How to Fix mod_fcgid MaxRequestLen Error While Uploading Files

Introduction

When uploading files in applications such as WordPress, Joomla, or other PHP-based websites, you may encounter upload failures due to the mod_fcgid request size limitation. This issue occurs when the uploaded file exceeds the configured MaxRequestLen value in the Apache FCGI configuration.

This guide explains how to identify and resolve the issue by increasing the MaxRequestLen value.

Prerequisites

  • Root or sudo access to the server
  • Access to the Apache configuration files
  • Ability to restart the Apache service

Implementation

Step 1: Verify the Error in Apache Logs

Check the Apache error log for messages similar to the following:

tail -f /usr/local/apache/logs/error_log | grep domainname.com

Example output:

[warn] [client 203.197.151.138] mod_fcgid: HTTP request length 131274 (so far) exceeds MaxRequestLen (131072)

[error] [client 203.197.151.138] File does not exist: /home/domain/public_html/500.shtml

This indicates that the upload request size has exceeded the configured MaxRequestLen limit.

Step 2: Locate the FCGI configuration file.

Find the PHP FCGI configuration file for the affected domain.

A common location is:

/usr/local/apache/etc/userdata/std/2/domain/domainname.com/phpini.conf

Step 3: Edit the Configuration File

Open the configuration file using your preferred editor.

vi /usr/local/apache/etc/userdata/std/2/domain/domainname.com/phpini.conf

Step 4: Increase the MaxRequestLen Value

Add or modify the following directive:

MaxRequestLen 15728640

The configuration should look similar to:

AddHandler fcgid-script .fcgi

FcgidConnectTimeout 20

MaxRequestLen 15728640

Step 5: Save the Configuration

Save the changes and exit the editor.

Step 6: Restart Apache

Restart the Apache service for the changes to take effect.

service httpd restart

Step 7: Verify File Uploads

Attempt to upload the file again through the application.

If the upload completes successfully, the issue has been resolved.

Conclusion

The mod_fcgid MaxRequestLen error occurs when the HTTP request size exceeds the configured upload limit. By increasing the MaxRequestLen value in the domain’s FCGI configuration file and restarting Apache, larger file uploads can be processed successfully in applications such as WordPress and Joomla.

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