Permissions Permissions Permissions are what tells the system who can do what to a given file or directory. The basic idea is quite simple. A file or directory is owned by a particular user on the system, usually the user that created it. When you log in through FTP and upload files, you are the files' owner.
Permissions determine who can do what to a file.
Numeric Mode is as explained above, using the 3-digit permission code. 444 Symbolic Mode uses a letter format for setting permissions. And while either method should work, I only mention Symbolic Mode to be thorough. Any examples of permissions throughout the FAQ use the Numeric Mode. There is a longer form which is more technically accurate.