How to install and set up ftp server

General system Newbie
1

Hi everyone,
I’m looking to install and configure an FTP server on Arch Linux. Initially, I plan to use it for local network file sharing, but I’d like the option to make it accessible globally in the future. I’d appreciate a step-by-step guide or tips to get started.

Here’s some additional context:

  • Operating System: Arch Linux
  • Purpose: File hosting and sharing, first within my local network, but I’d like to prepare for secure worldwide access later.
  • Network Setup: Home network, behind a router. I’m okay with setting up port forwarding if needed.
  • Experience Level: Comfortable with the command line but new to FTP
2

Here is some reading material

https://linuxconfig.org/setup-ftp-server-on-linux

Here is a excerpt from the second web site.

WARNING – FTP IS NOT ENCRYPTED
FTP will suffice for some situations, but for connections over the internet,
SFTP is recommended. This is because FTP is not secure to use over an
internet connection, since your credentials and data are transmitted without encryption.
The ‘S’ in SFTP stands for ‘Secure’ and tunnels the FTP protocol through SSH,
providing the encryption needed to establish a secure connection.

From the above:

 The ‘S’ in SFTP stands for ‘Secure’ and tunnels the FTP protocol through SSH

Since this uses FTP through SSH, why not use SSH to start with?

HTH

Pudge

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3

I’d go with Pudge’s recommendation, FTP (plain ftp) is a very old protocol and not much experienced in my part of the world anymore. Ever heard of Gopher?:slight_smile:
Another possibility besides SFTP/SSH, would be HTTPS (ie web server) for file transfer, using a tool everyone has (a browser).

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4

Have you considered using a dedicated server device that uses very little power so one can afford to let it run 24 x 7 ?

A Raspberry Pi 5 4 GB RAM or 8 GB RAM would be ideal for this.

Then you could download an RPi 5 image which is set up with a headless LAN server from here

Then follow the WiKi articles listed to set up your Linux Client devices, Window Client devices, and use DLNA to stream Audio, Video, and Pictures from the RPi 5 server.

Setting up something like this would be a great learning experience with networking with servers.

here is a pic of my Web server and LAN server set up on shelves in the Utility room.

servers
servers1920×1440 233 KB

This shows the RPi 4b 4 GB WEB server on the left, and the right RPi 4b 4 GB is my LAN server. Both run 24 x 7. To the extreme left under my stupid finger is the ISP’s cable modem which connects to the Linksys VPN router above the power strip, and ends up in a 24 port 1 GB switch behind the monitor.

Pudge

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