Myth-Busting SOP: 'Just chmod 777 to Fix Permission Errors'

Myth-Busting SOP: 'Just chmod 777 to Fix Permission Errors'

Support forums say set 777 when uploads break. That hands write access to every process on the box. Do this instead:

— Step 1: Set directories to 755, files to 644 across the docroot.
— Step 2: Set wp-config.php to 640 (or 440) — it holds DB creds.
— Step 3: Make wp-content/uploads writable by giving the web user ownership, not world-write: chown -R www-data:www-data uploads.
— Step 4: Verify no world-writable files remain: find . -perm -o+w -type f should return nothing.
— Step 5: If a plugin still demands 777, replace the plugin.

Ownership solves write errors; 777 just invites a backdoor. Run this every time.