Plesk is a commercial web hosting data center automation software developed for commercial hosting service providers. Plesk was designed to be compatible with Linux and Windows hosting services, to install and manage web hosting systems and applications on a single server. The control panel is designed to simplify the management and administration of the websites by automating various tasks on a single server.
Plesk's control panel allows a server administrator to set up new websites, reseller accounts, e-mail accounts, and DNS entries through a web-based interface. The administrator can create client and site templates, which predetermine resource-allocation parameters for the domains and/or clients.
1. Installation
Before the installation, make sure that your chosen OS is supported by Plesk. You can check all the requirements (including OS) here.
There are different options for installing Plesk on your server (make sure you have a license). One of the recommended options is One-Click installation. You can check our guide to install Plesk via One-Click (Linux OS only).
You can see all the installation options in the official Plesk documentation.
2. Plesk initial set up
Plesk uses 8443 port, so to connect to control panel for the first time on your internet browser enter:
https://server's address:8443
Log in as:
• root on Linux, with your server root password (you can find it client area);
• Administrator on Windows, with your server Administrator password (you can find it client area).
After the first login, Plesk will guide you through initial configuration.
First, you must accept the Plesk license agreement to proceed:
Depending on how Plesk was installed, you may see one or more of the following forms:
Basic server settings:
• Set the server’s full hostname;
• Choose the default IP address;
• Mark which IPs are shared and which are dedicated;
• Create a new Plesk administrator password.Administrator details:
You’ll be asked to provide your contact information before you can continue.Interface mode:
Choose how you plan to use the server and select one of the two Plesk interface layouts:
• Power User view: for managing your own sites or sites you manage on behalf of clients;
• Service Provider view: for hosting providers who sell plans to customers and let them manage their own sites.License
Add your Plesk license key. You can upload it as a .ZIP or .XML file, or enter the activation code.First subscription (only if you chose Power User view)
If you’re using Power User view, you’ll be prompted to create your first subscription by entering:
• Domain name;
• IP address;
• System user username and password (for file/SSH access).
Please note that this depends on how Plesk was installed. Some of the forms described above may not appear in your setup.
3. Adding the main domain
After the initial setup is complete, on your first login, you will be present with a window to add your first and main domain:
Click "Add Domain". You will see different options to create a website:
Choose one of the options and enter your domain. After you entered the domain, click "Webspace settings" to see and save system user credentials to to access hosted files over FTP and SSH:
Then click "Add Domain" to continue.
In our example, we selected the Wordpress. In this case, once domain is added, you will see the window with Wordpress settings (General, database, automatic update settings). You can edit them if you want and then click "Install":
Then, wait while installation process is completed:
Once installation is completed, you will see the page where you can manage your website (in our case Wordpress website):
Some steps may look different if you chose a different method to create a website (blank website, node.js, laravel, etc.).
4. Adding the new user account to Plesk
On the left menu choose "Users":
Then press the button "Create User Account":
Fill the form and create your new user:
5. Adding email account
On the left side menu, choose "Mail" and then you will be present with a window to cretate email address:
Click "Create Email Address" and then enter your new email account details:
After that, your new email account will appear on the "Mail" page in Plesk, where you can manage it.
6. Adding new FTP user
On the left side menu, choose "Websites & Domains", then choose your website, click "Dashboard" and then "FTP"
Then click "Add an FTP Account":
Enter credentials for the new FTP user:
7. Adding database
On the left side menu, choose "Databases", then "Add Database" button on the top.
Then enter details for the new database and click "Create Database":
8. Adding additional domain
On the left side menu, choose "Website & Domains", then "Add Domain" button on the top. Then, the process to add additional domain is the same as for the main one (described in the 3 step).
9. Password reset
Plesk UI: On the left, select "My Profile" and then in the "Plesk Preferences" enter your old password and the new password you want to set. Then confirm password and save the changes.
Note. "*****" should be replaced with your actual new password.
For more information about Plesk for you Linux or Windows hosting, contact our 24/7 customer support or check the official Plesk documentation.