Wordpress unable to write files in the server

Question

1. History: I refer to this thread here https://forums.cpanel.net/threads/mpm-pre_fork-to-worker-changes-file-permissions.605399/#post-2454791 : "After changing the server MPM from Prefork into Worker through EasyApache4 on a VPS server, on Apache/2.4.25 (cPanel), CENTOS 7.3 x86_64 virtuozzo – cPanel & WHM 64.0 (build 32) and PHP7.0, the file permissions in the server were changed and Wordpress is unable to write files in the server. Moving back to Prefork does not solve the file writing issue."

2. Issue: Every time I try to install a plugin it will ask me to input the FTP credentials, issue described here https://cweiske.de/tagebuch/wordpress-update-ftp.htm

3. Solution: I had the same issue back in end May in another old server. The hosting company managed to solve it by "We have corrected the issue by running a permission fix script and also by changing the PHP handler." Yesterday they ran the chown fix script in the new server, but this does not solve the Wordpress file permission issue. Problem: they do not remember which PHP handler they changed back in end May to solve the file writing issue.

4. Question: which PHP handler could be blocking Wordpress from updating/writing on its files?

Any advice is welcome! :-)

Answer 1

You should be able to work around this by specifying your FTP credentials in wp-config.php as per the Codex.

Generally this sort of problem happens when switching from a handler where the PHP is executed as the Apache user to one where PHP runs under its own user, and the PHP user doesn't have the same group memberships as Apache.