You can only manually restore the basic FTP directory structure on a web host. For instructions on how to manage files via FTP, see Webhosting - File Management.
In this article you will read:
- What is the basic directory structure of web hosting
- How to reset FTP web hosting to factory settings
- Common problems
- Frequently Asked Questions
Basic directory structure of Webhosting
The following files and folders are located on the Web Hosting immediately after set up:
| Name | Location | Type | |
|---|---|---|---|
| session | root (root directory) | folder | |
| tmp | root (root directory) | folder | |
| www | root (root directory) | folder | |
| - | domains | www | folder |
| - | subdomain | www | folder |
| - | .htaccess | www | file |
| - | index.html | www | file |
These serve the following purposes:
- Session folder: storing PHP session data
- The tmp folder: storing temporary files. If missing, file upload failures may occur via PHP
- www folder: web files (PHP, HTML, CSS, JS, media)
- Domains subfolder: directories of separate alias sites and subdomains
- Subfolder subdomain: subdomain directories
- .htaccess file: web server settings
- File index.html: file displaying the message about active Webhosting
Restore FTP to basic settings
Restoring FTP to default settings is an irreversible process. Before restoring FTP to default settings, we strongly recommend that you back up your current data according to the Webhosting - Backup instructions.
To manually restore FTP to its default settings, follow these steps:
- Log in to the FTP web hosting with your main FTP account.
- Delete all files and directories in the root directory.
- Create new folders session, tmp and www in the now empty root directory.
- In the www folder, create new domains and subdomains folders.
- Restore the default .htaccess file.
Common problems
Common problems with restoring the basic Webhosting directory structure include:
- Logging in to a directory other than the root directory
- Invisible .htaccess file
- Error 403: Forbidden
- The website is not working
- FTP unavailable or unable to delete files
Incorrect root directory
Problem: The FTP account goes to the www (or other) directory and marks it as the root directory.
Cause: all secondary FTP accounts have access only to the www folder or its subfolders. They refer to these as their root directory in WebFTP.
Solution: Consider whether you only need to delete site files. If so, delete and restore to default only the contents of the www folder. If not, make sure you have access to an FTP account with access to the root directory(the main FTP account).
Invisible .htaccess file
Problem: The .htaccess file is not displayed in the FTP client.
Cause:.htaccess is a hidden file.
Solution: Enable the FTP client to show hidden files, or use WebFTP ⧉.
Error 403: Forbidden after FTP reset
Problem: After a reset, Error 403: Forbidden appears on the web.
Cause: detailed information about Error 403 can be found in this article.
Solution: Upload an index.html or index.php file to the www folder or your domain name folder in www/domains/ and make sure you have the default .htaccess file uploaded in the www folder. If that doesn't help, restore the file permissions according to the Webhosting - File Management instructions.
The new website is not working properly
Problem: A new site is not uploading files, not saving settings, or exhibiting other unusual behavior.
Solution: Check that you have actually reset the directory structure in the root directory and not in another directory (usually the www directory).The tmp and session folders must be in the root directory, only .htaccess and the site files (or the domains and subdomains directories) belong in the www directory.
FTP not available or unable to delete files
Problem: I can't connect to FTP or delete files.
Solution: Follow the instructions in the FTP Troubleshooting article.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I log in to FTP?
For detailed instructions on how to log in, see FTP - Login. Note that the only FTP account with root access is the main FTP account.
How do I know I'm in the right directory?
The root directory should contain the tmp, session and www folders, sometimes you will find backups or logs here. If you see the domains, subdomains, and other folders, you're probably in the www directory.
Do I really have to delete everything? What if I delete something important?
You don't have to delete everything, often it is enough to delete the contents of the www folder, or the corresponding folder in the www/domains directory. In any case, before restoring FTP to default settings, we strongly recommend that you back up your current data according to the Webhosting - Backup instructions. For our part, we cannot guarantee the availability of our backups, especially with the increasing time lag.