Setup FTP Server on Debian and Connect a Windows machine

06 Feb 2024 Categories: Tutorial Tags: linux fechado.

on Debian Bullseye

Update Your System:
- Ensure your Debian system is up-to-date to avoid any compatibility issues. Open a terminal and execute the following commands:
```
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
```
Install pure-ftpd

Install the pure-ftpd package by running:
```
sudo apt-get install pure-ftpd
```

Basic Configuration:

pure-ftpd comes with a sensible set of defaults, but you can customize its behavior by creating configuration files in /etc/pure-ftpd/conf/. For example, to enable passive mode ports, create a file named PassivePortRange:
```
echo "30000 35000" | sudo tee /etc/pure-ftpd/conf/PassivePortRange
```
Restart pure-ftpd to apply the changes:
```
sudo systemctl restart pure-ftpd
```

Creating an FTP User:

It’s a good practice to create a dedicated user for FTP access. This limits access to the system and enhances security. To create a new user ftpuser with a home directory /home/ftpuser, execute:
```
sudo useradd -m ftpuser -d /home/ftpuser -s /usr/sbin/nologin
sudo passwd ftpuser
```
Follow the prompts to set a password for ftpuser.

Adjust Firewall Settings (if applicable):

If you have a firewall enabled, ensure that it allows traffic on the FTP port (21 by default) and the passive mode port range defined earlier. For ufw, you can do this by running:
```
sudo ufw allow 21/tcp
sudo ufw allow 30000:35000/tcp
```

Start and Enable pure-ftpd:

To ensure pure-ftpd starts automatically at boot, enable it using:
```
sudo systemctl enable pure-ftpd
```
Start the pure-ftpd service:
```
sudo systemctl start pure-ftpd
```

Open File Explorer:
- Press Win + E to open the File Explorer.
Access the FTP Server:
- In the address bar, type ftp://<IP-of-the-FTP-Server> (replace <IP-of-the-FTP-Server> with the actual IP address of your Debian server) and press Enter.
Login:
- A prompt will appear asking for the username and password. Enter the credentials for the ftpuser you created earlier on the Debian server.
Browse and Transfer Files:
- If the credentials are correct, you should now be able to see and interact with the files on the Debian FTP server from your Windows 11 machine.