The majority of customers purchase web hosting accounts to run different
web applications: Webmail, CRM, e-commerce systems, blogs, image
galleries and so on. Typically, such users are unable to install the
apps by themselves because they lack the necessary technical skills and
experience, so they ask their service providers to do it. Hence, the
provider’s staff becomes overloaded with routine operations related to
the apps. To ease the installation (and maintenance) of web apps and
reduce the staff’s workload, Plesk offers a number of free and
commercial apps available to Plesk users directly from their Customer
Panel.
There are various factors that regulate what apps are available to your
customers. For example, the app list is restricted by service plan or
subscription properties, local repository settings and so on. To see how
the apps list is formed, refer to the How Apps Become Available to Your
Customers section.
App Types
Plesk offers two types of apps:
- Apps that are installed directly on a website (such as the WordPress
blogging platform or the Joomla! content management system). - Apps that do not require a website for their installation. These are
usually external apps located somewhere on the web that only provide
a link to their services (such as the iMind videoconference service
or OfficeDrive - an online office suite).
Apps can be either free or commercial. Commercial apps require
providing a license key to start working with them.
App Installation and Maintenance
The process of installation does not require any specific skills from
customers. They fill in app settings (for example, administrator
credentials), and Plesk installs the app for them. Subsequent app
management is also facilitated as apps are updated or removed directly
in Plesk. Moreover, customers can access some functions that apps make
available in the Customer Panel (without the need to log in to an app).
For example, customers can upload a new WordPress theme or add a
SugarCRM user account directly from their Customer Panel. Such app
functionality is a service the app provides to customers.
Apps Backup and Restoration
Apps are backed up by standard Plesk means (the backup utility).
Since the backup unit is a subscription, all apps in a subscription must
be backed up at once. The apps from a backup are restored along with
other subscription data.