This is quick note on setting up auto-updates / downloads for WordPress builds that are being self-hosted.
I had the issue of being constantly asked for FTP information, even after I set up an FTP server.
I had trouble finding anything on the Internet that discussed issues with the WordPress auto-updates and downloads directly from the environment for self-hosted installations. Turns out the issues I had were permission based issues. The fix for this was needing to change the ownership and the group to www-data for wordpress folder and the wordpress/wp-content folder. You can accomplish this by using the commands at the linux prompt:
chown –R www-data /usr/share/wordpress/*
chgrp –R www-data /usr/share/wordpress/*
chown –R www-data /usr/share/wordpress/wp-content/*
chgrp –R www-data /usr/share/wordpress/wp-content/*
Replace the “wordpress” folder name with whatever folder your wordpress web folder is.
This will also allow you to download plugins and themes directly from the WP web interface.
Thanks Bobby for helping me with this.