What is Plesk and How to Use It?

Plesk is a popular web hosting control panel that makes it easy to manage websites and servers. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about Plesk – from what it is and its key features to how to use it and why it’s a great choice for your website.

Why Should You Use Plesk?

Plesk is one of the most widely-used control panels among web hosts and server administrators. Here are some of its major benefits:

• Intuitive and user-friendly interface that makes server management easy even for beginners
• Automates many common tasks like deploying apps, managing domains, emails, etc.
• Robust security features to protect against attacks and malicious users
• Supports multiple platforms like Windows and Linux
• Scales easily as your needs grow from shared hosting to VPS to dedicated servers
• Hundreds of extensions for added functionality like caching, monitoring, backups, etc.

Plesk reduces the complexity of managing a server and sites considerably. It’s a powerful tool that can help web hosts, designers, and developers simplify their work.

What is Plesk Exactly?

Plesk is a commercial web hosting control panel software developed by Plesk International GmbH, owned by Oakley Capital. It is designed to help hosting providers and IT professionals manage web servers, domains, websites, apps, and hosting accounts through a simple browser-based interface.

Some key things to know about Plesk:

• It works with Linux and Windows-based web servers
• Allows automating server admin tasks like deploying OS, apps, managing domains, mail, backups, security, and more
• Comes in 3 editions – Plesk Web Host, Plesk Web Pro, Plesk Onyx for SMBs and resellers
• Used by many well-known web hosting brands worldwide
• Can be installed on VPS or dedicated hosting servers
• Lets you manage unlimited domains and hosting accounts
• IncludesBuilt-in security against hacks, spam, malware

Plesk is an all-in-one control panel and automation platform for complete web server management. It makes administering apps, websites, hosting accounts, emails, domains, and more very easy.

How Much Does Plesk Cost? Overview of Plesk Editions and Pricing

Plesk is available as a licensed software through web hosting companies and directly from Plesk. Here’s an overview of the pricing for self-managed Plesk licenses:

• Plesk Web Host Edition – Starts at $12/month for 1 server, ideal for individual devs/designers
• Plesk Web Pro Edition – Starts at $29/month for 10 domains, for small businesses
• Plesk Onyx Edition – For multi-server management, dedicated hosting, WP toolkit. Quote-based pricing.

Many shared, VPS, and dedicated server hosting plans from leading providers include Plesk control panel by default for no added cost. For example, HostGator’s VPS hosting plans include a Plesk license.

So Plesk is quite affordable for most use cases. You get full-featured control panel capabilities at reasonable prices.

Key Features and Benefits of Using Plesk

Plesk comes packed with multiple features that enable easy, automated server and website management:

Simple and Intuitive Interface

Plesk provides a clean, well-organized interface that is very easy to use. Even beginners can quickly understand how to manage various hosting tasks with Plesk’s simple menus and dashboard.

Server Deployment and Management

Deploy OS, apps like WordPress or PrestaShop with a few clicks. Manage all aspects of your web server including files, databases, accounts, security, backups, updates, monitoring, SSL certificates, and more.

Domain and Email Management

Register and configure unlimited domains. Add professional email accounts, forwarders, autoresponders, mailing lists. Manage DNS and DNSSEC records easily.

Security and Protection

Protect your server and sites from various cyber threats using Plesk’s firewall, login limits, IP blocking, antivirus, APF filters, and other security tools. Get SSL certificates to add HTTPS.

Built-in Applications and CMS Support

Deploy popular apps like WordPress, Drupal, Joomla instantly with Plesk’s app installer. Manage multiple CMS sites easily with Plesk’s WP and other toolkits.

Scalability and Multi-Server Control

Plesk scales well from small shared hosting servers to large VPS and dedicated servers. Manage unlimited servers from one unified Plesk panel with the Onyx edition.

Extensions and Addons

Further enhance Plesk’s functionality with extensions like server monitoring, WAF, Git/SVN deploys, CDN, site cloning, billing tools, reseller plans, and many more.

Technical Support Options

Get timely help from Plesk’s documentation/community support or 24/7 technical support with premium licenses.

As you can see, Plesk simplifies hundreds of common web hosting tasks so you can focus on what’s important – growing your online presence!

How to Install and Access Plesk on a Web Server

Here are the typical steps to install and set up Plesk control panel on a web server:

1. Purchase a Plesk license – either from a hosting provider or directly from Plesk.
2. Download the Plesk installation files from Plesk’s website or from a repo provided by your host.
3. Upload and run the installation file via CLI or UI installer on your Linux or Windows hosting server.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation process. This installs Plesk and its dependencies.
5. Once installed, access Plesk by visiting your-domain.com:8443 or server-ip:8443.
6. Log in with the admin credentials created during installation.
7. The Plesk panel will now be ready to manage your websites, apps, domains, accounts and more!

That’s the gist of setting up Plesk Panel on a web server. Your hosting company can also handle the installation for you if you opt for a managed VPS/dedicated server.

How to Use Plesk to Manage Your Hosting Server

Here’s a quick overview of using Plesk’s features to manage hosting accounts, websites, domains, apps, and more:

Manage Hosting Accounts

• Add new hosting accounts/subscriptions for customers
• Set resource limits like disk space, bandwidth, emails
• Enable/disable accounts, change passwords
• Group accounts for easier management

Manage Websites and Domains

• Add domains, manage DNS, DNSSEC settings
• Install and manage WordPress, Drupal, Joomla sites
• Deploy custom web applications easily
• Manage hosting environments for sites – PHP versions, app settings
• Staging environments to test updates before publishing live
• Built-in Git deployments and WP CLI for managing WP sites

Email Management

• Create and manage unlimited professional email accounts
• Configure mail forwarding, auto-responders, mailing lists
• Secure email with SPF and DKIM
• Block spam with RBL checks, spam filters

Performance and Security

• HTTP/2 support, PHP 7.4 for faster sites
• Server-level firewall and IP blocking
• Malware scanner, antivirus, advanced web application firewall
• Role-based access control, IP restrictions
• Automatic server monitoring with alerts

Reporting and Analytics

• Detailed usage reports – traffic, disk space, bandwidth
• Uptime monitoring and server resource usage
• SEO reporting for website improvements
• Integrated website visitor analytics

Extensions and Addons

• Expand capabilities with hundreds of extensions
• Integrate caching, CDN, WAF, cloning, monitoring, and more
• Add billing systems, reseller plans, and automation

Mobile App

• Manage your server from anywhere with Plesk mobile app
• Respond quickly to issues, approve subscriptions, check usage
• Available for both iOS and Android

With this powerful set of features, Plesk truly simplifies hosting management – so you can focus on advancing your online business!

Top 5 Plesk Alternatives Worth Checking Out

While Plesk is one of the most popular control panels, here are some alternatives worth looking at:

• cPanel – The #1 competitor of Plesk. Easy to use, lots of features, ideal for shared hosting.
• Webmin – Open source control panel for Linux. More limited than Plesk but free to use.
• Virtualmin – Adds shared hosting features to Webmin. Paid Pro version available.
• DirectAdmin – Fast, lightweight alternative for Linux. Affordable pricing.
• InterWorx – All-in-one control panel tailored for web hosts and devs.

Evaluate different platforms to choose what fits your specific needs the closest. For more advanced shared/reseller hosting, Plesk remains a top choice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

To wrap up, Plesk is a commercial web hosting control panel that automates many aspects of managing web servers, sites, apps, domains, accounts, and more. Its intuitive interface makes it easy for web hosts, sysadmins, agencies, and devs to control Linux and Windows servers.

With Plesk, you can deliver a high quality web hosting experience to your customers while optimizing your own workload and efficiency. It’s a powerful tool to grow your online business!

Neil Beckett

Neil is an accomplished web, designer and developer with over 15 years of experience in creating and optimizing websites for small businesses and online entrepreneurs. Read full bio

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