Where to upload your website: public_html explained

The folder layout

/home/USERNAME/
├── domains/
│   └── yourdomain.co.uk/
│       ├── public_html/      ← your website
│       │   └── blog/         ← a subdomain's folder
│       ├── private_html/     ← HTTPS may use this or public_html
│       ├── logs/
│       └── stats/
├── imap/                     ← email storage
└── backups/                  ← backups you create

public_html is the web root

Anything in domains/yourdomain.co.uk/public_html is reachable in a browser:

The home page

The server looks for index.php or index.html in the folder. If neither exists, visitors get an error or a listing is refused.

The placeholder page

New accounts may include a placeholder index.html. Delete or replace it, or it may appear instead of your site. Seeing a default page instead of your website

Uploading a folder instead of its contents

If you upload a folder called mysite, the site appears at yourdomain.co.uk/mysite/. Move the contents into public_html so it appears at the root.

What shouldn’t be in public_html

• Configuration files with passwords, where the application allows them elsewhere
• Database exports and backup archives
• Private documents

Anything in the web root can potentially be downloaded. Keep private files one level up, in your home folder.

private_html

For HTTPS, DirectAdmin can use a separate private_html folder, which is normally linked to public_html so both serve the same files. Upload to public_html.