Install Plesk on a Linux VPS

This guide explains how to install Plesk Obsidian on your Linux VPS. Plesk is a complete control panel that allows you to easily manage your websites, databases, emails, domains and much more.

📋 Prerequisites

• A Linux VPS with root or sudo access
• At least 1 GB of RAM (2 GB recommended)
• At least 10 GB of free disk space
• A stable Internet connection
• A domain name (optional but recommended)

⚠️ Important before installation

• Backup your data : Plesk installation may modify some system configurations
• Check ports : Plesk uses ports 8443 (HTTPS), 8880 (HTTP), 8447 (Plesk Installer)
• Installation time : Installation can take 15 to 30 minutes depending on your connection

🔧 Method 1: Automatic installation via script (Recommended)

Step 1: Download the installation script

Bash
# Download the official Plesk installation script
curl -o plesk-installer.sh https://installer.plesk.com/plesk-installer

Step 2: Make the script executable

Bash
chmod +x plesk-installer.sh

Step 3: Launch the installation

Bash
1# Installation with trial license (30 days)
2./plesk-installer.sh install plesk --release latest
3
4# Or installation with specific license
5./plesk-installer.sh install plesk --release latest --license-key YOUR_LICENSE_KEY

Step 4: Follow the installation

The installation will:

1. Download necessary packages
2. Install Plesk and its dependencies
3. Configure services

Do not close the SSH session during installation. This can take 15 to 30 minutes.

🔧 Method 2: Manual installation via repository

Step 1: Add Plesk repository

For Ubuntu/Debian:

Bash
1# Download and add GPG key
2wget -q -O - https://autoinstall.plesk.com/plesk.gpg | sudo apt-key add -
3
4# Add repository
5echo "deb https://autoinstall.plesk.com/ubuntu/ $(lsb_release -sc) all" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/plesk.list
6
7# Update package list
8sudo apt update

For CentOS/RHEL:

Bash
1# Add repository
2sudo tee /etc/yum.repos.d/plesk.repo <<EOF
3[PLESK_17_8_11]
4name=Plesk
5baseurl=https://autoinstall.plesk.com/centos_7-x86_64
6enabled=1
7gpgcheck=1
8gpgkey=https://autoinstall.plesk.com/plesk.gpg
9EOF
10
11# Update
12sudo yum update

Step 2: Install Plesk

For Ubuntu/Debian:

Bash
1# Installation with trial license
2sudo apt install plesk
3
4# Or with specific license
5sudo PLESK_LICENSE_KEY=YOUR_LICENSE_KEY apt install plesk

For CentOS/RHEL:

Bash
1# Installation with trial license
2sudo yum install plesk
3
4# Or with specific license
5sudo PLESK_LICENSE_KEY=YOUR_LICENSE_KEY yum install plesk

🔐 Step 3: Access Plesk for the first time

Get administrator credentials

After installation, Plesk automatically generates an administrator password. To retrieve it:

Bash
# Display administrator password
sudo plesk bin admin --show-password

Access Plesk interface

1. Open your web browser
2. Go to: https://YOUR_IP:8443
   • Replace YOUR_IP with your VPS IP address
   • Example: https://192.168.1.100:8443
3. Accept the SSL certificate warning (normal on first connection)
4. Log in with:
   • Username : admin
   • Password : The password displayed by the command above

First configuration

On your first login, Plesk will ask you to:

1. Change the administrator password
2. Configure basic settings
3. Accept license terms

🔒 Step 4: Configure firewall

Make sure necessary ports are open:

Bash
1# For UFW (Ubuntu/Debian)
2sudo ufw allow 8443/tcp  # HTTPS Plesk
3sudo ufw allow 8880/tcp  # HTTP Plesk
4sudo ufw allow 8447/tcp  # Plesk Installer
5sudo ufw allow 80/tcp    # HTTP
6sudo ufw allow 443/tcp   # HTTPS
7sudo ufw allow 21/tcp    # FTP
8sudo ufw allow 25/tcp    # SMTP
9sudo ufw allow 465/tcp   # SMTPS
10sudo ufw allow 587/tcp  # SMTP Submission
11sudo ufw allow 993/tcp  # IMAPS
12sudo ufw allow 995/tcp  # POP3S
13sudo ufw allow 3306/tcp # MySQL
14sudo ufw reload

🌐 Step 5: Configure a domain name (Optional but recommended)

Via Plesk interface

1. Log in to Plesk
2. Go to Tools & Settings → Server Settings
3. In Hostname, enter your domain name (e.g., panel.yourdomain.com)
4. Click OK

Via command line

Bash
# Configure hostname
sudo plesk bin server_pref --update -hostname panel.yourdomain.com

🔄 Step 6: Update Plesk

To keep Plesk up to date:

Bash
# Update Plesk
sudo plesk installer update

# Or via interface: Tools & Settings → Updates

📦 Recommended extensions

Plesk offers many extensions. Here are some useful ones:

• WordPress Toolkit : Simplified WordPress management
• Git : Git integration for your projects
• Docker : Docker support
• Node.js : Node.js support
• Let's Encrypt : Free SSL certificates

To install extensions:

1. Go to Tools & Settings → Extensions
2. Browse the catalog
3. Click Install for the desired extension

🔐 Securing Plesk

Change access port (Optional)

For more security, you can change the HTTPS port:

Bash
# Change HTTPS port (default 8443)
sudo plesk bin server_pref --update -admin-https-port 8444

Then open the new port in the firewall:

Bash
sudo ufw allow 8444/tcp

Enable two-factor authentication

1. Log in to Plesk
2. Go to Tools & Settings → Security Settings
3. Enable Two-Factor Authentication
4. Scan the QR code with your authentication app

❓ Common Issues

Cannot access Plesk

1. Check firewall : Make sure port 8443 is open
2. Check service : sudo systemctl status psa
3. Check logs : sudo tail -f /var/log/plesk/panel.log

Installation error

1. Check disk space : df -h
2. Check RAM : free -h
3. Check logs : sudo tail -f /var/log/plesk/install/autoinstaller3.log

Reset administrator password

Bash
# Reset admin password
sudo plesk bin admin --set-admin-password -passwd "YourNewPassword"

📝 Useful commands

Bash
1# Check Plesk status
2sudo systemctl status psa
3
4# Restart Plesk
5sudo systemctl restart psa
6
7# Stop Plesk
8sudo systemctl stop psa
9
10# Start Plesk
11sudo systemctl start psa
12
13# Check Plesk version
14sudo plesk version
15
16# Repair Plesk (in case of problem)
17sudo plesk repair installation

📞 Need Help?

If you encounter difficulties installing Plesk, please contact Infrawire support. Our team is available to help you.

Note : Plesk offers a 30-day trial license. After this period, you will need to purchase a license to continue using Plesk.