How to install Plesk with a single command

Plesk is a control panel that runs on both Linux and Windows servers. It supports a wider range of operating systems than cPanel, and its installation is markedly shorter — one command is enough.

Supported systems and requirements

• Linux: Ubuntu 20.04 / 22.04 / 24.04 LTS, Debian 11 / 12, AlmaLinux 8 / 9, Rocky Linux 8 / 9, CentOS Stream 9, CloudLinux.
• Windows: Windows Server 2016, 2019 and 2022.
• Memory: 2 GB of RAM minimum. Adding 1 GB of swap is advisable; memory can become a bottleneck during installation.
• Disk: At least 20 GB free.
• A clean system: No other control panel should be present. If a web server is already configured, Plesk will try to write its own configuration over it.

Plesk is not as irreversible as cPanel, but installing onto a clean server is still the healthiest path.

1. Hostname and updates

bashhostnamectl set-hostname server.yourdomain.com
apt update && apt upgrade -y   # Ubuntu / Debian
# dnf update -y                # AlmaLinux / Rocky
reboot

A fully qualified hostname is what allows the panel to obtain its own SSL certificate.

2. Install with one command

Plesk's one-click installer performs a complete installation with the default component set:

bashsh <(curl https://autoinstall.plesk.com/one-click-installer || wget -O - https://autoinstall.plesk.com/one-click-installer)

Installation takes 15 to 30 minutes depending on your connection. Run it inside screen so a dropped session does not interrupt it:

bashapt install -y screen && screen -S plesk

If you want to choose the components yourself, use the interactive installer:

bashsh <(curl https://autoinstall.plesk.com/plesk-installer)

That script opens a text menu where you can select the mail server, DNS, statistics tools and so on individually. If you want a lean install, leaving components out from the start is easier than removing them later.

3. First login

Once installation finishes, the panel lives at:

texthttps://SERVER-IP:8443

The installer prints a one-time login link. If you missed it, generate a new one on the server:

bashplesk login

First login asks for an administrator password, a contact email and license details. Without a license you can start the free trial from this screen.

4. Post-install settings

• Firewall: 8443 (panel), 8447 (update service), 80, 443 and your mail ports need to be open. Plesk's own Firewall extension lets you manage these rules from the interface.
• Let's Encrypt extension: Install it from the extension catalogue, then secure both the panel and your hosted domains with free certificates.
• Fail2Ban: It ships with Plesk but is off by default. Enable it under Tools & Settings > IP Address Banning.
• Backups: Schedule backups in Backup Manager and always choose storage outside the server (FTP, S3, Dropbox, Google Drive).
• Automatic updates: Turn on automatic security updates under Tools & Settings > Update and Upgrade Settings.

Useful command line tools

The plesk command lets you do most panel tasks from a terminal:

bashplesk bin domain --list           # list domains
plesk bin subscription --list     # list subscriptions
plesk repair web -y               # repair web configuration
plesk bin service --restart-all   # restart services

When you cannot reach the panel interface, plesk repair resolves most configuration problems on its own.

Plesk or cPanel?

Both are mature products; the choice usually comes down to habit and operating system.

• Plesk is the only option if you want to run Ubuntu or Debian. Its interface is more modern, it uses fewer resources, and it supports Windows servers.
• cPanel is more entrenched in the reseller hosting ecosystem. If your customers are used to cPanel, expect friction when moving away from it.

Details shift between releases, so review Plesk's official installation documentation as well.