On UNIX web hosting, every single file and folder stored has a set of permissions associated with it, which says who is allowed to do what with the file.  File and directory permissions can often be changed using your FTP software.

The most common permissions include:

400     r--------       files (won't let you accidentally erase)

444     r--r--r--      files (lets everyone read)

600     rw-------     files (no one else can read or see files)

644     rw-r--r--      files

664     rw-rw-r--      files

666     rw-rw-rw-     files

700     rwx------          programs and directories

750     rwxr-x---          programs and directories

755     rwxr-xr-x          programs and directories

777     rwxrwxrwx     programs and directories

Setting permissions with FTP

Your FTP program will probably allow you to set permissions on your files by selecting the file (in the remote window) and either right-clicking on it and selecting an option such as CHMOD or Set permissions, or by selecting CHMOD / Set permissions from a menu option.

Once you've selected the appropriate menu option, you'll probably see a dialog box similar to the following (this is from FileZilla for Windows):

For additional information and to determine if your FTP software can be used to change file or directory permissions, please reference the help section of your FTP Software or their Internet Web site. We’ve provided some useful links below:

CuteFTP: http://www.cuteftp.com/support/

WSFTP:  http://www.ipswitch.com/support/

AbsoluteFTP:  http://www.vandyke.com

CyberDuck (Mac OS X): http://cyberduck.ch/

FileZilla: http://filezilla-project.org/

Note For all directories and .cgi files the permissions should be set to 755. Other files should typically be set at 644.

Related Articles

How To Set Up FTP Account(s) 

How To Access the Hosting Control Panel 

How To View Your Uploaded Files 

How To Set Up Directory Passwords