File permissions (chmod) play a vital role in securing your webhosting account. This guide explains how permissions work on DataDachs webhosting packages and why insecure 0777 permissions are never needed.
Where Can I Change File Permissions?
- Inside the cPanel File Manager
- Via an FTP client (see Setting CHMOD Permissions in FileZilla )
- Via SSH
Files and directories should always use the following standard permissions:
- Files:
0644 - Directories:
0755
Scripts inside the cgi-bin directory must also use 0755.
Why CHMOD 0777 Is Neither Needed Nor Allowed
Some older PHP script manuals ask you to set 0777 permissions on cache or upload folders. For security reasons, 0777 permissions are blocked on our servers, and completely unnecessary. Simply leave directories at 0755. Your PHP scripts already have full write access with 0755.
Stricter Permissions (Example: 0400)
More restrictive permissions such as 0400 (for example, to lock down sensitive configuration files) are fully supported. The system only rejects world-writable permissions where the last two digits contain 2, 3, 6, or 7.
How Does This Work Technically?
On legacy shared servers where PHP runs as a generic user like nobody, users had to set 0777 so PHP could write files, exposing directories to outside tampering.
At DataDachs, your PHP processes execute strictly under your own isolated account user via PHP LiteSpeed SAPI
. As a result, your PHP applications (such as WordPress automatic updates) have full write permissions using safe 0755 directory and 0644 file permissions.