The Plesk GUI¶
Plesk tools for performing server and account management tasks are divided between three web interfaces called panels: Server Administration Panel, Reseller Panel, and Customer Panel:
- The Server Administration Panel is in charge of server maintenance and accounts management. Web hosting operations are also available in this panel.
- The Reseller Panel is a reduced version of the Server Administration Panel and is intended for resellers.
- The Customer Panel is focused on web hosting operations and has all means to create and manage websites, mailboxes, and so on.
Tools for serving customers are available only in the Server Administration Panel and Reseller Panel, while tool for serving resellers are available only in the Server Administration Panel. Learn more about serving customers and resellers in Customers and Resellers. Learn more about GUI for managing resellers and customers in Quick Navigation Among Plesk Objects.
The brief description of each panel is provided below.
Server Administration Panel¶
The Server Administration Panel is the main instrument of hosting providers that enables them to serve their customers and maintain the server. Here the administrator creates new hosting plans and customer accounts, configures server-wide settings of system services, and so on. Web hosting operations are also available in this panel.
The two main groups of Plesk administrators (HSPs and Web Pros) have their own Plesk usage scenarios. To meet the needs of each group, the Server Administration Panel offers two views, which are user-targeted combination of tools - Service Provider view and Power User view.
Power User view.
This view is the best for web pros and web admins - those who do not serve customers and use Plesk solely for personal needs, for example, for developing websites or maintaining a company portal.
This view includes both server administration and hosting services management. Server administration functions can be accessed via Tools & Settings in the navigation pane.
However, this view does not provide facilities for managing hosting plans, subscriptions, resellers, and customers. To do this, switch to Service Provider view.
Changing Plesk views.
The quick way to switch between views is to click Change View in the bottom left part of the screen and select another view. You can also change the Plesk view from Tools & Settings > Interface Management.
Customizing Power User view.
Power User view can be tailored to the needs of an administrator if you select “Enable Restricted Mode” checkbox in Tools & Settings > Interface Management. For details on how to do the customization, read Customizing Power User View.
Reseller Panel¶
This panel is similar to the Server Administration Panel but does not provide tools to serve resellers, and has limited capabilities to manage server. It can be used in two views in the same way as the Server Administration Panel.
Customer Panel¶
The Customer Panel is intended for managing hosting services. Customers use this panel to add domains and mailboxes, manage website content and so on. Plesk administrators and resellers can use this panel to create hosting subscriptions and to access customer accounts.
Learn more about hosting management in Website Management.
Presence Builder¶
In addition to the standard Plesk functionality, Plesk suite offers an optional component that significantly increases Plesk capabilities: Presence Builder. This is a site building tool that helps customers create polished, professional-looking web sites in record time based on more than 100 site templates. Presence Builder is tightly integrated with Plesk and has its own user interface. Learn more about the tool in the section Building Websites with Presence Builder.
Plesk Editions, Panels, and Views¶
The table below shows the relation between Plesk editions, users, panels, and views.
| Plesk Edition | Plesk User | Panel | View |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Host | Administrator (HSP) | Server Administration Panel | Service Provider view Power User view |
| Web Pro | Administrator (Web Professional) | Server Administration Panel | Service Provider view Power User view |
| Web Admin | Administrator (Web Administrator) | Server Administration Panel | Power User view |
| Web App | Administrator (Web Application Developer) | Server Administration Panel | Power User view |
| Web Host | Reseller | Reseller Panel | Service Provider view Power User view |
| Web Host | Customer | Customer Panel | ➖ |