title: How to Write/Upload from Wordpress Web Interface Installed on Ubuntu 18.04 VirtualBox
body: <p><strong>Host:</strong> Windows 10 64bit</p>
  
  <p><strong>VirtualBox:</strong> Ubuntu 18.04 Apache 2.4, MySQL 5.7.25, PHP 7.2.10
  userdir module enabled</p>
  
  <p>I've installed WordPress thus:</p>
  
  <pre><code>chris@montford:~/public_html$ wp core download
  Downloading WordPress 5.0.3 (en_US)...
  md5 hash verified: 83bec78836aabac08f769d50f1bffe5d
  Success: WordPress downloaded.
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>When I go to /localhost/~chris/ in Chromium, I get the standard install web page. I fill in the standard setup form, but always get "Sorry, but I can't write the wp-config.php file. You can create the wp-config.php manually..."</p>
  
  <p>I could follow these directions, but it basically means that I can't write files <em>from</em> the wordpress browser interface on my dev site. It also means I can't upload photos or docs or add plugins and themes via the standard WordPress web interface even if I did configure wp-config.php manually.</p>
  
  <p>There is likely a security protocol in place that keeps me from allowing the web server to upload/edit/change files, even though userdir is enabled. From what I could understand, this isn't covered in the "Apache Module mod_userdir" web page, nor in its accompanying "Per-user web directories" page.</p>
  
  <p>This would be the case whether it was WordPress or some other CMS. Directories are all at the standard 755. I shouldn't have to set any directory to 777. </p>
  
  <p>I'd rather not use the FTP method, and I'd like to see my files uploaded/added from the WordPress web interface as user:group chris:chris rather than something like www-data:www-data.</p>
  
  <p>What steps must I follow to allow WordPress to behave as expected on a normal host box so that it can automatically create its own wp-config.php file, and add themes and plugins directly from the web interface?</p>