is it safe to have wp-content folder 777 in dedi server
 

hi

with all the constant wordpress updates i was going to user the auto-update feature to save time updating lots of blogs.

however this requires the wp-content folder to be 777, is it safe to leave this folder 777 on a dedicated server (prefered option) only used by me or should i change it back to 755 after updating?

any advice appreciated

well I have it usually, uploads folder also and never been hacked or anything

that's good to hear, thanks.

Still shouldn't leave it 777. It's always good to have to manually update anyways because some changes can be incompatible with certain plugins and themes. Always good to be aware ahead of time incase you have any custom HTML in templates.

I'll add "poorly coded" to the above, as in "some changes can be incompatible with certain poorly coded plugins and themes."

If a WP core update breaks a plugin or theme, it's because the plugin or theme developer did not follow WP's guidelines and best practices. Replace those bad plugins and themes with one's written by professionals that understand WP -- or at least bother to read all the "how to write a plugin that won't break" resources that the Codex offers...

I also think that 777 is a bad idea, though handy at times :2 cents:

If you have 1 directory set to 777 then it doesn't matter if you have another...

You don't need the wp-content 777 for auto updates, just the /updates folder, I would never chmod the wp-content 777, if your server is using pure ftpd, there is a bug in wordpress that causes updates to fail, installing the plugin "FTP Upgrade Fix" will solve that problem

I'd agree it's best not to, although if you have a server with suphp installed then you couldn't even set it to 777 in the first place which is more secure.

I never said they were all coded perfectly. This conversation isn't about efficiency of coding. it's about security and updating. Some people use plugins that do break occasionally. it's just part of business.

Is 777 safe?
777 means world writeable ? anyone can write or change files.