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
Bashchmod +x plesk-installer.sh
Step 3: Launch the installation
Bash# Installation with trial license (30 days) ./plesk-installer.sh install plesk --release latest # Or installation with specific license ./plesk-installer.sh install plesk --release latest --license-key YOUR_LICENSE_KEY
Step 4: Follow the installation
The installation will:
- Download necessary packages
- Install Plesk and its dependencies
- 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# Download and add GPG key wget -q -O - https://autoinstall.plesk.com/plesk.gpg | sudo apt-key add - # Add repository echo "deb https://autoinstall.plesk.com/ubuntu/ $(lsb_release -sc) all" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/plesk.list # Update package list sudo apt update
For CentOS/RHEL:
Bash# Add repository sudo tee /etc/yum.repos.d/plesk.repo <<EOF [PLESK_17_8_11] name=Plesk baseurl=https://autoinstall.plesk.com/centos_7-x86_64 enabled=1 gpgcheck=1 gpgkey=https://autoinstall.plesk.com/plesk.gpg EOF # Update sudo yum update
Step 2: Install Plesk
For Ubuntu/Debian:
Bash# Installation with trial license sudo apt install plesk # Or with specific license sudo PLESK_LICENSE_KEY=YOUR_LICENSE_KEY apt install plesk
For CentOS/RHEL:
Bash# Installation with trial license sudo yum install plesk # Or with specific license sudo 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
- Open your web browser
- Go to:
https://YOUR_IP:8443- Replace
YOUR_IPwith your VPS IP address - Example:
https://192.168.1.100:8443
- Replace
- Accept the SSL certificate warning (normal on first connection)
- Log in with:
- Username :
admin - Password : The password displayed by the command above
- Username :
First configuration
On your first login, Plesk will ask you to:
- Change the administrator password
- Configure basic settings
- Accept license terms
🔒 Step 4: Configure firewall
Make sure necessary ports are open:
Bash# For UFW (Ubuntu/Debian) sudo ufw allow 8443/tcp # HTTPS Plesk sudo ufw allow 8880/tcp # HTTP Plesk sudo ufw allow 8447/tcp # Plesk Installer sudo ufw allow 80/tcp # HTTP sudo ufw allow 443/tcp # HTTPS sudo ufw allow 21/tcp # FTP sudo ufw allow 25/tcp # SMTP sudo ufw allow 465/tcp # SMTPS sudo ufw allow 587/tcp # SMTP Submission sudo ufw allow 993/tcp # IMAPS sudo ufw allow 995/tcp # POP3S sudo ufw allow 3306/tcp # MySQL sudo ufw reload
🌐 Step 5: Configure a domain name (Optional but recommended)
Via Plesk interface
- Log in to Plesk
- Go to Tools & Settings → Server Settings
- In Hostname, enter your domain name (e.g.,
panel.yourdomain.com) - 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:
- Go to Tools & Settings → Extensions
- Browse the catalog
- 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:
Bashsudo ufw allow 8444/tcp
Enable two-factor authentication
- Log in to Plesk
- Go to Tools & Settings → Security Settings
- Enable Two-Factor Authentication
- Scan the QR code with your authentication app
❓ Common Issues
Cannot access Plesk
- Check firewall : Make sure port 8443 is open
- Check service :
sudo systemctl status psa - Check logs :
sudo tail -f /var/log/plesk/panel.log
Installation error
- Check disk space :
df -h - Check RAM :
free -h - 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# Check Plesk status sudo systemctl status psa # Restart Plesk sudo systemctl restart psa # Stop Plesk sudo systemctl stop psa # Start Plesk sudo systemctl start psa # Check Plesk version sudo plesk version # Repair Plesk (in case of problem) sudo 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.