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CloudPanel cron jobs, logs and Varnish Cache

Three tools you'll use on every CloudPanel site: cron jobs for scheduled tasks, the Logs tab for troubleshooting, and Varnish Cache for fast page loads. Tested on CloudPanel 2.5.4, Ubuntu 24.04.

Part 1: Cron jobs
Open the site's Cron Jobs tab and click Add Cron Job. The Template menu fills in common schedules for you, from every minute to once a month, or you can type the five fields yourself: minute, hour, day, month and weekday.
   

Example: a real cron for WordPress. WordPress's built-in cron only runs when someone visits the site. Run it every 5 minutes with real cron instead:

• Template: Every 5 minutes (
  
  Code:Copy

  */5 * * * *
  )
  
• Command:
  
  Code:Copy

  php /home/SITE_USER/htdocs/YOUR_DOMAIN/wp-cron.php > /dev/null 2>&1

   

Then add this line to wp-config.php so WordPress doesn't also run it on page loads:

Code:Copy

define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true);

The job is saved and runs as the site user, with exactly the same permissions as the website.
   

Part 2: Logs
When something breaks, open the Logs tab. Choose the source (NGINX or PHP), the file (access or error) and how many lines to show, then click Update.
   

Each access-log line is one request: time, visitor IP, URL and status code. In our screenshot, a bot was probing for .env files (which can contain secrets) minutes after the site went live. That's normal on the internet, and a good reason to block bad bots in the site's Security tab.

Troubleshooting tip: for 500 errors or blank pages, check the PHP error log first; for 404s and redirects, the Nginx access log.

Part 3: Varnish Cache
Varnish stores finished pages in memory, so repeat visitors are served without running PHP at all. It's off by default; switch it on per site in the Varnish Cache tab.

• Cache Lifetime: how long pages are kept.
  
• Excluded Params: requests with these parameters bypass the cache (for example sessions).
  

   

When to use it: Varnish is a big win for blogs and content sites. For shops and member areas, test carefully: logged-in pages must never be cached for everyone. For WordPress, CloudPanel's CLP Varnish Cache plugin clears the cache when you publish.

Questions? Ask in CloudPanel Varnish Cache & Performance Support.

CloudPanel guide series

1. What is CloudPanel? Complete overview
   
2. CloudPanel system requirements
   
3. CloudPanel features: the complete list
   
4. How to create a PHP site
   
5. How to install free Let's Encrypt SSL
   
6. How to install WordPress (one-click)
   
7. Databases, users and phpMyAdmin
   
8. SSH, SFTP, FTP and File Manager
   
9. Cron jobs, logs and Varnish Cache (you are here)
   
10. Backups, firewall and Basic Auth