White-labeling means your clients never know who provides the actual infrastructure. They see your brand, your portal, your support. You're the hosting company in their eyes.
What White-Labeling Includes
| Component | White-Labeled | Visible to Client |
|---|---|---|
| Server hardware | Provider's | Hidden |
| Control panel | Provider's (branded) | Your brand name |
| Support portal | Your own | Your brand |
| Billing system | WHMCS (branded) | Your brand |
| Domain | yourbrand.com | Your domain |
| DNS nameservers | Custom ns1.yourbrand.com | Your brand |
Setting Up Your Brand
Custom Nameservers
Instead of clients pointing domains to ns1.provider.com, they point to ns1.yourbrand.com:
ns1.yourbrand.com -> Provider's NS IP
ns2.yourbrand.com -> Provider's NS IP
Register these as glue records with your domain registrar. Clients never see the upstream provider.
Branded Control Panel
cPanel and DirectAdmin support branding:
- Custom logos and color schemes
- Custom help links pointing to your knowledge base
- Custom branding in email headers
- White-labeled login pages
Custom WHMCS Theme
WHMCS powers your client portal. Customize:
- Logo and color scheme
- Email templates with your branding
- Invoice templates
- Support ticket appearance
- Client area layout
Complete Brand Experience
Client Journey
- Client visits yourbrand.com
- Chooses a hosting plan
- Pays through your WHMCS portal
- Receives welcome email from your brand
- Logs into yourportal.yourbrand.com
- Gets support through your ticket system
- Points their domain to ns1.yourbrand.com
At no point does the upstream provider's name appear.
Email Branding
Configure all system emails to come from your domain:
Use your own SMTP server or a transactional email service (Mailgun, Postmark).
Technical Setup
DNS Configuration
ns1.yourbrand.com -> 185.xxx.xxx.1
ns2.yourbrand.com -> 185.xxx.xxx.2
cpanel.yourbrand.com -> Shared hosting IP
portal.yourbrand.com -> WHMCS server
SSL for Everything
Every branded subdomain needs SSL:
- portal.yourbrand.com (WHMCS)
- webmail.yourbrand.com (Roundcube/Horde)
- cpanel.yourbrand.com (control panel)
Use Let's Encrypt for free SSL across all subdomains.
Choosing a Provider for White-Labeling
| Feature | Must Have | Nice to Have |
|---|---|---|
| Custom nameservers | Yes | - |
| Brandable control panel | Yes | - |
| No provider branding | Yes | - |
| WHMCS integration | Yes | - |
| API for automation | - | Yes |
| Custom error pages | - | Yes |
Space-Node's reseller hosting supports full white-labeling. Custom nameservers, branded control panels, and no Space-Node branding visible to your clients.
The Professional Touch
Small details that make your brand feel established:
- Custom 404 and error pages (not the default cPanel page)
- Branded Webmail login
- Professional email signatures on support replies
- A help center at help.yourbrand.com
- Social media presence matching your hosting brand
White-labeling turns a reseller account into a brand that clients trust and recommend. The investment is mostly time (setting up branding), not money.
