What is the open_basedir error?

What is open_basedir?

It is a restriction to prevent a hosting package user from accessing any paths on the server that are not authorised, such as the paths to other domains on shared web servers, or to access the hosting software.

The open_basedir function defines the locations or paths from which PHP is allowed to access files using functions like fopen() and gzopen(). If a file is outside of the paths defined by open_basedir, PHP will refuse to open it.

Why am I getting this error?

In most cases, this error occurs when your site has been transferred from a previous host that uses Cpanel, and the relevant file paths have not been updated to reflect the correct file path on our servers.

All website content needs to be placed in the public_html folder within the home directory, rather than directly into the home directory.

What are the correct file paths?

Full path to the FTP Home directory (default directory displayed when connecting via FTP) is:

/usr/home/FTP_USERNAME/

Full path to the Public_html directory (where all web accessible files need to reside) is:

/usr/www/users/FTP_USERNAME/

Note: The full file/absolute paths apply to both Shared hosting and Managed hosting servers