Is there an alternative to using the getcwd function? Print

Yes, there is such an alternative. You must use an absolute path using the realpath function

The index.php file, which is used by default in CMS Drupal:
define('DRUPAL_ROOT', getcwd());

The index.php file, which is used by default in CMS Drupal:
$drupaldir = realpath('/var/www/vhosts/yourdomain/httpdocs');
define('DRUPAL_ROOT', $drupaldir);