How do I get the absolute path to the public_html folder in PHP?

The absolute path is the directory location on a server’s hard drive to your public_html folder (cPanel).

To find out what your absolute path is. Add the following lines of code to a PHP file. Save and publish the file to your web space.

<?php 
  $path = getcwd();
  echo "Your Absoluthe Path is: "; echo $path; 
?>

Source: How to find your absolute path – Joomla