As a reseller, you want to give clients their own environment where they can manage their hosting, domain names, and email themselves, without giving them access to your full management environment. You arrange this by setting up a client portal through Plesk, with your own reseller plans, client accounts, and user permissions. Below you’ll find a step-by-step guide on how to set this up, including branding and common choices.
What exactly is a client portal as a reseller
A client portal is a restricted environment within Plesk where your client can only view and manage their own website, email addresses, databases, and domain names. As a reseller, you remain the owner of the main account and determine which features a client can or cannot use. This is useful if you resell web hosting to your own clients, for example as a web agency or IT service provider.
The advantage is that clients can independently make small changes, such as creating a new email address or setting up a redirect, without having to contact you. This saves time and gives a more professional impression towards your own clients.
Preparing reseller plans and permissions
Before giving clients access, you first set up one or more service plans. These are templates in which you define how much disk space, email accounts, databases, and domains a client may use. This prevents one client from accidentally using up all server resources.
- Create a separate service plan for each type of client, for example a basic and an extended plan.
- Set limits for storage, data traffic, and the number of mailboxes.
- Determine which Plesk features are visible, such as access to file management or SSL settings.
- Link a domain name assignment where necessary, so clients only manage their own domain names.
Creating and linking client accounts
Once your service plans are ready, create a separate account for each client linked to that plan. The client then gets their own login environment with only their own data.
Add client
Create a new client account in Plesk and enter the client’s contact details.
Link service plan
Select the previously created service plan so that the correct limits and permissions apply automatically.
Add domain and email
Add the client’s domain and, if needed, set up business mailboxes within their account.
Send login credentials
Send the client their personal login credentials for the portal, optionally with a brief explanation of the main features.
For email, it’s wise to immediately check that SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are set up correctly, so that your client’s email remains reliably deliverable. You can combine this with business email with a high security score.
Branding and client independence
As a reseller, you can customize the portal to match your own branding, for example by adding your own logo and color scheme to the login screen. This makes clients experience the portal as part of your service, rather than as a separate system.
You also decide, per client, how much independence you allow. Some resellers give clients full control over their website and email, while others deliberately restrict them to email management only, leaving technical changes to themselves. Consider what makes sense for each client group, and document this for yourself so new employees maintain the same structure.
If you have questions while setting up your reseller environment, you can also find articles about Plesk settings in the knowledge base. If you can’t find the answer, support is available 24/7 via WhatsApp, ticket, or email.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a client access my other client accounts?
No, each client account is fully isolated. Clients only see their own domains, email, and files.
Can I change a client’s permissions later?
Yes, you can change the service plan or individual permissions of a client account at any time in Plesk.
Do I need to create a separate service plan for each client?
Not necessarily. You can link multiple clients to the same service plan if their needs are similar.
Can I also have my clients switch over from another provider?
Yes, existing websites and email can often be migrated. Check the page about switching to Tandata for more information.
Conclusion
You set up a client portal as a reseller by first creating clear service plans, then linking client accounts with the right permissions, and finally visually aligning the portal with your own services. This gives clients independence without you losing control over your own hosting environment.