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TUTORIAL December 10, 2025

How to Run PluginCams on a Cheap Contabo VPS with Plesk & External MariaDB

Author

Andre

PluginCams Developer

In this guide we’ll set up a cheap but powerful infrastructure for PluginCams using two Contabo VPS: one with Plesk for the websites and one running an external MariaDB server. This is a very flexible setup that scales well when you start importing thousands of cam models.

Contabo VPS plans can be upgraded to a higher tier with just a couple of clicks, so you can start small and scale later when traffic grows.

We’re using Plesk here because it’s one of the easiest panels when it comes to:

  • Adding external database servers with a few clicks.
  • Configuring remote backups to FTP, Google Drive, DigitalOcean Spaces, S3 and more via extensions.
  • Managing WordPress + PHP scripts like PluginCams without having to touch config files all the time.

Later we’ll publish more tutorials using free panels (HestiaCP, aaPanel, etc.), but in this article we keep it simple and clean with Plesk.

🧰 What You Need

  • 1× Contabo VPS (Web) – will run Plesk, your WordPress, and PluginCams.
  • 1× Contabo VPS (DB) – will run MariaDB only (external database server).
  • A Plesk license – in this example we assume you’re using a cheap shared license from a reseller (like SharedLicense.com (3$) or similar).
  • One domain pointing to the web VPS (or you can start with the server IP and change later).
  • Basic SSH access (root or sudo user) to both VPS.

Step 1 – Deploy the Web VPS and Install Plesk

First VPS = web server (Plesk + Nginx/Apache + PHP + PluginCams).

  1. Order the VPS at Contabo Choose a small plan (for example 2–4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM). For the OS, pick something supported by Plesk such as Ubuntu 22.04 or Debian 12.
  2. Log in via SSH ssh root@YOUR_WEB_SERVER_IP
  3. Update the system (Ubuntu/Debian example):
    apt update && apt upgrade -y
  4. Install Plesk using the official installer:
    sh <(curl -sSL https://autoinstall.plesk.com/plesk-installer)
    Follow the on-screen steps and enter your Plesk license key (shared license) when asked, or add it later from the Plesk UI.
  5. Open the Plesk panel Once installed, go to: https://YOUR_WEB_SERVER_IP:8443 Finish the initial wizard (admin email, password, hostname, etc.).

Step 2 – Set Up the External MariaDB VPS

Second VPS = database only. Keeping MySQL/MariaDB on its own server gives you better performance and easier scaling.

2.1 Install MariaDB

  1. Order another cheap VPS at Contabo (can be a smaller one).
  2. Log in via SSH:
    ssh root@YOUR_DB_SERVER_IP
  3. Update packages:
    apt update && apt upgrade -y
  4. Install MariaDB server (Ubuntu/Debian):
    apt install mariadb-server -y
  5. Run the security script:
    mysql_secure_installation
    Set a strong root password and answer Y to remove test DB and anonymous users.

2.2 Create Database and User

Now we create a database and a user that Plesk (on the web server) will use to connect.

  1. Enter the MariaDB shell:
    mysql -u root -p
  2. Create a database for PluginCams / WordPress:
CREATE DATABASE plugincams_db
  DEFAULT CHARACTER SET utf8mb4
  COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
  1. Create a user that can connect only from the web server’s IP:
CREATE USER 'plugincams_user'@'YOUR_WEB_SERVER_IP'
  IDENTIFIED BY 'SUPER_STRONG_PASSWORD';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON plugincams_db.* 
  TO 'plugincams_user'@'YOUR_WEB_SERVER_IP';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Replace YOUR_WEB_SERVER_IP and SUPER_STRONG_PASSWORD with your real values.

2.3 Allow Remote Connections (Bind & Firewall)

By default, MariaDB listens only on 127.0.0.1. We need it to accept connections from the Plesk VPS, but still keep it locked down.

  1. Edit the MariaDB config (Ubuntu/Debian example):
    nano /etc/mysql/mariadb.conf.d/50-server.cnf
  2. Find the line:
    bind-address = 127.0.0.1
    Change it to:
    bind-address = 0.0.0.0
    (We’ll restrict access via firewall to your web server IP.)
  3. Restart MariaDB:
    systemctl restart mariadb
  4. Configure firewall so only your web VPS can access port 3306 (UFW example):
ufw allow from YOUR_WEB_SERVER_IP to any port 3306
ufw enable

Step 3 – Add the External DB Server in Plesk

Now we tell Plesk that this MariaDB server exists so it can use it like any other local database.

  1. Log into Plesk on your web VPS:
    https://YOUR_WEB_SERVER_IP:8443
  2. Go to Tools & Settings → Database Servers.
  3. Click Add Database Server.
  4. Fill the form:
    • Database server type: MySQL
    • Host name or IP: YOUR_DB_SERVER_IP
    • Port: 3306 (default)
    • Username: plugincams_user
    • Password: the strong password you used before
    • Optionally tick “Use this server as default” if you want all new DBs to live here.
  5. Click OK and wait for Plesk to test the connection.

If everything is correct you’ll see your external MariaDB server listed alongside the local MySQL server. From now on Plesk can create and manage databases there with one click.

Step 4 – Create Your Site and Point It to the External DB

With the external DB server registered, using it is very straightforward.

  1. In Plesk, go to Websites & Domains and create a new subscription or use an existing one for your PluginCams site.
  2. Click on Databases for that domain.
  3. Click Add Database and choose:
    • Database name: plugincams_db (or another name).
    • Related site: your domain.
    • Database server: select the external MariaDB server you just added.
  4. You can either:
    • Let Plesk create a new user, or
    • Use the existing plugincams_user credentials.

If you install WordPress from inside Plesk, it will automatically use that external DB. If you install PluginCams manually in an existing WordPress, just make sure the DB_HOST in wp-config.php is set to YOUR_DB_SERVER_IP (not localhost).

Step 5 – Easy Off-Site Backups with Plesk

Another reason we like Plesk for this kind of setup is how easy it is to ship backups away from the server.

Inside Plesk you can use the built-in Backup Manager plus several extensions to push backups to external storage providers:

  • FTP / SFTP – simple remote server or NAS.
  • Google Drive – personal or business account.
  • DigitalOcean Spaces / S3-compatible storage – cheap object storage for long-term retention.

Typical workflow for our Contabo setup:

  1. In Plesk, go to Tools & Settings → Backup Manager.
  2. Configure a remote storage destination (FTP, Google Drive, DO Spaces, etc.).
  3. Schedule automatic backups (daily or weekly) including both files and databases.

This way, even if one of your cheap VPS dies, you still have everything stored safely outside Contabo.

Step 6 – Install PluginCams and Start Importing

Once WordPress is running on the web VPS and the DB is on the external MariaDB server, you can install PluginCams like usual:

  • Upload and activate the PluginCams plugin in WordPress.
  • Connect your cam APIs and affiliate codes.
  • Run some test imports to confirm everything is writing correctly to the external database.

This architecture is perfect when you plan to import a lot of live models: the web VPS handles PHP and HTTP requests, while the DB VPS focuses only on database queries.

🎯 Final Thoughts & Next Tutorials

To recap, in this tutorial we:

  • Deployed a cheap Contabo VPS with Plesk for the web layer.
  • Installed MariaDB on a second VPS and configured a secure external database user.
  • Connected that MariaDB server to Plesk as an external database server.
  • Configured off-site backups using Plesk’s backup manager and remote storage extensions.

This combo (Contabo + Plesk + external MariaDB) is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to run PluginCams at scale, while still keeping things clean, separated and easy to manage.

In upcoming tutorials we’ll replicate similar setups using free hosting panels, so if you prefer open-source solutions you’ll have options too.

For now, if you want a simple life: grab two Contabo VPS, install Plesk + MariaDB as shown above, plug in PluginCams and let the imports run. 💻🔥