Deploy a Private or Public GitHub Repository to Plesk using SSH Deploy Keys

Learn how to set up secure Git deployment from GitHub to Plesk using SSH Deploy Keys. This method supports both public and private repositories, fully automated deployments, and advanced post-deploy actions. Perfect for modern web apps, CI-style workflows, and professional hosting.

Why SSH Deploy Keys?

Secure access to GitHub without passwords or tokens
Best practice for private repositories
Granular, read-only permission control
Automated builds and deployments in Plesk

Step-by-Step: Private GitHub Repo Deployment on Plesk

1) Enable Git for your domain

Open Plesk → Websites & Domains → Git.
Enable Git if not active yet.
Select Remote Git hosting.
Enter the SSH repository URL: git@github.com:YOUR-ORG/YOUR-REPO.git Example: git@github.com:tenbyte/somesource.git

2) Copy the SSH Deploy Key from Plesk

After saving the repo URL, Plesk displays a unique public key.
Click View / Copy public SSH key.
Copy the entire key string (ssh-ed25519 or ssh-rsa).

3) Add the Deploy Key to GitHub

Navigate to your repository on GitHub.
Go to Settings → Security → Deploy keys.
Click Add deploy key.
Name the key, for example Plesk.
Paste the SSH key from Plesk.
Keep Allow write access disabled for security.
Save the key.

4) Configure Deployment Settings in Plesk

Return to Plesk and define how deployments should function:

Deployment mode: Choose the correct document root directory.
Auto-deploy: Enable if every push from main should trigger deployment automatically.
Additional deployment actions: Specify shell commands to run after each Git pull. Useful for:
- npm install / yarn install
- npm run build
- Cache flushes
- File permissions updates
npm install npm run build chmod -R 755 httpdocs

5) Test deployment

Trigger a deployment manually with Pull updates and confirm the latest commit appears in Plesk.

⚠️ Please note: We do our best to keep things accurate, but we can’t guarantee perfection. Use at your own risk. – Please report errors or bugs to our Github

Step-by-Step: Private GitHub Repo Deployment on Plesk

1) Enable Git for your domain

Open Plesk → Websites & Domains → Git.

Enable Git if not active yet.

Select Remote Git hosting.

Enter the SSH repository URL: git@github.com:YOUR-ORG/YOUR-REPO.git Example: git@github.com:tenbyte/somesource.git

2) Copy the SSH Deploy Key from Plesk

After saving the repo URL, Plesk displays a unique public key.

Click View / Copy public SSH key.

Copy the entire key string (ssh-ed25519 or ssh-rsa).

3) Add the Deploy Key to GitHub

Navigate to your repository on GitHub.

Go to Settings → Security → Deploy keys.

Click Add deploy key.

Name the key, for example Plesk.

Paste the SSH key from Plesk.

Keep Allow write access disabled for security.

Save the key.

4) Configure Deployment Settings in Plesk

Return to Plesk and define how deployments should function:

Deployment mode: Choose the correct document root directory.

Auto-deploy: Enable if every push from main should trigger deployment automatically.

Additional deployment actions: Specify shell commands to run after each Git pull. Useful for:

npm install / yarn install
npm run build
Cache flushes
File permissions updates

npm install npm run build chmod -R 755 httpdocs

5) Test deployment

Trigger a deployment manually with Pull updates and confirm the latest commit appears in Plesk.

⚠️ Please note: We do our best to keep things accurate, but we can’t guarantee perfection. Use at your own risk. – Please report errors or bugs to our Github