How to configure apache to create files with correct group owner [closed]

Question

I've got WP site on a self-hosted server. Any files I create are owned by me/me and any files created by WP are owned by apache/apache. I've created a group, wp, that both me and apache are members of and that works ok. But how can I set this up so when either me or apache creates or edits a file or directory that it gets the wp group owner (as well as group write access)?

Thanks for the assistance.

Answer 1

You may as I have found need to change the group that apache runs under. In ubuntu you can do this by editing the /etc/apache2/envvars file.

The above answer by AlxVallejo is mostly correct but this (Tom's) is a better answer with regards to setting permissions http://serverfault.com/questions/6895/whats-the-best-way-of-handling-permissions-for-apache2s-user-www-data-in-var

Also I found that even when you do all that, because WordPress is rather dumb on how it checks permissions adding these lines to the end of wp-config.php helps resolve plugin and auto-update hiccups:

/* Force direct file updating
 - http://www.charleshooper.net/blog/wordpress-auto-upgrade-and-dumb-permissions/
*/
define('FS_METHOD', 'direct');

See the link for more info.

Hope that helps.

Answer 2

By default, a new file will inherit the permissions of it's parent directory.

You need to enter this on the command line:

chmod -R apache_group=664 directory_name

To verify, check directory permissions

ls -l

To change the actual owner, you would do

chgrp -Rv apache_group wp_content

*R means it's recursive and v means verbose and will do ls -l for you