The Tool Desk
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Installation takes about 15 minutes on average, but the exact time depends on the operating-system version, network speed and available bandwidth. After the installer finishes, you still need to complete the browser-based configuration, check firewall behavior, and activate a license or the official 14-day trial.
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Prepare the Linux VPS before installing Plesk
Plesk should be installed on a fresh server rather than on a VPS that already hosts websites, mail services, databases or another control panel. The installer adds and configures many services; pre-existing packages and configuration files can create conflicts that are difficult to diagnose later.
Use a currently supported distribution
Plesk’s current Obsidian requirements include the following Linux releases. “Recommended” identifies the newest release listed by Plesk for that distribution family, not a guarantee that every extension is available on every edition.
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| Distribution | Releases listed by Plesk | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu | 26.04 (recommended), 24.04, 22.04, 20.04 and 18.04 | Ubuntu installations require systemd. |
| AlmaLinux | 10.x (recommended), 9.x and 8.x | Check component availability for the exact major release. |
| Debian | 13 (recommended), 12, 11 and 10 | Debian requires systemd and AppArmor must be disabled before installation. |
| CloudLinux | 9.x, 8.x and 7.x | Older releases may involve lifecycle-extension costs and limitations. |
| RHEL | 9.x and 8.x | Verify subscription and repository access before deployment. |
| Rocky Linux | 8.x | Confirm that the required Plesk components support your selected release. |
| CentOS | 7.x | This is an older option; do not treat it as equivalent to a current recommended release. |
Distribution support changes over time. Recheck Plesk’s current system-requirements documentation immediately before provisioning, especially if you are choosing an older release for application compatibility. Extended-lifecycle availability and pricing can differ from the standard support offered for a current release.
Meet the memory and swap requirement
Plesk lists 1 GB of RAM plus 1 GB of swap as the minimum for a Linux installation (Plesk, 2026). That is a floor for the control panel itself, not a sensible capacity target for a busy hosting server.
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- Above 1 GB of RAM, Plesk recommends swap equal to half the server’s RAM.
- Hosted applications need additional memory. Plesk gives examples of approximately 64 MB per WordPress site and 128 MB per typical site under its stated traffic assumptions.
- Mail, databases, PHP workers, antivirus scanning, backups and multiple concurrent sites can raise the requirement substantially.
A 512 MB VPS is below the stated minimum even if the installer creates swap automatically. Choose a larger plan rather than relying on swap as a substitute for physical memory.
Confirm administrative access and a clean network state
The SSH route requires a root login. The Web Installer requires the VPS IP address or hostname and credentials that permit installation. Whichever route you choose, record the server’s public address, ensure DNS or reverse DNS is not pointing at an unrelated machine, and keep a second administrative access method available through your VPS provider’s console.
Stop services that you do not intend to keep. A fresh image is preferable because Plesk installs its own web, database, mail and security components and expects to manage their configuration.
Choose the right Plesk installation method
| Method | Best for | Control | Credentials | Main consideration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-click SSH | Fastest standard deployment | Default components | Root SSH login stays on your server | Requires a fresh compatible VPS and root SSH access. |
| Web Installer | Browser-led setup | Default components | VPS address and credentials are submitted to the installer service for the installation; Plesk says they are used once and not stored. | Depends on network speed, bandwidth and operating-system version. |
| Interactive console | Custom component or version selection | Highest | Commands run directly on the VPS | Review firewalld and swap behavior before proceeding. |
All three methods install the latest stable release by default and install default components unless you make a different selection in the interactive installer. Components can be added or removed after a standard installation.
Install Plesk with the one-click SSH installer
Use this path when you want the shortest supported command sequence and do not need to choose individual components during the initial run.
- Provision a fresh VPS. Select a supported Linux release, allocate at least 1 GB of RAM and 1 GB of swap, and confirm that systemd is available. If the server runs Debian, disable AppArmor before starting.
- Connect as root over SSH. Use your provider’s server address and the root credentials created during provisioning. Do not run the command from a directory containing application files that must be preserved; the target should be a clean server.
- Run the official one-click command.
sh <(curl https://autoinstall.plesk.com/one-click-installer || wget -O - https://autoinstall.plesk.com/one-click-installer) - Allow the installer to complete. Plesk says the installer downloads the latest stable release, applies available patches and updates, and installs the default component set. The average duration is around 15 minutes.
- Keep the SSH session stable. A dropped terminal can make it difficult to tell whether the process is still running. Use your provider console or a persistent terminal session if your connection is unreliable.
- Open the panel when the command finishes. Use the address and administrator details presented by the post-install process, then complete the initial configuration in the browser.
- Apply a license or trial. The official trial is a full-featured 14-day license for a fresh server.
The one-click script is intentionally opinionated: it gives you a working default installation quickly. If you need a specific release or a non-default component set, use the interactive console method instead.
Install Plesk with Web Installer
Web Installer is an online service for administrators who prefer a browser workflow or do not want to type the installation command over SSH. It still installs Plesk on your VPS; it does not replace the VPS operating system.
- Prepare a fresh compatible VPS. The same operating-system, systemd, AppArmor, memory and swap requirements apply.
- Open Plesk Web Installer. Enter the VPS IP address or hostname and the credentials that permit installation.
- Review the submission. Plesk states that the credentials are used once for installation and are not stored by the service. Use a temporary or provider-generated credential when your hosting platform supports that option, and change administrative credentials after the panel is configured.
- Start the deployment. Web Installer installs the latest stable Plesk release with default components.
- Wait for completion. Plesk gives an average duration of about 15 minutes, with actual time affected by network speed, bandwidth and the operating-system version.
- Finish in the panel. Follow the browser prompts for administrator details, licensing and the initial server configuration.
Web Installer is convenient when SSH access is restricted, but it offers less initial control than the console installer. If your organization requires every credential exchange to remain inside your own administration path, use SSH or the interactive console instead.
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The console installer is the correct choice when you need to inspect available releases, select components, or set installer-specific behavior before deployment.
- Download the installer.
wget https://autoinstall.plesk.com/plesk-installer - Make it executable.
chmod +x ./plesk-installer - Start the interactive program.
sh ./plesk-installer - Inspect other available releases if necessary.
sh ./plesk-installer --all-versionsUse the version list to make an informed selection rather than assuming every release is supported on every distribution.
- Select the installation type and components.The console presents the choices supported for your operating system. Exact component availability varies by distribution and Plesk release.
- Confirm the installation. Read the summary before accepting it, particularly the firewall and swap behavior described below.
Preserve existing runtime firewalld rules deliberately
During installation, Plesk may configure firewalld. That process can remove or replace runtime rules that were added manually or by another service. If those runtime rules must remain untouched, set the installer variable before launching the program:
export PLESK_INSTALLER_SKIP_FIREWALLD=1Skipping Plesk’s firewalld handling transfers the responsibility to you. Manually open every port required by the Plesk services you enable, using your distribution’s firewalld configuration or the Plesk Firewall extension. A server can appear installed while remaining unreachable if the panel, web, mail or other enabled services are blocked.
Control automatic swap creation on very small servers
On servers with 512 MB of RAM or less, the installer can create a 1 GB swap file. To suppress that behavior, export the following variable before starting the installer:
export PLESK_SWAP=disableDisabling automatic swap does not make a small server meet Plesk’s memory requirement. Create an appropriately sized VPS and swap arrangement first if you need a supported production deployment.
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Firewall and connectivity checks after installation
Do not assume that a successful installer exit means every service is reachable. The console route can alter firewalld runtime rules, while a skipped firewall configuration leaves all required openings to your administration.
- Confirm that the Plesk login page responds on the server address you used during setup.
- Check the VPS provider’s external firewall or security-group rules as well as the operating-system firewall.
- Verify that rules survive a firewall reload or server reboot; runtime-only changes can disappear.
- If you used
PLESK_INSTALLER_SKIP_FIREWALLD=1, add the ports required by the components you selected before publishing a site or enabling mail. - When a service is added later, revisit the firewall policy rather than assuming the original rule set covers it.
Use the Plesk Firewall extension when you want panel-managed rules, or manage firewalld yourself when your infrastructure team has a central policy. Do not run two competing rule-management processes without documenting which one is authoritative.
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Complete the post-install configuration
The installer creates the platform; the first login turns it into a usable server. Work through the initial configuration in this order:
- Set the server identity. Confirm the hostname and public address shown by the panel. Correct identity and DNS information prevents confusing certificate, mail and service-discovery errors later.
- Secure the administrator account. Set a unique, long password and store it in an approved password manager. If your provider supplied a temporary root credential, rotate it after installation.
- Choose licensing. Enter a purchased license or activate the official full-featured 14-day trial. A trial is intended for evaluation, so decide how you will license the server before the trial expires.
- Review installed components. Confirm that the web stack, database services, mail services and other components you actually need are present. Remove unnecessary components where the panel permits it to reduce maintenance and attack surface.
- Apply available updates. The installer applies available patches and updates during deployment, but continue using Plesk’s normal update workflow afterward.
- Create a recovery plan. Arrange VPS snapshots or backups before importing production sites. Test that you can restore data and regain panel access.
- Perform a small functional test. Create a non-production site or service, confirm that it resolves to the VPS, and verify that the selected firewall policy permits the intended traffic.
Common failure modes and practical fixes
The operating system is rejected
Check the exact distribution and major version against Plesk’s current requirements. A similarly named release is not automatically supported. If you selected an older release for application compatibility, confirm whether it requires an extended lifecycle and whether the needed Plesk components are available.
Debian installation stops before it begins
Debian requires systemd and AppArmor disabled before Plesk installation. Correct those prerequisites on the fresh image, reboot if your VPS provider requires it, and rerun the installer rather than layering Plesk over a partially configured attempt.
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The installer appears frozen
Installation time varies with bandwidth, network speed and OS version. Allow for the stated average of about 15 minutes before interrupting it. Check the provider console and server resource graphs. A dropped SSH connection does not necessarily mean the process stopped; reconnect through the console before launching a second installer.
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Inspect both the provider-level firewall and the VPS firewalld rules. If the interactive installer changed runtime rules, restore the policy deliberately and make it persistent. If you skipped firewalld handling, open the ports required by the components you selected.
The VPS runs out of memory
Compare the plan with the 1 GB RAM plus 1 GB swap minimum, then account for the sites and services you enabled. Adding swap can reduce abrupt failures, but it is slower than RAM and does not replace a larger VPS for sustained hosting workloads. Plesk’s planning examples—about 64 MB per WordPress site and 128 MB per typical site under its stated assumptions—are starting points, not capacity guarantees.
You need a different Plesk release
Use the interactive installer and sh ./plesk-installer --all-versions to view releases available for that server. Select only a version supported by both the operating system and the components you require; do not assume that an older panel release solves an operating-system lifecycle problem.
Marketplace images and Docker: when they fit
Some cloud providers offer marketplace images with Plesk already installed. That can shorten provisioning, but inspect the image’s operating-system version, included components, licensing terms and update path before using it for production. A prebuilt image does not remove the need to check memory, swap, firewall rules or post-install security.
Plesk also documents Docker for local development. Docker is a different environment from a production Linux VPS: it is useful for experimenting with applications and configurations, but it is not a substitute for deploying the supported Plesk server installation described above.
Final deployment checklist
- Fresh VPS, not a server with an existing control panel or production services.
- Supported distribution and major version checked immediately before installation.
- Systemd available; AppArmor disabled on Debian.
- At least 1 GB RAM and 1 GB swap, with additional capacity for hosted workloads.
- Root SSH access or valid Web Installer credentials.
- One installation method selected according to required control.
- Interactive installer firewall behavior reviewed, with required ports opened deliberately.
- Swap behavior reviewed if the VPS has 512 MB RAM or less.
- Panel login, hostname, administrator security and licensing completed.
- Updates, backups and a recovery test scheduled before production traffic is moved.
The Bottom Line
For most administrators, the one-click SSH command is the quickest supported route to a standard Plesk deployment. Choose Web Installer for a browser-led process, or the interactive console when component selection, version control, firewall preservation or swap behavior matters. In every case, start with a supported fresh VPS, meet the memory requirement, complete the post-install configuration and verify firewall access before hosting production sites.
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