{"id":3597,"date":"2019-02-08T12:21:15","date_gmt":"2019-02-08T06:51:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/?p=3597"},"modified":"2026-10-07T14:41:54","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T09:11:54","slug":"allow-ftp-access-to-developers-for-wordpress-sites-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pheonixsolutions.com\/blog\/allow-ftp-access-to-developers-for-wordpress-sites-2\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Allow FTP Access for Developers on WordPress Sites"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Post Date:<\/strong> February 07, 2019
Last Updated:<\/strong> October 07, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

WordPress developers may sometimes face issues when uploading files through FTP or installing, updating, or deleting plugins from the WordPress admin dashboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These issues are commonly caused by incorrect ownership or file and directory permissions on the WordPress installation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this guide, we will explain how to create a dedicated developer user, assign the appropriate web server group, and configure WordPress file ownership and permissions so that developers can work with the website without unnecessary permission-related issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prerequisites<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before making these changes, make sure you have the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Server Access<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You need SSH access to the Linux server with root or sudo privileges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WordPress Installation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You should know the document root of the WordPress website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\/var\/www\/pheonixsolutions.com\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Web Server User and Group<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Identify the user and group used by your web server.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Common examples include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
apache\nwww-data\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
You can check the running web server processes to identify the appropriate user.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Important:<\/strong> The exact user and group depend on your operating system and web server configuration.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Implementation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Create a Dedicated Developer User<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Create a separate Linux user for developers instead of sharing an existing server account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo useradd devs\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Set a strong password:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo passwd devs\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Enter the password when prompted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Using a dedicated account makes it easier to manage and revoke developer access when required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Set the User’s Home Directory<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Set the WordPress document root as the developer user’s home directory:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo usermod -d \/var\/www\/pheonixsolutions.com devs\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Replace the path with the actual WordPress document root on your server.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Add the Developer User to the Web Server Group<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
First, identify the group used by the web server.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, if the web server uses the apache<\/code> group:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo usermod -aG apache devs\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
On Debian or Ubuntu-based systems, the group may instead be www-data<\/code>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo usermod -aG www-data devs\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
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Note:<\/strong> Use -aG<\/code> instead of -g<\/code> when adding the user to an additional group. This prevents accidentally replacing the user’s existing primary group.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
4. Change WordPress File Ownership<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Navigate to the WordPress document root:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
cd \/var\/www\/pheonixsolutions.com\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Set the appropriate user and web server group as the ownership:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo chown -R devs:apache \/var\/www\/pheonixsolutions.com\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
If your web server uses www-data<\/code>, use:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo chown -R devs:www-data \/var\/www\/pheonixsolutions.com\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Replace devs<\/code>, apache<\/code>, and the document root with the values appropriate for your server.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. Set File Permissions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Set permissions for WordPress files:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo find \/var\/www\/pheonixsolutions.com -type f -exec chmod 664 {} \\;\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Set permissions for WordPress directories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo find \/var\/www\/pheonixsolutions.com -type d -exec chmod 775 {} \\;\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
These permissions allow the owner and group to modify files while maintaining separate permissions for other users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
6. Verify Ownership and Permissions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Verify the ownership of the WordPress installation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ls -la \/var\/www\/pheonixsolutions.com\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
You can also check specific files or directories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ls -la \/var\/www\/pheonixsolutions.com\/wp-content\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Make sure the expected developer user and web server group are shown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
7. Test FTP Access<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
After completing the configuration, connect to the server using the developer’s FTP\/SFTP credentials and verify that the user can access the required WordPress directory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Test common operations such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n