# Cannot open database under Passenger **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [June 11, 2009, 12:06am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cannot-open-database-under-passenger/169986 "2009-06-11T00:06:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mk27](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@mk27](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mk27)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 12:06am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cannot-open-database-under-passenger/169986/1 "2009-06-11T00:06:44Z")
After switching to passenger from WEBbrick I keep getting “attempt to write to read-only database”, so I chown’d the sqlite file apache.apache and chmod’d 666, now I get “unable to open database file”? -MK ---
**Author:** ![mk27](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@mk27](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mk27)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 1:09am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cannot-open-database-under-passenger/169986/2 "2009-06-11T01:09:56Z")
On Jun 10, 11:06 pm, Mk 27 [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > After switching to passenger from WEBbrick I keep getting “attempt to > write to read-only database”, so I chown’d the sqlite file apache.apache > and chmod’d 666, now I get “unable to open database file”? What user is passenger set to run your ruby code as ? Fred ---
**Author:** ![mk27](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@mk27](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mk27)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 1:49am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cannot-open-database-under-passenger/169986/3 "2009-06-11T01:49:43Z")
Frederick C. wrote: > On Jun 10, 11:06�pm, Mk 27 [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > > After switching to passenger from WEBbrick I keep getting “attempt to > > write to read-only database”, so I chown’d the sqlite file apache.apache > > and chmod’d 666, now I get “unable to open database file”? > > What user is passenger set to run your ruby code as ? > > Fred Here’s the stuff I put in httpd.conf: LoadModule passenger\_module /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.9.1/gems/passenger-2.2.2/ext/apache2/mod\_passenger.so PassengerRoot /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.9.1/gems/passenger-2.2.2 PassengerRuby /usr/local/bin/ruby NameVirtualHost \*:80 \ ServerName [dev.docsearch.net](http://dev.docsearch.net) DocumentRoot “/var/www/html/docsearch/public/” RailsEnv development Alias /filesystem / Apache runs as “apache”. \_MK ---
**Author:** ![mk27](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@mk27](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mk27)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 6:11am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cannot-open-database-under-passenger/169986/4 "2009-06-11T06:11:30Z")
Rick Denatale wrote: > By default though the passenger process for a rails app tries to run > as the user which owns conf/environment.rb unless configured otherwise > it runs as the user nobody unless configured otherwise. > > [Phusion Passenger users guide index](http://www.modrails.com/documentation/Users%20guide.html#user_switching) > [Phusion Passenger users guide index](http://www.modrails.com/documentation/Users%20guide.html#PassengerUserSwitching) Thanks Rick. I added this to httpd.conf PassengerDefaultUser root and presto. \_MK ---
**Author:** ![mk27](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@mk27](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mk27)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 2:04am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cannot-open-database-under-passenger/169986/5 "2009-06-11T02:04:55Z")
On Wed, Jun 10, 2009 at 7:49 PM, Mk 27[removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > Â Â ServerName [dev.docsearch.net](http://dev.docsearch.net) > Â Â DocumentRoot “/var/www/html/docsearch/public/” > Â Â Â Â RailsEnv development > Â Â Â Â Alias /filesystem / > > Apache runs as “apache”. By default though the passenger process for a rails app tries to run as the user which owns conf/environment.rb unless configured otherwise it runs as the user nobody unless configured otherwise. [http://www.modrails.com/documentation/Users%20guide.html#user\_switching](http://www.modrails.com/documentation/Users%20guide.html#user_switching) [http://www.modrails.com/documentation/Users%20guide.html#PassengerUserSwitching](http://www.modrails.com/documentation/Users%20guide.html#PassengerUserSwitching) – Rick DeNatale Blog: [http://talklikeaduck.denhaven2.com/](http://talklikeaduck.denhaven2.com/) Twitter: [http://twitter.com/RickDeNatale](http://twitter.com/RickDeNatale) WWR: [http://www.workingwithrails.com/person/9021-rick-denatale](http://www.workingwithrails.com/person/9021-rick-denatale) LinkedIn: [http://www.linkedin.com/in/rickdenatale](http://www.linkedin.com/in/rickdenatale) ---
**Author:** ![mk27](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@mk27](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/mk27)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2009, 3:28pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cannot-open-database-under-passenger/169986/6 "2009-06-11T15:28:57Z")
On Thu, Jun 11, 2009 at 12:11 AM, Mk 27[removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > Thanks Rick. I added this to httpd.conf > > PassengerDefaultUser root > > and presto. I think it would be better to use a user with less privilege than root. – Rick DeNatale Blog: [http://talklikeaduck.denhaven2.com/](http://talklikeaduck.denhaven2.com/) Twitter: [http://twitter.com/RickDeNatale](http://twitter.com/RickDeNatale) WWR: [http://www.workingwithrails.com/person/9021-rick-denatale](http://www.workingwithrails.com/person/9021-rick-denatale) LinkedIn: [http://www.linkedin.com/in/rickdenatale](http://www.linkedin.com/in/rickdenatale)