Fix Website "403 Forbidden"

Understanding 403 Forbidden

The server understood the request but refuses to authorize it.

Fix 1: Check File Permissions

Files should be 644, directories 755:

# Fix recursively
sudo find /var/www/your-site -type f -exec chmod 644 {} ;
sudo find /var/www/your-site -type d -exec chmod 755 {} ;

Fix 2: Check Owner

Web server user (www-data, nginx, apache) must have access:

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/your-site

Fix 3: Check for Index File

Directory listing may be disabled and no index file exists:

# Ensure index.php or index.html exists
ls -la /var/www/your-site/

# Or enable directory listing
# In Nginx: autoindex on;
# In Apache: Options +Indexes

Fix 4: Check Nginx/Apache Configuration

Look for deny rules:

# Nginx
grep -r "deny " /etc/nginx/

# Apache
grep -r "Deny from" /etc/apache2/

Fix 5: Check .htaccess (Apache)

Rename to test:

sudo mv .htaccess .htaccess.bak

Fix 6: Check IP Blocking

# Fail2ban
sudo fail2ban-client status

# UFW
sudo ufw status

# CSF
sudo csf -g YOUR_IP

Fix 7: Check SELinux (CentOS/RHEL)

getenforce
# Temporarily disable to test
sudo setenforce 0

If disabling fixes it, restore context:

sudo restorecon -Rv /var/www/your-site