When I type ls -l and press enter I get a list of files, with details about each file. Next to each file there is permissions and rights for each file.What do they mean? For example:-rw-rw-rw-I am thinking this means read and write access, though for whom and what?Essentially, if I needed to modify a file or change rights, I would need to know what I can and cannot change.
What rights signify when using ls -l?
permissions;ls
This is the basics of permissions covered. The confusion often occurs when you have to start actually setting permissions on your file server or local machine. When you use FTP or SSH or on your local terminal (if you are using Linux of course), you'll see lots of funny letters next to the files (such as rwxrw-rw-). I'll explain what all these hieroglyphics mean!When you FTP to your web server, you'll probably see something like this next to every file and folder:Attributes listThis string of letters, drwxrwxrwx, represents the permissions that are set for this folder. (Note that these are often called attributes by FTP programs.) Let's explain what each of these letters means:d   r   w   x   r   w   x   r   w   x    Owner          Group      OtherDirectory   Read    Write   Execute Read    Write   Execute Read    Write   Executed=directoryr=readw=writex=executeAs you can see, the string of letters breaks down into 3 sections of 3 letters each, representing each of the types of users (the owner, members of the group, and everyone else). There is also a d attribute on the left, which tells us if this is a file or a directory (folder).