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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteInstall Plesk on a fresh, supported Linux VPS with at least 1 GB of RAM and 1 GB of swap. You can deploy the latest stable release with a single SSH command, use Plesk Web Installer from a browser, or run the interactive console installer when you need component or version control. After installation, complete the first-run configuration, check firewall access, and activate a license or the 14-day trial.
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Before you install: requirements that determine whether Plesk will work
Plesk should be installed on a newly provisioned server rather than a VPS that already runs a web stack, control panel, mail server, firewall policy or production data. Existing packages and configuration can conflict with the installer and make recovery considerably harder.
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Supported operating systems
Plesk Obsidian currently lists these Linux families and releases:
| Distribution | Releases listed by Plesk | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu | 26.04, 24.04, 22.04, 20.04 and 18.04 | 26.04 is the recommended release. Ubuntu installations require systemd. |
| AlmaLinux | 10.x, 9.x and 8.x | 10.x is the recommended release. |
| Debian | 13, 12, 11 and 10 | 13 is the recommended release. systemd is required and AppArmor must be disabled before installation. |
| CloudLinux | 9.x, 8.x and 7.x | Check lifecycle and extended-support implications for older releases. |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux | 9.x and 8.x | Confirm the exact minor release in Plesk’s current requirements before provisioning. |
| Rocky Linux | 8.x | Verify current availability before choosing an image. |
| CentOS | 7.x | An older option; lifecycle limitations and possible extended-lifecycle costs apply. |
Support and component availability can change by distribution and release. Recheck Plesk’s current Obsidian software requirements immediately before creating the VPS, especially when selecting an older image.
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Memory, swap and storage planning
- Minimum: 1 GB RAM plus 1 GB swap for Plesk on Linux.
- Up to 1 GB RAM: Plesk recommends 1 GB of swap.
- More than 1 GB RAM: Plesk recommends swap equal to half the server’s RAM.
- Hosted sites: reserve additional memory for applications. Plesk’s examples allocate 64 MB per WordPress site and 128 MB per typical site under its stated traffic assumptions; actual demand varies with traffic, plugins, workers and services.
The minimum is an installation floor, not a sensible capacity target for a busy hosting server. Mail, databases, PHP workers, antivirus scanning, backups and customer sites all consume memory. Choose a larger VPS before installation when you already know the workload will exceed a small personal or test server.
Access and preparation checklist
- A fresh VPS with a supported distribution and systemd where required.
- Root credentials for SSH, or the credentials required by Web Installer.
- A stable network connection and enough disk space for the operating system, Plesk components, logs, updates and hosted data.
- A planned hostname and DNS strategy. Pointing a production domain at the server can wait until the first-run configuration is complete.
- A record of your provider’s out-of-band console access. It is the recovery path if an SSH or firewall change locks you out.
- A decision about whether Plesk should manage firewalld or whether you will preserve an existing runtime policy.
Choose an installation method
All three official methods install the latest stable Plesk release when used with their default settings. The difference is how much control you have and where credentials are entered.
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| Method | Best for | Control | Credential handling | Main consideration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-click SSH | Fastest standard deployment | Default components | Credentials stay in your SSH session | Requires root SSH access and a fresh compatible VPS |
| Web Installer | Browser-led setup when you prefer not to run an SSH command | Default components | VPS address and credentials are submitted to the installer service for one-time use; Plesk says they are not stored | Requires the service to reach your VPS and typically takes about 15 minutes, depending on network speed, bandwidth and OS version |
| Interactive console installer | Custom components or selecting a particular available release | Highest | Entered locally in the server console | Review firewalld handling and swap behavior before proceeding |
Method 1: install Plesk with the one-click SSH command
This is the shortest route when the VPS is fresh, compatible and reachable as root. The command downloads the latest stable installer, applies available patches and updates, and installs the default component set.
- Open a local terminal and connect to the VPS as
rootover SSH. - Confirm that the server is the intended fresh installation and that you have a console recovery path.
- Run the official one-click command exactly as shown:
sh <(curl https://autoinstall.plesk.com/one-click-installer || wget -O - https://autoinstall.plesk.com/one-click-installer)- Leave the SSH session connected while the installer runs. Plesk says the process takes around 15 minutes on average, although the actual time depends on the VPS network, bandwidth, disk and operating-system image.
- Wait for the completion message and any panel address or next-step instructions printed by the installer.
- Continue with the post-install configuration rather than treating the end of the download as the end of setup.
The one-click path favors speed over selection. You can add or remove components later, so it is appropriate when the standard stack is acceptable and you do not need to pin a different release during installation.
Method 2: install through Plesk Web Installer
Web Installer is an online service that installs Plesk on your Linux server through a browser workflow. It is useful when you would rather provide the server details in a form than execute the installer over SSH.
- Provision a fresh VPS with a supported operating system and the required memory and swap.
- Open Plesk Web Installer in your browser.
- Enter the VPS IP address or hostname and the credentials requested by the form.
- Submit the installation request and keep the VPS reachable while the service connects and installs Plesk.
- Wait for completion. Plesk describes the average duration as about 15 minutes, with network speed, available bandwidth and OS version affecting the result.
- Use the completion details to open the panel and finish first-run configuration.
Plesk states that the credentials are used once for installation and are not stored. You still need to protect the browser session, use the intended server address, and avoid submitting credentials for a server that is not a clean installation.
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Method 3: use the interactive console installer
The console installer is the right choice when you need to inspect available releases or control the component selection instead of accepting the default one-click profile.
- Connect to the fresh VPS as
root. - Download the installer:
wget https://autoinstall.plesk.com/plesk-installer- Make it executable:
chmod +x ./plesk-installer- Start the interactive installer:
sh ./plesk-installer- Follow the prompts for the release, product profile and components. The choices shown depend on the operating system and what Plesk currently offers for it.
- Allow the installer to finish, then complete the panel’s initial configuration.
List other available Plesk releases
To display releases other than the default current choice, run:
sh ./plesk-installer --all-versionsOnly select a release that is supported for your operating-system version and that you have a maintenance reason to use. Choosing an older release can reduce available components and increase lifecycle risk.
Firewall and swap behavior you must decide before console installation
Preserve an existing firewalld runtime policy
During installation, Plesk may configure firewalld. That process can discard existing runtime rules, even if those rules were added manually after the last permanent configuration. If preserving the current runtime policy matters, set this variable in the same root shell before starting the installer:
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Prevent 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, set:
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export PLESK_SWAP=disableDisabling automatic creation does not remove the need for swap planning. A tiny VPS without adequate memory or swap is more likely to fail during installation or under its first workload; increase the server size or create and validate an appropriate swap arrangement before hosting sites.
Recover if SSH access changes
- Use the VPS provider’s console or rescue environment instead of repeatedly retrying SSH.
- Inspect the active firewall policy and restore the management access rule first.
- Confirm that the Plesk-required service ports are allowed when you intentionally skipped firewall management.
- Once access is restored, make the desired rules persistent and document who manages them: the operating system, Plesk or an external firewall.
Finish the first-run Plesk configuration
An installer completion message means the software is present; it does not configure your hosting business or secure every service. Open the panel using the address supplied at the end of installation and work through its initial setup.
- Set the administrator identity and a strong, unique password. Store the credentials in a password manager and do not reuse the VPS provider password.
- Confirm the server hostname and DNS arrangement. A stable fully qualified hostname helps mail and certificate setup, while the exact DNS records depend on your provider and domains.
- Review the installed services and add only components you need. Default components are a starting point, not a requirement to run every available service.
- Apply available Plesk and operating-system updates after checking that the server has enough free disk space and a recovery path.
- Configure backups before adding customer data. Decide where backups will live, how often they run and how you will test a restore.
- Review user roles, subscriptions and service defaults before creating hosted accounts.
- Apply a license or start the trial described below.
Activate Plesk or use the trial
Plesk’s official try page recommends a fresh server and provides a full-featured 14-day trial license. Start the trial from the licensing area in the panel or use a purchased license supplied for your deployment. The trial is time-limited; record its end date so a production server does not unexpectedly lose licensed functionality.
Cloud providers may also offer marketplace images with Plesk pre-installed. That can shorten provisioning, but you still need to verify the image’s operating-system support, included license terms, root access, update policy and firewall defaults. A marketplace image is a deployment alternative, not a substitute for checking Plesk’s current requirements.
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Verify the installation before hosting sites
- Log in to the panel and confirm the server is identified with the intended hostname and IP address.
- Check that the expected Plesk version and components are present.
- Test administrative access from a new session, not only from the shell that ran the installer.
- Confirm that your firewall permits management access and the services you plan to expose, while leaving unnecessary services closed.
- Review system memory, swap usage, disk space and service status under no load and during a basic test site deployment.
- Create a test subscription or site, verify web access and remove the test data if the server is not yet ready for production.
- Run a backup and perform a restore test before migrating important data.
Troubleshooting common installation problems
The installer refuses to start
Check the distribution and release against the current Plesk requirements, verify that the VPS is fresh, and confirm that you are running as root. On Ubuntu or Debian, verify systemd is available. On Debian, disable AppArmor before retrying, as required by Plesk.
The SSH session disconnects mid-installation
Reconnect through the provider console and inspect whether the installer is still running before launching a second copy. Starting parallel installers can leave an incomplete package state. If the operating system has been changed substantially, rebuilding the VPS from a clean image is often safer than attempting to untangle a partial installation.
Rules disappear or the panel becomes unreachable
This is consistent with firewalld being reconfigured during installation. Use the provider console, restore management access, then open the ports required by your selected Plesk services. For a future installation where preserving runtime firewalld rules is essential, export PLESK_INSTALLER_SKIP_FIREWALLD=1 before running the console installer and manage the required rules yourself.
The server runs out of memory
The 1 GB RAM plus 1 GB swap figure is a minimum for Plesk, not a guarantee for hosted workloads. Stop optional services, remove unneeded components, or resize the VPS. For a server with 1 GB RAM or less, ensure the recommended 1 GB swap exists; for larger servers, target swap equal to half the RAM unless your operational policy specifies otherwise.
A component is unavailable
Component choices vary by operating-system distribution and release. Check the list shown by the installer and the current requirements rather than forcing a package intended for another platform. You can add or remove supported components later from Plesk when the installation path used the default profile.
Which method should you use?
- Choose one-click SSH when you have root SSH access, want the quickest standard deployment and accept default components.
- Choose Web Installer when you prefer a browser workflow and are comfortable providing the VPS address and credentials for one-time installation use.
- Choose the console installer when release selection, component control or explicit firewall and swap decisions are important.
Regardless of method, the dependable sequence is the same: start with a supported fresh VPS, meet the memory and swap requirements, install without losing your firewall access, complete the first-run configuration, and license the server before putting hosted data on it.
Can Docker replace a Linux VPS installation?
Plesk documents Docker for local development, but a Docker setup is a different environment from a production Linux VPS. Do not treat a local container workflow as evidence that a VPS meets Plesk’s operating-system, systemd, memory, firewall or licensing requirements.
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