Logging In to Plesk for the First Time

To log in to Plesk for the first time, you will need to follow these steps:

1. Open a web browser and go to the login page for your Plesk control panel. This will typically be in the form of https://[yourdomain.com]:8443

2. Enter your login credentials in the appropriate fields. These will typically be the username and password that were provided to you by your hosting provider when you signed up for the hosting account.

3. Click the “Log In” button to log in to Plesk.

Logging In as a Shared Hosting Customer

If you are a shared hosting customer, you will typically be able to log in to Plesk using the same login credentials that you use to access other services provided by your hosting provider, such as email or cPanel. To log in to Plesk as a shared hosting customer, follow these steps:

1. Open a web browser and go to the login page for your Plesk control panel. This will typically be in the form of https://[yourdomain.com]:8443 .

2. Enter your login credentials in the appropriate fields. These will typically be the username and password that were provided to you by your hosting provider when you signed up for the hosting account.
3. Click the “Log In” button to log in to Plesk.

Logging In as the Server Administrator

To log in to Plesk as the server administrator, you will need to use the server administrator username and password. This is a special account that has full access to all the features and settings in Plesk, as well as the underlying server. To log in to Plesk as the server administrator, follow these steps:

1. Open a web browser and go to the login page for your Plesk control panel. This will typically be in the form of https://[yourdomain.com]:8443.

2. Click the “Server Administrator” link on the login page. This will bring up a separate login form for the server administrator account.
3. Enter the server administrator username and password in the appropriate fields. These credentials will have been provided to you by your hosting provider or the person who set up the server.
4. Click the “Log In” button to log in to Plesk as the server administrator.

Plesk User Interface Explained

The Plesk user interface (UI) is the web-based control panel that you use to manage your hosting environment and perform various tasks, such as setting up websites, managing email accounts, and installing applications. The Plesk UI consists of a number of different sections and features, which are organized in a logical manner to make it easy to find what you are looking for.

Plesk provides two different panels, described below:

The Customer Panel is focused on web hosting operations and features the tools necessary to create and manage websites, mailboxes, and so on. This panel is designed for hosting customers.

The Power User view includes all the tools available in the Customer Panel, as well as the tools that enable server-wide settings to be managed. This view is best suited for server administrators hosting their own websites, and web studios that manage websites of their customers.

Both panels allow management of subscriptions.

Because this guide is meant for shared hosting customers and web designers who host their customers’ websites, we will focus on the Power User view. Let us examine a screenshot displaying Plesk in Power User view.

1. This section displays the name of the user who is currently logged in, and the currently selected subscription. The user can change the properties of their user account and choose what subscription they want to manage.
2. This section contains the Help menu. The Help menu lets users access a context-sensitive online guide and watch video tutorials.
3. This section features the Search field.
4. This section holds the navigation pane that helps to organize the Plesk interface. Tools are grouped by function, for example, the tools enabling users to manage web hosting settings are found on the Websites & Domains page, and those enabling users to manage mail accounts are found on the Mail page. Here is a short description of all the tabs and their functionality:

• Websites & Domains – The tools here enable customers to add and remove domains, subdomains, and domain aliases. They also enable them to manage various web hosting settings, create and manage databases and database users, change their DNS settings, and secure their websites with SSL/TLS certificates.
• Mail – The tools here enable customers to add and remove mail accounts, as well as manage mail server settings.
• Applications – The tools here enable customers to easily install and manage a wide range of web applications.
• Files – This item features a web-based file manager that enables customers to upload content to their website, as well as manage the files already present on the server within their subscription.
• Databases – This item allows customers to create new or manage existing databases.
• Statistics – This item features information about disk and traffic usage, as well as the link to web statistics that present a detailed overview of the site’s visitors.
• Server – This item is only visible to the server administrator. It features tools that enable the administrator to configure server-wide settings.
• Extensions – This item enables customers to manage extensions installed in Plesk and access the functions provided by these extensions.
• Users – The tools here enable customers to add and remove user accounts that enable other people to log in to Plesk.
• My Profile – This item is only visible in the power user view. Here you can review and update contact details and other personal information.
• Account – This item is only visible in the Control Panel of shared hosting customers. It features information about resource usage for the subscription, allowed hosting options and granted permissions. The tools here enable customers to retrieve and update their contact details and other personal information, and also back up their subscription settings and websites.
• Docker – This item is visible if the Docker Manager extension is installed. Here you can run and manage containers that are based on Docker images.

5. This section houses all the controls relevant to the tab that is currently open. On the screenshot, the Websites & Domains tab is open, and so the various tools that allow managing aspects of the subscription related to web hosting are displayed.
6. This section contains a mix of various miscellaneous controls and information displays for users’ convenience.

Later in the guide, we will provide instructions explaining how to perform many everyday tasks. In most cases, they instruct users to open one of the tabs and click one of the controls present there. If the tab or control in question is missing from the panel, the most likely reason is that it is disabled for the subscription in question. Customers who find themselves in such a situation need to contact their provider for assistance.

Understanding Subscription In Plesk

In Plesk, a subscription represents a hosting plan that you have purchased from your hosting provider. A subscription typically includes a certain amount of resources, such as disk space, bandwidth, and email accounts, that you can use to host websites and other applications.

When you log in to Plesk, you will see a list of all the subscriptions that you have access to. You can use these subscriptions to create and manage websites, domains, and other resources. For example, if you have a subscription with 10 GB of disk space, you can use that space to host multiple websites or a single large website.

Each subscription in Plesk has its own set of resources and settings, which you can customize to meet the needs of your websites and applications. For example, you can set limits on the amount of disk space or bandwidth that a subscription can use, or you can enable or disable certain features like SSL or PHP.