Dirty WordPress Debugging – How to Fix a Live Site Without FTP Access
Things break down. It’s a fact of life. Cars, refrigerators, phones, and websites – it’s all the same. However, nobody expects you to change the oil in a vehicle without having physical access to it. But some customers do expect you to debug and fix their websites without giving you complete admin access to it including FTP details. Crazy? It is! But it’s also not an uncommon scenario if you build and support WordPress plugins and themes. Fortunately, there are ways to support such customers, if you decide to do so. No FTP access? No support. Period!
So, you sell premium WordPress plugins and themes. And your service includes support. Most people that contact you will understand that providing FTP access to the site along with a WordPress admin account is the norm and the only way for you to fix problems without messing with a live site and debugging with var_dump(); die;. However, some won’t. They’ll say it’s a “security issue” for them and that they “can’t give you FTP or cPanel access.” That leaves you with two choices: try fixing things from WP admin or playing hardball and probably end up refunding the purchase.
Source: https://managewp.org/articles/17824/dirty-wordpress-debugging-how-to-fix-a-live-site-without-ftp-access
source https://williechiu40.wordpress.com/2018/08/31/dirty-wordpress-debugging-how-to-fix-a-live-site-without-ftp-access/