AWStats permission errors have three distinct causes: the process cannot read the configured access log, it cannot write its working or database directory, or Apache cannot execute the CGI script. Find the exact pathname in the error, identify the account performing that operation, and repair only the required path, owner, group, mode, or ACL. Then make the same rule persistent in logrotate and retest through the cron or CGI path that originally failed.
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Start with the operation that failed
Do not treat every “Permission denied” message as a log-file problem. AWStats performs separate filesystem operations, often under different execution modes:
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| Symptom or error | Operation that failed | What to inspect first |
|---|---|---|
AWStats cannot access /var/log/apache2/access.log |
Reading the web-access log | The account running AWStats, the log file’s owner/group/mode or ACL, and every parent directory |
Couldn't open file ... .tmp.9999: Permission denied |
Creating or updating a temporary file | The configured DirData or working directory and its parent-directory traverse permissions |
| A report updates from cron but not in the browser | CGI execution or CGI access to data files | Apache CGI configuration, the web-server account, Perl interpreter path, and history-file permissions |
| The browser prints Perl source or returns an internal CGI error | Apache did not execute awstats.pl correctly |
CGI handler, script permissions, interpreter path, and Apache’s error log |
The AWStats FAQ describes the temporary-file message precisely: “This error means that the web server didn’t succeed in writing the working temporary file (file ended by .tmp.9999 where 9999 is a number) because of permissions problems.” A readable access log cannot fix a directory that AWStats cannot write, and a writable data directory cannot make an incorrectly configured CGI handler execute.
Understand which account is running AWStats
Permissions are evaluated for the process, not for the person who owns the terminal. A command run manually as root may succeed while the scheduled job, package job, or Apache CGI request fails as an unprivileged account.
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Identify the execution path
- Offline or cron update: inspect the cron entry, systemd timer, or package job and record its user. Debian’s package arrangement commonly runs AWStats jobs as
www-data. - CGI report or update: Apache normally invokes the script as its web-server account, commonly
www-dataon Debian-based systems. - Manual test: note whether you used
root, your login account, or the service account. A successful root test proves only that root can perform the operation.
Debian documentation describes a frequent mismatch: Apache logs are commonly owned by root:adm, while AWStats runs as www-data. Confirm the actual values on your host rather than assuming them.
Inspect the exact path and every parent directory
Use the pathname from the error, the configured LogFile, and the configured DirData or working directory. These commands show ownership, modes, and traversal rights without changing anything:
stat /var/log/apache2/access.log
namei -l /var/log/apache2/access.log
stat /var/lib/awstats
namei -l /var/lib/awstatsnamei -l is important because a service can have read permission on the final file and still fail when a parent directory lacks execute (traverse) permission. Repeat the inspection for symlink targets if a configured path is a symlink; while diagnosing, using a direct path avoids confusing link and target permissions.
Test as the real service account
After you know the account, test the same read or write operation as that account. For example, replace www-data and the paths with the values on your server:
sudo -u www-data test -r /var/log/apache2/access.log && echo readable
sudo -u www-data test -w /var/lib/awstats && echo writable
sudo -u www-data sh -c 'touch /var/lib/awstats/.awstats-permission-test && rm /var/lib/awstats/.awstats-permission-test'These tests isolate Unix permissions from AWStats parsing, CGI routing, and log-format errors. Remove any test file immediately if a command does not remove it automatically.
Verify AWStats paths and log format before changing permissions
Use the file Apache actually writes
Linux installations commonly keep AWStats configuration under /etc/awstats. Set an absolute LogFile path whenever possible. Debian’s model configuration uses /var/log/apache2/access.log as an example, but virtual hosts and rotation can produce different files. Check Apache’s active virtual-host configuration and confirm that the configured file is the one receiving requests.
A typical configuration fragment is:
LogFile="/var/log/apache2/access.log"
LogFormat=1LogFormat=1 is the recommended setting for NCSA combined/Apache logs. A format mismatch usually produces parsing or empty-report symptoms rather than a Unix permission error, but validating it now prevents you from changing access controls for the wrong diagnosis.
Account for virtual hosts and rotated logs
If Apache writes separate virtual-host logs, point each AWStats configuration at the correct file. If the active file is a symlink, inspect the target and its parent directories. Do not grant access to an unrelated log merely because its filename resembles the configured path.
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Rotation changes ownership, group, and mode when a new file is created. A manual permission change to today’s file is therefore only a temporary repair unless the logrotate rule creates future files with compatible access.
Repair access-log readability with the narrowest practical policy
Choose one access model deliberately. The goal is to let the AWStats account read the log without making administrative logs readable to every local user or process.
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Option 1: grant a dedicated group
A dedicated group can provide read access without changing the file’s owner. Add the AWStats updater account to that group only if the group contains no unrelated sensitive files; review the resulting access before adopting this method. On Debian, the existing adm group commonly owns Apache logs, but membership in a broad administrative-log group may expose more than AWStats needs.
sudo groupadd --system awstats-logreaders
sudo usermod -aG awstats-logreaders www-data
sudo chgrp awstats-logreaders /var/log/apache2/access.log
sudo chmod 640 /var/log/apache2/access.logAfter changing group membership, restart the service or start a new session so the process receives the new supplementary group. Ensure the log directory itself permits traversal by the group.
Option 2: grant a file ACL
An ACL can give only the AWStats account read access while leaving the ordinary owner and group unchanged:
sudo setfacl -m u:www-data:r /var/log/apache2/access.log
getfacl /var/log/apache2/access.logAn ACL on one file does not automatically apply to the next file created by rotation. Pair it with a logrotate policy or a default ACL on the directory, and verify the result after a test rotation.
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Debian’s package guidance discusses changing the logrotate create mode and correcting existing /var/log/apache2/*.log files. Edit the relevant logrotate policy so every newly created log receives the intended owner, group, and mode. Then correct existing files and reload or run logrotate according to your maintenance procedure.
sudo stat /var/log/apache2/access.log
sudo grep -R "apache2" /etc/logrotate.d /etc/logrotate.confThe exact create owner, group, and mode must match your chosen service account and security model. Avoid changing logs to world-readable merely because it is quick. World-readable access can expose URLs, query strings, referrers, client addresses, and other operational data to every local account and process.
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Check directory traversal as well as file read permission
The AWStats account needs execute permission on /var, /var/log, /var/log/apache2, and any other parent directory in the path. A file mode such as 640 is ineffective if a parent directory blocks traversal. Re-run namei -l after each change.
Make DirData writable for temporary and database files
Recognize the temporary-file failure
AWStats creates working files whose names can end in .tmp.9999, where the digits identify a temporary filename. The error names the directory that needs attention. Read permission on the Apache log does not grant write permission there.
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grep -R "^DirData" /etc/awstats
stat /var/lib/awstats
namei -l /var/lib/awstats
sudo -u www-data test -w /var/lib/awstatsUse a dedicated writable directory
If the current directory is unsuitable, set DirData to a dedicated directory that the AWStats updater can write. Create it with ownership and modes that exclude unrelated users:
sudo install -d -o www-data -g www-data -m 750 /var/lib/awstats
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/lib/awstatsUse a shared group instead of www-data:www-data when both a scheduled updater and a separately configured CGI process must write the same files. Set a group-writable mode only for that group, and consider the set-group-ID bit so newly created files retain the intended group:
sudo chown -R awstats:awstats /var/lib/awstats
sudo chmod 2770 /var/lib/awstatsThe names in these examples are illustrative; use accounts and groups that actually exist on your host. Do not solve a directory-write error with chmod 777. That permits any local process able to reach the directory to replace data, inject files, or interfere with report generation.
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A directory may be writable while an old temporary or database file is owned by another account and not writable by the updater. Inspect the directory contents:
sudo find /var/lib/awstats -maxdepth 1 -lsCorrect only the files AWStats must update, preserving ownership and modes for anything else stored there. Also check every parent directory with namei -l; the service account needs execute permission on each one.
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Keep database and history files writable by every updater that needs them
AWStats database/history files can be updated by command-line jobs and by CGI mode. If those modes run under different identities, a file created by one may be unreadable or unwritable to the other. Decide which processes are allowed to update the files, then grant exactly those processes access.
Preferred shared-access pattern
- Create a dedicated group for AWStats data writers.
- Place the offline updater and the Apache account in that group.
- Make the data directory group-owned and group-writable, with no access for unrelated users.
- Verify that newly created files inherit the group, using the set-group-ID directory mode where appropriate.
After changing an existing tree, inspect both directory and file modes. A group-writable directory alone does not make an existing history file writable.
Understand the broad configuration switch
The AWStats configuration reference documents SaveDatabaseFilesWithPermissionsForEveryone=1. That setting can make database files readable and writable for everyone, avoiding identity mismatches, but it deliberately broadens access. Treat it as a security trade-off, not the default repair. A dedicated group or ACL normally provides the same operational result with less exposure.
Be especially cautious when the data directory is reachable from a web process. A compromised or misconfigured web application that can write AWStats history files may alter reports or use the directory as a staging location.
Fix CGI execution separately from filesystem access
When the browser shows source code or an internal error
AWStats supports both command-line and CGI execution. If a browser displays Perl source, Apache is serving the script instead of invoking the Perl interpreter. If it returns an internal CGI error, inspect Apache’s error log for the handler, interpreter, and script-permission failure. These conditions can persist even after the access log and data directory permissions are correct.
- Confirm that Apache has CGI execution enabled for the AWStats location.
- Confirm that the script’s interpreter path is valid and that the script is executable according to the configured handler.
- Check the Apache error log immediately after one request; it usually identifies the failing stage.
- Verify that the CGI account can read the AWStats configuration, the access log, and the database/history files it must use.
Protect the AWStats endpoint
An AWStats CGI endpoint should not be an unrestricted public update interface. Apply authentication or network restrictions appropriate to the server, and expose reports only to intended users. AWStats security guidance recommends limiting access and protecting history-file write operations. Restricting the endpoint reduces the impact of a stolen credential, a vulnerable web application, or an accidental update request.
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Retest the same path that failed
Testing as root or running a different command is not verification. Reproduce the scheduler or web request under its real identity.
Offline or scheduled update
- Run the configured AWStats update command as the account used by cron or the package job, not as root.
- Watch for creation of a new temporary file and database/report timestamp in
DirData. - Check the scheduler and system logs for a new permission error.
- Confirm that the report contains current data rather than merely opening successfully.
CGI report
- Request the protected CGI URL using the same authentication and network route as a normal user.
- Check Apache’s error log at the time of the request.
- Confirm that the CGI account can read the current log and the history files, and can write them only if browser-triggered updates are enabled.
Test rotation, not just today’s file
Simulate or perform a controlled log rotation during a maintenance window. Inspect the newly created log’s owner, group, mode, and ACL, then repeat the AWStats update. If the test fails after rotation, the durable policy is still wrong even if the current file works.
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Choose among common fixes
| Approach | Least-privilege profile | Survives rotation? | Operational considerations |
|---|---|---|---|
Manual chmod or chown on the current log |
Depends on the mode; easy to overexpose | No | Fast diagnostic or emergency repair only |
| Dedicated group | Good when only selected processes need access | Yes, when logrotate creates files with that group and mode | Requires group membership and service/session reload |
| File or directory ACL | Very narrow account-specific access | Only when applied through rotation/default ACL policy | Inspect with getfacl; document the policy for administrators |
| World-readable or world-writable files | Poor; broadens local exposure | Only if logrotate repeats the setting | Simple but generally unsafe for logs and history files |
| Single owner for all modes | Good only when one identity performs every update | Yes if creation policy matches | Breaks when cron and CGI use different accounts |
Compare not only whether a fix works, but also who gains access, whether rotation preserves it, and whether both offline and CGI writers are covered. Giving a web process access to administrative logs or writable history files increases the potential impact of a web compromise.
Common failure branches
The log is readable, but AWStats still reports permission denied
Recheck the exact pathname in the error. It may be a rotated file, a symlink target, a temporary file, or a history file rather than the active access log. Run namei -l on that path as well as on the configured path.
Manual execution works, cron fails
Your manual command probably used a different identity, environment, configuration file, or working directory. Run the command as the scheduler’s account and use absolute paths. Compare the cron or systemd configuration with the command you tested interactively.
Cron works, CGI fails
Check Apache’s account, CGI handler, Perl interpreter, script permissions, and CGI endpoint restrictions. Then test whether the CGI account can read the same log and write the same DirData files. A successful offline update does not prove CGI can execute or access the data.
The problem returns after rotation
The existing file was fixed without changing the logrotate creation policy, or the ACL was not inherited. Inspect the newly created file and update the logrotate rule, group, mode, or default ACL. Repeat a controlled rotation test.
Changing permissions appears to do nothing
Check for a missing execute bit on a parent directory, an ACL that overrides your expectation, a different path in the active configuration, or a service process that has not received new group membership. Re-run stat, namei -l, and getfacl against the exact failing path.
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- Record whether the failure came from cron, a package job, a manual command, or Apache CGI.
- Identify the account performing that operation.
- Copy the exact failing pathname from the error.
- Inspect
LogFile,DirData, ownership, modes, ACLs, and every parent directory. - Confirm the log path and
LogFormat=1for NCSA combined/Apache logs where applicable. - Grant read access to the log through a dedicated group, ACL, or controlled logrotate policy.
- Make the AWStats working/data directory writable by every legitimate updater, and no broader.
- Ensure database/history files remain accessible to both command-line and CGI writers that need them.
- Treat
SaveDatabaseFilesWithPermissionsForEveryone=1as a broad security trade-off, not a first choice. - Check CGI execution, interpreter configuration, script permissions, and endpoint protection independently.
- Retest with the same account and command or URL that originally failed.
- Test after log rotation and confirm that no new permission errors appear.
Final diagnosis
AWStats permission problems are solved by aligning three things: the identity performing each operation, the exact path it must read or write, and a persistent policy that survives rotation. Keep Apache logs private, give the updater only the required read access, give DirData and history files narrowly scoped write access, and treat CGI execution and endpoint security as separate controls. Once the real scheduler or protected CGI request succeeds after a rotation test, the fix is durable rather than a one-file workaround.
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