original Script Autoinstaller and cPanel

Many years ago, before cPanel added its Script Library feature, Netenberg (at the time called cpanelthemes.com) came up with a way to make it easier for end users to install and remove web scripts. This was soon imitated by cPanel and other third-party developers, but Fantastico has evolved to maintain its lead over competitors. It remains the leading third-party add-on. Installing scripts by yourself can be a bit daunting if you don't know what you are doing. Fantastico takes all the hard work out of installing many popular scripts. Just select an item you want to install, answer a few simple questions, and then follow the instructions you are given to access your new script(s). Fantastico can both install and remove any script it supports. Fantastico also improves on cPanel's Script Library by offering features like the ability to install scripts directly in public_html, direct subdomain installation, tracking of all installed scripts from a single screen, automated backup of scripts before upgrading them, notification of out-of-date scripts, and so on. To learn more about Fantastico visit http://netenberg.com/fantastico.php.

Please note that while Fantastico does offer the ability to upgrade a current Fantastico-installed version of a script to a newer version (when a new version of the script is added to Fantastico) it will remove any custom modifications you may have made to the script (although all settings will be preserved). If you don't want to lose your special modifications, visit the website of the people who maintain the script you want to update (not Netenberg's website) and look for an upgrade from your current version to whatever the latest version is.

When you click on the Fantastico icon, if you have any Fantastico-installed scripts that Fantastico has a newer version of, you will be prompted to upgrade your older versions. Fantastico upgrades work by completely backing up your current version of the installed script (including the MySQL database if needed) and then installing a clean copy of the new script and then importing all your old settings and MySQL database data. If the import goes well, then the old script is deleted and the backup retained, just in case. You can use this compressed backup to manually downgrade later if needed or to copy over modifications from your old install to your new install. This backup will be kept for a while and then Fantastico will prompt you to delete the backup if you no longer want/need it. This makes the upgrade process very safe.

Fantastico's interface is available in a number of languages (see the option in the Extras area). Choosing a language here only affects the text in Fantastico's interface (and e-mails). It does not affect what language the script you've chosen is installed in. Each script may or may not have languages other than English available, but this depends on the developer of the script and not Fantastico.

After installation, Fantastico offers to send an e-mail with the installation details to an e-mail address you specify. This e-mail contains a handy reminder of what was installed and where it was installed so you can refer to it later. Fantastico is updated often with new versions of scripts, additional features, or new scripts, so it is a good idea to click Fantastico often to see if there is anything new available.

Web hosts and resellers have the ability to upgrade a customer's installed scripts via Fantastico by logging into the cPanel account with their reseller or root password and selecting a script to upgrade in Fantastico. Web hosts and resellers cannot install new scripts, only upgrade or remove existing scripts unless they know their customer's cPanel password.

Autoinstaller: More Scripts for cPanel's Script Library

Autoinstaller by cpSkins.com is an alternative to Fantastico. It offers many of the same scripts as Fantastico as well as a few extra. It relies on the standard cPanel Scripts Library installer interface and therefore is compatible with any theme that supports the Scripts Library feature. However, it also shares the Scripts Library limitations (you cannot install the scripts in web root and they cannot be installed in subdomains). Autoinstaller scripts are updated periodically, so you should check the installation page in Scripts Library for updates. Autoinstaller does not back up scripts that it updates, so you should make a backup before trying to apply any update.

OpenInstaller: Additional Script Library Scripts, for Free

OpenInstaller (http://openinstaller.com/) is yet another project that offers more scripts for the cPanel Scripts Library. The OpenInstaller script installer modules are free, but are rarely updated.