Any Linux server distribution is a really highly effective server that performs above and past what your small business may want. No matter job you throw on the server, it is going to be prepared. And, if it isn’t prepared out of the field, you can also make it so.
In the event you aren’t certain about SFTP, it’s the FTP service constructed into Safe Shell (SSH), which permits customers to securely push and pull information to and from the server, utilizing SSH.
I’m going to stroll you thru the method of establishing an SFTP server. I’ll reveal by making a single person that’s restricted to solely SFTP logins. As soon as you know the way to do that, you may create as many customers as you want. This course of will work on any Linux distribution.
Let’s make it work.
SEE: Troubleshooting Linux: An Admin’s Information (TechRepublic Premium)
What you’ll want
You’ll want entry to an account with admin rights. When you’ve procured that entry, it’s time to make this work.
SFTP Listing
The very first thing we should do is create a listing that may home our FTP information. Open up a terminal window, su to the foundation person (sort su after which, when prompted, sort the foundation person password), after which difficulty the next two instructions:
mkdir -p /informationchmod 701 /information
SEE: Find out how to Add an SSH Fingerprint to Your known_hosts File in Linux (TechRepublic)
Create the SFTP group and person
Now we’re going to create a particular group for SFTP customers. That is completed with the next command:
groupadd sftp_users
Now we’re going to create a particular person that doesn’t have common login privileges, however does belong to our newly created sftp_users group. What you name that person is as much as you. The command for that is:
useradd -g sftp_users -d /add -s /sbin/nologin USERNAME
The place USERNAME is the identify of the person.
Subsequent, give the brand new person a password. This password would be the password the brand new customers use to log in with the sftp command. To arrange the password, difficulty the command:
passwd USERNAME
The place USERNAME is the identify of the person created above.
SEE: Find out how to Begin, Cease, and Restart Providers in Linux (TechRepublic)
Create the brand new person SFTP listing
Now we’re going to create an add listing, particular to the brand new person, after which give the listing the correct permissions. That is dealt with with the next instructions:
mkdir -p /information/USERNAME/addchown -R root:sftp_users /information/USERNAMEchown -R USERNAME:sftp_users /information/USERNAME/add
The place USERNAME is the identify of the brand new person you created above.
Configure sshd
Open up the SSH daemon configuration file with the command:
nano /and so on/ssh/sshd_config
On the backside of that file, add the next:
Match Group sftp_usersChrootDirectory /information/%uForceCommand internal-sftp
Save and shut that file. Restart SSH with the command:
systemctl restart sshd
SEE: 5 Greatest Linux CentOS Substitute Choices & Alternate options (TechRepublic)
Logging in
You’re all set to log in. From one other machine in your community that has SSH put in, open up a terminal window and difficulty the command:
sftp USERNAME@SERVER_IP
The place USERNAME is the identify of our new person and SERVER_IP is the IP deal with of our SFTP server. You may be prompted for USERNAME’s password. When you efficiently authenticate, you’ll be greeted with the sftp immediate. Kind pwd to test the working path and you must see /add as depicted within the picture beneath.
A easy resolution
That’s all there’s to establishing an SFTP server on Linux. For any firm trying to supply workers and shoppers a easy, safe technique of importing and downloading information, it is a not solely an important resolution but additionally very price range pleasant one. Get your SFTP server up and working with zero price and 0 headache.
This text was initially revealed in September 2019. It was up to date by Antony Peyton in January 2025.