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// CONTROL PANELS | July 9, 2026 | 3 min read

Install Plesk on Linux

One command, a fresh server, and Plesk handles the rest of the setup itself.

Install Plesk on Linux
user@server:~
user@server ~ $ uptime && df -h / | tail -1
14:22:37 up 847 days, load: 0.08
/dev/sda1 1.8T 420G 1.3T 25% /
user@server ~ $ free -h
total used free
Mem: 32Gi 4.2Gi 27Gi
user@server ~ $

Here is how to install Plesk on Linux. Plesk supports a wide range of distributions, AlmaLinux, Ubuntu, and Debian among them, and uses one installer script that auto-detects which one you are running. That makes this one of the more forgiving control panel installs to get right the first time.

What you need

  • A Hostner dedicated server with a fresh Linux install (no other control panel installed)
  • Root access via SSH
  • A Plesk license (a free trial is available, a paid license is required after it ends)
  • A resolvable hostname pointed at your server’s IP
  • A stable internet connection on the server, since the installer downloads everything live during setup

Step 1: Update the server

Log in via SSH as root and update your packages first, to avoid the installer running into outdated dependencies. On AlmaLinux:

~ $ dnf -y update

On Debian or Ubuntu:

~ $ apt update && apt -y upgrade

Reboot once the update finishes, then reconnect via SSH before continuing.

Step 2: Install Plesk on Linux

Run the official one-click installer as root:

~ $ sh <(curl https://autoinstall.plesk.com/one-click-installer || wget -O – https://autoinstall.plesk.com/one-click-installer)

This single command downloads the latest stable Plesk release, installs it with a default set of components suited for most setups, and applies all available patches. The whole process usually takes between 30 minutes and an hour, depending on your server and connection speed. You do not lose anything by going with the defaults here, you can add or remove components later from inside Plesk itself. If you already know you want more control over what gets installed from the start, Plesk also offers an installer console with a full menu of component choices, that is a longer path than this guide covers, but the one-click command above suits nearly everyone getting started.

Step 3: Access Plesk

Once the installer finishes, open your browser and go to:

~ $ https://your-server-ip:8443

Log in with your root username and password. Plesk walks you through a short first-run setup: choosing your admin password, adding a contact email, and confirming your server’s IP configuration. None of these choices are permanent, you can revisit and change most of them later from inside Plesk’s own settings.

Step 4: Preserve firewall rules (optional)

Plesk’s installer configures firewalld during setup, which can reset any runtime firewall rules you already had in place. If you had custom rules before installing, save them first with:

~ $ firewall-cmd –runtime-to-permanent

Run this before starting the installer in Step 2 if you already have firewall rules you care about keeping.

If it does not work

If the installer fails partway through, rerunning the same command is safe, Plesk’s installer picks up where it left off rather than starting over. A failure right at the start usually points to a DNS or connectivity issue, the server needs outbound internet access to reach Plesk’s own download servers during the install. For the current list of supported operating systems and detailed component options, the official Plesk installation documentation covers every option the installer accepts.

No ticket needed. One command, one license, and Plesk configures the rest of itself. The same installer works whether this is your first server or your fifth, since it always starts from the same clean, auto-detected baseline, no manual OS detection or distro-specific tweaking required on your end.

See more guides in Docs, or check out Install Plesk on Windows Server if that is what your setup needs instead.

H

Hanna Taoufik

The Hostner team writes about servers, Linux, security, and everything that comes with running your own infrastructure, so you can skip the support ticket.