403 errors usually mean that the server does not have permission
to view the requested file or resource.These errors are often
caused by IP Deny rules, File protections, or permission
problems.
In many cases this is not an indication of an actual problem
with the server itself but rather a problem with the information
the server has been instructed to access as a result of the
request. This error is often caused by an issue on your site which
may require additional review by our support teams.
Our support staff will be happy to assist you in resolving this
issue. Please contact our Live Support or reply to any Tickets you
may have received from our technicians for further assistance.
There are a few common causes for this error code including
problems with the individual script that may be executed upon
request. Some of these are easier to spot and correct than
others.
File and Directory Ownership
The server you are on runs applications in a very specific way
in most cases. The server generally expects files and directories
be owned by your specific user cPanel user. If you
have made changes to the file ownership on your own through SSH
please reset the Owner and Group appropriately.
File and Directory Permissions
The server you are on runs applications in a very specific way
in most cases. The server generally expects files such as HTML,
Images, and other media to have a permission mode of
644. The server also expects the permission mode
on directories to be set to 755 in most cases.
(See the Section on Understanding Filesystem
Permissions.)
Note: If the permissions are set to
000, please contact our support team using the
ticket system. This may be related to an account level suspension
as a result of abuse or a violation of our Terms of Service.
IP Deny Rules
In the .htaccess file, there may be rules that are conflicting
with each other or that are not allowing an IP address access to
the site.
If you would like to check a specific rule in your .htaccess
file you can comment that specific line in the .htaccess by adding
# to the beginning of the line. You should always make a backup of
this file before you start making changes.
For example, if the .htaccess looks like
Order deny,allow
allow from all
deny from 192.168.1.5
deny from 192.168.1.25
Then try something like this
Order allow,deny
allow from all
#deny from 192.168.1.5
deny from 192.168.1.25
Our server administrators will be able to advise you on how to
avoid this error if it is caused by process limitations. Please
contact our Live Support or open a Ticket. Be sure to include the
steps needed for our support staff to see the 403 error on your
site.
Symbolic Representation
The first character indicates the file type and
is not related to permissions. The remaining nine characters are in
three sets, each representing a class of permissions as three
characters. The first
set represents the user class. The
second set represents
the group class. The third
set represents the others class.
Each of the three characters represent the read, write, and
execute permissions:
- r if reading is permitted, -
if it is not.
- w if writing is permitted, -
if it is not.
- x if execution is permitted,
- if it is not.
The following are some examples of symbolic notation:
- -rwxr-xr-x a
regular file whose user class has full permissions and whose group
and others classes have only the read and execute permissions.
- crw-rw-r-- a
character special file whose user and group classes have the read
and write permissions and whose others class has only the read
permission.
- dr-x------ a
directory whose user class has read and execute permissions and
whose group and others classes have no permissions.
Numeric Representation
Another method for representing permissions is an octal (base-8)
notation as shown. This notation consists of at least three digits.
Each of the three rightmost digits represents a different component
of the permissions: user, group, and others.
Each of these digits is the sum of its component bits As a
result, specific bits add to the sum as it is represented by a
numeral:
- The read bit adds 4 to its total (in binary 100),
- The write bit adds 2 to its total (in binary 010), and
- The execute bit adds 1 to its total (in binary 001).
These values never produce ambiguous combinations. each sum
represents a specific set of permissions. More technically, this is
an octal representation of a bit field – each bit references a
separate permission, and grouping 3 bits at a time in octal
corresponds to grouping these permissions by user, group, and others.
Permission mode 0755
- 4+2+1=7
- Read, Write, eXecute
- 4+1=5
- Read, eXecute
- 4+1=5
- Read, eXecute
Permission mode 0644
- 4+2=6
- Read, Write
- 4
- Read
- 4
- Read
The .htaccess file contains directives (instructions) that tell
the server how to behave in certain scenarios and directly affect
how your website functions.
Redirects and rewriting URLs are two very common directives
found in a .htaccess file, and many scripts such as WordPress,
Drupal, Joomla and Magento add directives to the .htaccess so those
scripts can function.
It is possible that you may need to edit the .htaccess file at
some point, for various reasons.This section covers how to edit the
file in cPanel, but not what may need to be changed.(You may need
to consult other articles and resources for that information.)
There are Many Ways to Edit a .htaccess File
- Edit the file on your computer and upload it to the server via
FTP
- Use an FTP program's Edit Mode
- Use SSH and a text editor
- Use the File Manager in cPanel
The easiest way to edit a .htaccess file for most people is
through the File Manager in cPanel.
How to Edit .htaccess files in cPanel's File
Manager
Before you do anything, it is suggested that you backup your
website so that you can revert back to a previous version if
something goes wrong.
Open the File Manager
- Log into cPanel.
- In the Files section, click on the File
Manager icon.
- Check the box for Document Root for and
select the domain name you wish to access from the drop-down
menu.
- Make sure Show Hidden Files (dotfiles)"
is checked.
- Click Go. The File Manager will open in a
new tab or window.
- Look for the .htaccess file in the list of files. You may need
to scroll to find it.
To Edit the .htaccess File
- Right click on the .htaccess file and
click Code Edit from the menu. Alternatively,
you can click on the icon for the .htaccess file and then click on
the Code Editor icon at the top of the page.
- A dialogue box may appear asking you about encoding. Just
click Edit to continue. The editor will open
in a new window.
- Edit the file as needed.
- Click Save Changes in the upper right
hand corner when done. The changes will be saved.
- Test your website to make sure your changes were successfully
saved. If not, correct the error or revert back to the previous
version until your site works again.
- Once complete, you can click Close to
close the File Manager window.
The permissions on a file or directory tell the server how in
what ways it should be able to interact with a file or
directory.
This section covers how to edit the file permissions in cPanel,
but not what may need to be changed.(See the section on what you
can do for more information.)
There are Many Ways to Edit a File Permissions
- Use an FTP program
- Use SSH and a text editor
- Use the File Manager in cPanel
The easiest way to edit file permissions for most people is
through the File Manager in cPanel.
How to Edit file permissions in cPanel's File
Manager
Before you do anything, it is suggested that you backup your
website so that you can revert back to a previous version if
something goes wrong.
Open the File Manager
- Log into cPanel.
- In the Files section, click on the File
Manager icon.
- Check the box for Document Root for and
select the domain name you wish to access from the drop-down
menu.
- Make sure Show Hidden Files (dotfiles)"
is checked.
- Click Go. The File Manager will open in a
new tab or window.
- Look for the file or directory in the list of files. You may
need to scroll to find it.
To Edit the Permissions
- Right click on the file or directory and
click Change Permissions from the menu.
- A dialogue box should appear allowing you to select the correct
permissions or use the numerical value to set the correct
permissions.
- Edit the file permissions as needed.
- Click Change Permissions in the lower
left hand corner when done. The changes will be saved.
- Test your website to make sure your changes were successfully
saved. If not, correct the error or revert back to the previous
version until your site works again.
- Once complete, you can click Close to
close the File Manager window.
