Panellicense

How to install Plesk Obsidian on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

Step-by-step Plesk Obsidian install on a fresh Ubuntu 24.04 server — auto-installer, license activation, and the post-install checklist that prevents 90 % of support tickets.

2 min readUpdated 2026-05-10install · plesk · ubuntu · obsidian
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Plesk Obsidian is the only control panel that runs identically on Linux and Windows, which makes it the natural choice for mixed fleets and WordPress-heavy hosts. This guide covers a clean install on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS — currently the easiest distribution to operate Plesk on.

Before you start

  • A VPS or dedicated server with 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM minimum
  • Fresh Ubuntu 24.04 LTS install with root SSH access
  • A resolving hostname (plesk.example.com pointing to the server's public IP)
  • A Plesk license — activate one in 60 seconds if you don't have it

Step 1 — Prepare the system

hostnamectl set-hostname plesk.example.com
apt update && apt full-upgrade -y
reboot

Step 2 — Run the Plesk auto-installer

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

The installer takes about 10–15 minutes. It installs nginx + Apache, PHP-FPM (8.0 → 8.4), MySQL, Postfix + Dovecot, and the Plesk control panel itself.

Step 3 — Initial login

When the installer finishes it prints a one-time login URL — open it in your browser. If you missed it, generate a fresh one:

plesk login

In the setup wizard:

  1. Accept the EULA
  2. Enter your license key (paste from your Panellicense dashboard)
  3. Set the administrator email
  4. Pick a strong admin password

Step 4 — Post-install checklist

  • Install the WordPress Toolkit extension (free, ships with Plesk)
  • Install ImunifyAV (free malware scanner)
  • Enable automatic updates under Tools & Settings → Update and Upgrade Settings
  • Set up server-wide Let's Encrypt for hostname and panel access

Troubleshooting

If the installer fails on a fresh 24.04 install, the usual cause is systemd-resolved holding port 53. Plesk needs its own DNS server (BIND or PowerDNS) — disable systemd-resolved before re-running:

systemctl disable --now systemd-resolved
rm /etc/resolv.conf
echo "nameserver 1.1.1.1" > /etc/resolv.conf
echo "nameserver 8.8.8.8" >> /etc/resolv.conf

Then re-run the auto-installer.

Next steps

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