How to Install Plesk on Alibaba Cloud - A Comprehensive Guide

Installing Plesk on Alibaba Cloud allows web professionals to leverage the advanced web hosting control panel paired with Alibaba Cloud's comprehensive suite of cloud services. This guide will walk you through the process step-by-step, ensuring a seamless integration and secure environment for your projects. Whether you're a small digital agency or a giant web host, Plesk ensures a robust and scalable platform for your online endeavors.

Steps to Install Plesk on Alibaba Cloud

Follow these comprehensive steps to successfully install Plesk on Alibaba Cloud, ensuring you have a secure and powerful environment for your web hosting needs.

1. Create an Alibaba Cloud Account and Log In

Start by creating an Alibaba Cloud account if you don't have one. This will give you access to the Alibaba Cloud platform.

Log in to the Alibaba Cloud console. Navigate to the left navigation bar to find the Elastic Compute Service (ECS) section.

Click on Instances and then click the Create Instance button in the top right corner of the screen. This will initiate the instance creation process.

2. Select a Pricing Model and Instance Type

Choose a pricing model that suits your requirements. You have two options:

Pay-As-You-Go: Costs more per hour but is flexible as you're billed per usage and can cancel at any time. Ideal for testing and experimentation.

Subscription: Cheaper in the long run but requires a prepayment and a monthly commitment. This model is recommended for web hosting if you decide to proceed.

Select the data center region and zone based on the location of your target audience. Close proximity can improve page load times for local visitors.

Choose the ECS instance type carefully, factoring in the RAM size required for hosting multiple websites with varying levels of traffic. Refer to the Plesk System Requirements for guidance.

3. Configure Marketplace Image and Storage

Under the Marketplace Image tab, type plesk in the search bar.

Select the appropriate SSD Cloud Disk for your website hosting needs and add at least one Ultra Cloud Disk for backups. Choosing the right storage will ensure your data stays secure and backed up.

4. Activate and Configure Your Plesk Instance

Click Buy Now and then Activate to begin the activation process. Once the instance is successfully activated, you can see it in the Alibaba Cloud console under Elastic Computer Service Instances.

5. Purchase and Bind an Elastic IP Address

To access your Plesk instance, you need to purchase and bind an Elastic IP address. Follow the instructions provided by Alibaba Cloud to complete this step.

6. Configuring Security: Opening Ports for Plesk

Once your instance is up and running, you need to open the necessary ports for Plesk to function correctly. By default, certain ports are allowed, while others are blocked.

Option 1: Allow All Inbound Connections (Recommended for Beginners)

Add a single security rule allowing all inbound connections. For more security, use the Plesk firewall as recommended.

Option 2: Allow Specific Ports Required by Plesk (For Multiple Instances)

Add multiple security rules tailoring security rules to your specific needs. This method provides better control and manageability.

Note: To send email, you need to apply for allowing outbound connections on TCP port 25. Inbound connections on TCP port 25 can be allowed using security rules.

7. Accessing Plesk and Post-Installation Configuration

Run the command sudo plesk login grep -v localhost.localdomain to generate a one-time login link. Use this link to log in to Plesk as an administrator.

You will be prompted to provide the following information during the first login:

Full Hostname: Use your registered domain name or a custom hostname outside of local domains to avoid spam filters. Server IP Address: Use the private IP address automatically detected by Alibaba Cloud. Do not register your public Elastic IP address for security reasons.

Admin Password: Follow the detailed instructions for configuring Plesk post-installation to ensure secure and optimal performance.

Available Product Configurations

Plesk on Alibaba Cloud offers a variety of configurations, each tailored to different needs:

Plesk Onyx on Ubuntu 16 WebHost: Installing the default recommended set (Fail2Ban, ModSecurity, Plesk Firewall, and WordPress Toolkit). Plesk Onyx on CentOS 7 WebHost: Also with the default recommended set. Plesk Onyx on CentOS 7 BYOL: Recommended set but does not include WordPress Toolkit, Security Advisor, Lets Encrypt, Git, and Docker by default. Plesk Onyx on Ubuntu 16 BYOL: Similar to CentOS BYOL but for Ubuntu. Plesk Onyx on Ubuntu 16.04 Web Admin SE: Includes the default recommended set but also comes with premium WordPress features available with a Plesk Web Pro or Web Host Edition upgrade. Plesk Onyx on Windows 2012 R2 WebHost: Recommended set with ModSecurity and Plesk Firewall included. Plesk Onyx on Windows 2012 R2 BYOL: Similar but without additional tools.

For more details on each configuration and the available features, refer to the provided documentation and support articles.