Publishing your site: files, FTP and PHP version

Your hosting expects your files in one specific folder. Everything in it is served by the web server; anything placed elsewhere stays invisible from the Internet.

Which folder do I upload my website files to?

The Website root directory is shown in the Informations sur le site web card in your client area. It is almost always httpdocs. Your home page must sit there, named index.html or index.php.

A classic mistake is to upload a whole folder rather than its contents: you end up with httpdocs/my-site/index.html, and your site appears at /my-site/ instead of the root. Upload the contents of the folder, not the folder.

How do I put my site online without FTP software?

Use the Plesk File Manager: it uploads your files into httpdocs straight from your browser.

The quickest route for a one-off deployment, and it needs no software.

1. From the client area, click Automatic connection to open Plesk.
2. Go to Websites & Domains, then File Manager.
3. Enter httpdocs.
4. Delete the default placeholder page if it is in your way.
5. Use Upload to add your files, or upload a .zip archive and choose Extract Files from its context menu. That is far faster than file-by-file uploads.

How do I publish my site with an FTP client such as FileZilla?

Connect to your domain on port 21 over FTPS, using the FTP ID and FTP Password from the Informations sur le site web card, then drop your files into httpdocs.

For a site you update often, an FTP client stays more comfortable. FileZilla is free and available on Windows, macOS and Linux.

The connection details are in the Informations sur le site web card:

• Host: your domain name, or the address shown under IP addresses;
• User: the value of the FTP ID field;
• Password: the value of the FTP Password field, displayed blurred — select it to copy it;
• Port: 21.

Choose explicit encryption (FTPS). In FileZilla that means protocol "FTP - File Transfer Protocol" with "Encryption: Require explicit FTP over TLS". Plain FTP sends your password readable across the network.

The FTP password is changed inside Plesk, under Websites & Domains > FTP Access. The Réinitialiser le mot de passe button in the client area only affects the panel account.

How do I change the PHP version of my site?

The version in use is shown in your client area under Version de PHP. To change it:

1. Open Plesk, Websites & Domains page.
2. Click PHP Settings.
3. Pick the version you want and save.

A few landmarks:

• a modern application — recent WordPress, Symfony, Laravel — needs a current, supported version;
• an old script untouched for years may refuse to run beyond a certain version;
• after a change, test your site immediately: a 500 error straight after switching version is almost always an incompatibility.

If your site breaks, go back to the previous version: it takes two clicks.

How do I check that my site is really online?

Open your site with the Visit the website button in the client area: if your home page appears, the upload worked.

1. Open your site with the Visit the website button in the client area.
2. If the placeholder page is still showing, your index file is in the wrong place or has a different name.
3. A 403 error usually means file permissions or an empty folder.
4. A 500 error nearly always comes from PHP or an .htaccess file: check the logs in Plesk, under Logs.
5. If the browser shows old content, clear its cache or test in a private window.

What if my domain does not point to the hosting yet?

Fix the A record for your domain in the DNS zone tab so that it points to the IP address shown in your client area.

A correctly uploaded site only appears if the domain name actually designates our servers. Check that in the DNS zone guide: the A record of your domain must point to the IP address shown in your client area.