Getting Started with Plesk Obsidian

This comprehensive section serves as an essential guide for new users looking to begin their journey with Plesk. It provides a concise yet thorough overview of the Plesk interface, walks through the initial login procedures, and introduces the critical concept of subscriptions, fundamental to managing resources and permissions within the platform.

Logging In to Plesk for the First Time

To access your Plesk control panel, navigate to the following URL in your web browser:

https://<Plesk server's address>:8443

Here, <Plesk server's address> refers to either the domain name or the IP address associated with your Plesk server. Upon reaching the login page, you will be prompted to enter your username and password. The initial login experience may vary slightly depending on whether you are a shared hosting customer or an administrator responsible for managing your server.

Note: If you are logging in as a Plesk administrator, the system might require you to update your default administrator password. You have the option to automatically generate a strong password or manually set one that adheres to Plesk's robust password strength policies.

Logging In as a Shared Hosting Customer

For shared hosting customers, the first login experience involves completing a contact information form. This form typically requests details such as:

• Your company name.
• Your primary phone number and email address.
• Your physical address and country of residence.

This essential information allows your hosting provider to contact you efficiently regarding any potential service-related issues. The form also provides an opportunity to establish a new password for your user account, which, along with your username, will be used for subsequent Plesk logins. Please note that changing your username directly is not permitted; should you need to modify it, please contact your hosting provider for assistance.

Logging In as the Server Administrator

When logging into Plesk as the server administrator for the first time, you will encounter a series of forms designed to collect personal information and guide you through the initial server configuration. The steps are typically as follows:

1. Plesk License Agreement: You must accept the terms of the Plesk license agreement to proceed with the setup.
2. Initial Configuration: This step requires you to:
   • Specify the server's fully qualified hostname.
   • Select the default IP address for the server.
   • Categorize all server IPs as either shared or dedicated addresses.
   • Set a new, secure password for the Plesk administrator account.
3. Personal Information Form: You will need to complete a form requesting your personal details to continue.
4. Plesk Interface Selector: Here, you will choose the primary purpose of your server and select one of two Plesk interface options:
   • Power User View: Ideal for web administrators who manage multiple websites for their clients.
   • Service Provider View: Best suited for shared hosting providers who offer hosting services to customers who manage their own websites.
5. Plesk License Key: You will need to provide your Plesk license key. This can be done by uploading a .ZIP archive, an .XML file, or by entering an activation code.
6. First Subscription Configuration (Power User View): If you selected the Power User view, you will then configure your initial subscription, specifying:
   • The desired domain name.
   • The associated IP address.
   • A system user username and password.

Plesk User Interface Explained

Plesk is designed to cater to a diverse range of users, each with unique needs and operational requirements. A hosting provider, for instance, focuses on setting up service plans and configuring server-wide settings, while a customer might need to create a database or adjust PHP settings for their specific domain. To effectively serve all user types, Plesk offers two distinct interface panels:

• The Customer Panel: This panel is specifically tailored for web hosting operations, providing all the necessary tools for creating and managing websites, mailboxes, and related services. It is optimized for end-users who host their websites.
• The Power User View: This comprehensive view incorporates all functionalities available in the Customer Panel, alongside additional tools for managing server-wide settings. It is ideally suited for server administrators who host their own websites, as well as web agencies managing websites for their clientele.

Both the Customer Panel and the Power User View facilitate the management of subscriptions. Given that this guide is aimed at shared hosting customers and web designers who manage client websites, our focus will be primarily on the Power User View. Let's delve into a detailed examination of the Plesk interface when operating in Power User View, as illustrated in the following diagram (imagine a screenshot here describing points 1-6):

1. This prominent section, known as the Navigation Pane, is crucial for organizing the Plesk interface. Tools are intuitively grouped by their function. For example, all tools related to managing web hosting settings are found under the Websites & Domains page, while mail account management tools reside on the Mail page. Below is a brief description of some commonly available tabs and their functionalities (availability may depend on your specific license and installed extensions):
   • Websites & Domains: This central hub allows you to add and remove domains, subdomains, and domain aliases. Here, you can also manage various web hosting settings, create and manage databases and database users, adjust DNS settings, and secure your websites with SSL/TLS certificates.
   • Mail: Use this section to efficiently add and remove mail accounts, and to configure mail server settings.
   • Applications: From here, you can easily install and manage a wide array of popular web applications, enhancing your website's functionality.
   • Files: This is a web-based file manager, enabling you to upload content to your website and manage existing files within your subscription on the server.
   • Databases: This tab allows you to create new databases and effectively manage existing ones.
   • Statistics: Access valuable information regarding disk and traffic usage, along with a link to detailed web statistics that offer insights into your site's visitors.
   • Server: Exclusively visible to the server administrator, this tab provides tools for configuring server-wide settings and overall server management.
   • Extensions: Manage all installed Plesk extensions from this location and access the specialized functions they provide.
   • Users: Add and remove user accounts, granting other individuals access to log in to Plesk and perform specific tasks.
   • My Profile: Available only in the Power User view, this item allows you to review and update your contact details and other personal information.
   • Account: Visible solely to shared hosting customers within the Control Panel, this item displays information about resource usage, permitted hosting options, and granted permissions for your subscription. It also offers tools to retrieve and update contact details and personal information, as well as to back up subscription settings and websites.
   • Docker: This tab appears if the Docker Manager extension is installed, enabling you to run and manage containers based on Docker images.
   • WordPress: Visible if the WP Toolkit extension is installed, this section allows you to configure and manage your WordPress websites with ease.
2. This is the dedicated Search field, allowing you to quickly locate domains, extensions, specific options, and more within the Plesk interface.
3. This section prominently displays the name of the currently logged-in user and the active subscription. Users can modify their account properties and switch between different subscriptions they manage.
4. This section hosts the Help menu, providing access to a context-sensitive online guide and a library of helpful video tutorials for support.
5. This area contains all the controls and tools pertinent to the tab that is currently open. For example, when the Websites & Domains tab is active, this section will display various tools for managing web hosting aspects of your subscription.
6. This final section aggregates a mix of miscellaneous controls and informative displays, designed for user convenience and quick access.

Throughout the remainder of this guide, we will provide detailed instructions for performing many common daily tasks within Plesk. In most scenarios, these instructions will direct users to open a specific tab and click on a particular control. If you find that a described tab or control is missing from your panel, the most probable reason is that it has been disabled for your specific subscription. In such cases, we recommend contacting your provider for further assistance and clarification.

Overview of the Items in the Navigation Pane

Understanding Subscriptions

To fully grasp how resource utilization is managed and how the scope of options available to various users is controlled within Plesk, it is essential to understand the concept of a subscription.

Whenever a customer acquires a hosting account, a dedicated subscription is automatically generated for them within Plesk. A subscription is best defined as a comprehensive package encompassing both the allocated resources and the specific permissions granted to a user. Resources typically include provisions such as disk space and data transfer (traffic), while permissions might dictate the ability to add additional domains or modify PHP settings. This granular control over permissions offers providers significant flexibility in determining which services and operations customers are allowed to manage.

Note: As you progress through this guide, you will encounter instructions for completing numerous routine tasks. If you find yourself unable to follow a particular set of instructions due to a missing tab or button, it is highly probable that your provider has disabled the corresponding permission within your subscription's properties. In such instances, please do not hesitate to contact your provider for clarification and assistance.

The resources allocated to a subscription can be utilized by the customer as they deem fit. For example, if a subscription provides 100 megabytes of disk space, the customer has the flexibility to distribute this space among domain content, email accounts, databases, or a combination of these elements. Furthermore, if the subscription permits the creation of multiple domains, the customer can establish several additional domains and allocate the available disk space appropriately among them.

It is important to recognize that a single customer may possess more than one subscription. However, a crucial point to understand is that resources are strictly not shared between different subscriptions. For example, if a customer has two separate subscriptions, each with 100 megabytes of disk space, they cannot cumulatively use 150 megabytes for one subscription and only 50 megabytes for the other. Such a scenario would constitute a violation of one of the subscriptions' resource limits and could potentially lead to the suspension of the offending subscription.

Warning: The suspension of a subscription renders all associated domains inaccessible, and the owner will be unable to manage the subscription until it is reactivated by the provider. If your subscription becomes suspended, it is imperative to contact your provider as soon as possible to resolve the issue and restore service.

For users who are managing their own Plesk server and hosting their personal websites or those of their clients, resource limits typically become unnecessary. In such cases, your subscription will generally be configured with unlimited resources, providing maximum flexibility and control.