Reset the permissions on /var/www/

gistfile1.sh

###DO NOT USE AS IS, please read the comments###

# Debian based systems

chown -R www-data:dev-ops /var/www/
chmod -R u+rX-w,g+rwX,o-rwx /var/www/


# RHEL based

chown -R apache:dev-ops /var/www/
chmod -R u+rX-w,g+rwX,o-rwx /var/www/

In the apache config, we always set a user and group which httpd will run as. Running as root is dangerous.

Checking the apache configuration will give you the user it runs at. I also like to create a group for all the members working on a webprojects. I call this group "dev-ops"

You can create this group by running:

(sh) # groupadd dev-ops

Then add the users you want to be part of that group using

(sh) # usermod -G dev-ops -a user_name

To check which groups your currently running user is already a part of type

(sh) $ groups

The two commands on in the gist will set the owner of each file and directory to the user apache runs as, and sets the group to dev-ops. It then gives the owner read permission (and execute if it is a folder, hence "capital" X).
The dev-op group will have read, write permission, (and execute on folders so we can open them).