Difference between Plesk login "root" and "admin"?

[N_Vas]

During the installation of Plesk, at first it used the root password, and then had me create an "admin" user.

When I log in using either I don't see any difference in the UI or options. Is there a difference or a reason to use one over the other?

Or is it just so you can give someone access to admin Plesk without giving them full root password of the server itself?


Thanks

 

[trialotto]

@N_Vas,

At setup, plesk is requiring the root login and creates the admin login as such, implying that an additional layer of security is present, in the sense that installation and creation of the admin account is done under root privileges, while these root privileges cannot be (fully) used by a Plesk admin.

In short, the root account and the (Plesk) admin are completely separate (and privileges associated with these accounts are often equally different).

Note that this procedure is also required by the Linux concept of security: the root account has no password, at least in principle.

It is certainly relevant to grasp that concept of security: by preference, the root account on a Linux server is passwordless.

All root servers with password access are "violating" the above concept of security, even if password access for root is (occasionally) required.

A better approach is a (passwordless) root access, based upon "SSL handshakes".

However, the (Plesk) admin account does need (!) a password (and for that reason, at first login one has to use the root account, in order to set admin account and password).

Hope the above clarifies your questions...

 

[N_Vas]

Hello Trialotto,

Did you mean "SSH" handshakes? (as in an SSH auth key?)

In any case, I was mostly asking when logging into the Plesk CP as "root" or "admin" if there is any difference in the UI or capabilities/options?


Thanks

 

[trialotto]

N_Vas,

Indeed, I made a typo, I meant SSH Handshakes (SSH auth key negotation).

In addition, there should be a difference between logging in as admin and/or root, even though the difference is sometimes very small.

Kind regards....