The Hosting Settings page controls how Plesk serves a domain: which folder holds the site, which address is preferred, whether HTTPS and scripting are enabled. Most problems with a new site – default page, wrong redirects, scripts not running – trace back to one of these options.
Before you start
- Access to the domain in Plesk.
- Some options can be locked by your service plan; greyed-out fields mean your provider controls them.
Open Hosting Settings
Go to Websites & Domains, open the domain and click Hosting & DNS → Hosting (older layouts: Hosting Settings).
Document root
The folder Plesk serves for the domain, relative to the subscription's home – httpdocs for the main domain by default. Change it when an application expects its public folder elsewhere, for example httpdocs/public for Laravel. A wrong document root is the usual cause of the Plesk default page appearing instead of your site.
Preferred domain
Choose example.com, www.example.com or None. With a preferred domain, Plesk adds a permanent 301 redirect from the other variant, which is good for SEO. Make sure your CMS uses the same variant to avoid loops; see redirects and directives.
Security
- SSL/TLS support – must be on for HTTPS. Pick the certificate here or, better, in SSL It!; see SSL It!.
- Permanent SEO-safe 301 redirect from HTTP to HTTPS – the same as SSL It!'s redirect toggle.
Scripting and languages
- PHP support – version and handler (FPM by Apache or nginx). Details in PHP settings.
- CGI, Perl, Python, SSI – legacy options; enable only if an application needs them, since every enabled language is extra attack surface.
- Web statistics – AWStats or Webalizer reports, optionally password-protected.
- Custom error documents – lets you replace Plesk's error pages with your own files in the
error_docsfolder.
System user, FTP and SSH
Depending on the version, the subscription's system user (used for FTP, SFTP, SSH and file ownership) is shown here or under Web Hosting Access. You can change its password and SSH shell; see SSH access and FTP accounts.
Hosting type
Besides Website hosting, a domain can be set to Forwarding (redirect to another URL, as a frame or 301) or No hosting (DNS and mail only). Use forwarding for parked brand domains instead of uploading a redirect script.
Apply and test
Click OK or Apply. Plesk rewrites the web server configuration in seconds. Test with a private browser window and curl -I https://example.com to see status codes and redirects.
Troubleshooting
- Default Plesk page: document root mismatch, or an
index.htmlplaceholder. - Redirect loop: preferred domain conflicts with the CMS URL or a CDN setting.
- Option greyed out: locked by your service plan; ask your provider.