This ssl & security guide walks UK Plesk users through Password Protected Directories on Plesk Obsidian. Steps apply to any managed Plesk hosting plan — including smartxhosting.uk/web-apps where Plesk is bundled with EU data-centre hosting, free SSL, daily backups, WP Toolkit and UK business-hours support.
What Is HTTP Basic Authentication? · Common Use Cases · Creating a Password-Protected Directory · Adding Users to a Protected Directory · Testing the Protection · Managing Multiple Users · Important — Always Use HTTPS · Removing Password Protection · Limitations and Alternatives · FAQ
Plesk Obsidian is a mature web-hosting control panel used by hundreds of thousands of hosting customers worldwide. It centralises the management tasks a typical UK website owner or agency needs:
On smartxhosting.uk, Plesk runs on Hetzner EU infrastructure with UK-hours support and UK VAT billing.
This section covers the practical aspects of password protected directories in Plesk Obsidian for UK users.
The feature is accessed from the main Plesk panel — typically via a left-sidebar entry or a per-domain settings tab. Behaviour is consistent across Plesk Linux (smartxhosting.uk default) and Plesk Windows with minor path differences.
For managed Plesk hosting with UK support and VAT invoices, see smartxhosting.uk/web-apps. Under UK GDPR, include any personal data processed through this feature in your data-processing inventory.
This section covers the practical aspects of password protected directories in Plesk Obsidian for UK users.
The feature is accessed from the main Plesk panel — typically via a left-sidebar entry or a per-domain settings tab. Behaviour is consistent across Plesk Linux (smartxhosting.uk default) and Plesk Windows with minor path differences.
For managed Plesk hosting with UK support and VAT invoices, see smartxhosting.uk/web-apps. Under UK GDPR, include any personal data processed through this feature in your data-processing inventory.
Plesk user and role management:
Assign roles in Plesk → Users. Under UK GDPR, limit admin access to people who genuinely need it.
Plesk Let’s Encrypt integration:
This section covers the practical aspects of password protected directories in Plesk Obsidian for UK users.
The feature is accessed from the main Plesk panel — typically via a left-sidebar entry or a per-domain settings tab. Behaviour is consistent across Plesk Linux (smartxhosting.uk default) and Plesk Windows with minor path differences.
For managed Plesk hosting with UK support and VAT invoices, see smartxhosting.uk/web-apps. Under UK GDPR, include any personal data processed through this feature in your data-processing inventory.
This section covers the practical aspects of password protected directories in Plesk Obsidian for UK users.
The feature is accessed from the main Plesk panel — typically via a left-sidebar entry or a per-domain settings tab. Behaviour is consistent across Plesk Linux (smartxhosting.uk default) and Plesk Windows with minor path differences.
For managed Plesk hosting with UK support and VAT invoices, see smartxhosting.uk/web-apps. Under UK GDPR, include any personal data processed through this feature in your data-processing inventory.
Q: Do I need a specific Plesk licence for this feature?
A: Most features described here are included on all managed smartxhosting.uk Plesk hosting plans. Advanced features (WP Toolkit Deluxe, Developer Pack) may require plan upgrade.
Q: Does this work on both Linux and Windows Plesk?
A: Yes — Plesk Obsidian is cross-platform. smartxhosting.uk runs Plesk on Linux; feature parity is close on Windows but file paths and service names differ.
Q: Is this guide for Plesk Obsidian or an older version?
A: Plesk Obsidian (18.x) is assumed throughout. smartxhosting.uk keeps Plesk on the latest stable branch, so UK customers are always on Obsidian.
Q: How does this feature interact with UK GDPR?
A: Any personal data processed via this feature falls under UK GDPR. Ensure your privacy notice reflects the processing, apply encryption where applicable, and document the processing in your data-processing inventory.
Q: Can I automate this via the Plesk API?
A: Yes — Plesk exposes a CLI and XML/REST APIs for automation. smartxhosting.uk managed hosting allows API access for tasks that do not require root.
Q: How do I access Plesk if I am a smartxhosting.uk customer?
A: Log in to smartxhosting.uk client area → Services → Login to Plesk. SSO takes you straight into the panel.