Dynamic DNS & Secure Access Configurator for cPanel Users

What is this tool for?

This tool generates a step-by-step setup guide for exposing a home or LAN service on the internet when:

Your public IP changes (typical with residential ISPs).
Your domain DNS is managed in cPanel Dynamic DNS.
You want a hostname (for example media.example.com) that always points to your current IP.

The guide covers four steps:

DDNS — keep your subdomain updated when your public IP changes.
Port forwarding — send traffic from your router to the correct machine on your LAN.
Reverse proxy (optional but recommended) — terminate HTTPS on a server with Nginx.
Let's Encrypt — obtain a free TLS certificate for your domain.

Who is this for?

Self-hosters running services like Jellyfin, Nextcloud, Home Assistant, or a personal website.
Users with cPanel hosting who can create a Dynamic DNS entry and copy its update URL.
Anyone comfortable running a few commands on Linux (Ubuntu/Debian examples are provided).

Before you start — create the DDNS entry in cPanel

Log in to cPanel for your domain.
Open Domains → Dynamic DNS.
Click Create and choose a subdomain (for example media.example.com).
Copy the generated Update URL (also called webcall URL). You will paste it into the form below.
Wait a minute, then confirm the record exists in cPanel DNS / Zone Editor.

Tips:

Run the DDNS update script on a machine that is usually online (your home server or a small always-on host).
Find your LAN IP with ip -4 addr or your router's DHCP/client list. Use the IP of the host running the service or reverse proxy.
If you use a reverse proxy, forward ports 80 and 443 to the proxy host — not necessarily to the app port.

Fill in the details for one service. You can submit again for additional hostnames.