Best FTP Server for Linux

FTP servers have been around for a long time, and they’re still used in a lot of businesses today. The benefits of using a FTP server for your business are numerous, but the most important benefit is that it makes your work process easier. With an FTP server in place, you can easily upload files to and from your server, making it much more efficient when it comes to working on projects.

We will breakdown a list of the Best FTP Server for Linux, best debian ftp server, best ftp for ubuntu and the best ftp servers that are available to setup.

Best FTP Server for Linux

What is FTP?

There are three main types of FTP servers: ftp, smtp, and pop3. FTP servers allow you to access files stored on your computer over the internet. FTP servers come in many different shapes and sizes, so it’s important to find one that will work best for your needs. You can find a list of popular FTP servers here.

What are the Different FTP Commands

The different FTP commands are: ftp, ftp://, pop3, pop3://, smtp, smtp://, and sendmail. Each command allows you to do different tasks with your files: ftp lets you remotely access files from a remote location; ftp:// lets you share files between two computers; pop3 lets you store files online in a web browser; pop3:// enables you to send files through email (instead of just text); and smtp enables you to send documents through email (instead of just text).

Best FTP Server for Linux

1. ProFTPd

ProFTPd is the most configurable and popular free FTP server provider. It uses an original design and implementation. However, it is not a branch of FTPd.

Its numerous service providers allow delivering update access to the web pages of users without even running Unix shell accounts. Hence, it is the best free and open-source software.

Features

  • Configuration of multiple virtual FTP servers and anonymous FTP services is relatively effortless.
  • In contemporary Internet environments, the SITE EXEC command is considered inappropriate. Thus, ProFTPd does not have this command.
  • Source code for audit is only and always available to administrators and developers.
  • It is designed in such a way that it can run either as an independent server or by using inetd/xinetd that depends upon the system load.
  • It has one primary configuration file that includes directives and directive groups. It is inherent to the administrator who is familiar with the Apache webserver.
  • No specific directory structure, system binaries, or other system files are necessary for Anonymous FTP root directories.
  • It’s per directory (.ftpaccess) configuration is similar to Apache’s .htaccess.
  • FTP has shadow password suite support that includes support for expired accounts.
  • It has IPv6 support.

2. Pure-FTPd – modern, cross-platform FTP server

Pure-FTPd is a free, open source FTP server which aimed primarily at Unix/Linux operating system. The program has even been ported to Android. Pure-FTPd was designed with security in mind, and thanks to the open nature of it, the codebase is always up-to-date and audited for exploits by the community. Pure-FTPd installation is easy, in fact, a beginner can get a Pure-FTPd based FTP server up and running in under 5 minutes without much configuration other than the default values.

Pure-FTPd features
  • Can be ran as non-root user as an extended security measure. Supports built-in chroot() emulation and virtual users.
  • Pure-FTPd supports SSL/TLS encryption with OpenSSL library.
  • Compiles and runs natively on Linux, MacOS, OpenBSD, NetBSD, DragonflyBSD, FreeBSD, Solaris and derivatives, Tru64, Irix, HPUX and AIX. Pre-built binary packages are available for many different operating systems.
  • Server messages are available in many languages, including English, German, Romanian, French, Polish, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, Slovak, Korean, Swedish, Norwegian, Russian, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Czech, Turkish, Hungarian and Catalan. Users can further translate these messages into other languages easily.
  • Automatically hide dot-files such as .htaccess or .env files to anonymous users by default, avoiding common brute-forcing attacks against FTP server configuration files.
  • Companion FTP server analytics program available. Running pure-ftpwho command shows a table with active sessions, user bandwidth, filenames, locations, and many details about the server.
  • Supports FXP (server-to-server) protocol, which is used to transfer data from one server to another from a client, without the client passing the data.

3. The Apache FTP-Server

The Apache FTP-Server is solely a pure Java, comfortable, and portable free FTP server that is designed keeping in mind the latest available open-source protocols. It runs stand-alone as a Unix/Linux daemon. It also supports integration within Spring applications and delivers their releases as OSGi bundles.

Features

  • It is a free and open-source presumable FTP source.
  • It comprises User Virtual directory, upload/download bandwidth limitation support, and idle time-out.
  • Users can even add event notifications in Ftplet.
  • Users can easily add a custom user manager, IP restrictor, and logger.
  • It has Mode Z support to upload/download data rapidly.
  • It contains implicit, explicit SSL, and TLS support.
  • Users have the privilege to change the date-time stamp of files using MDTM support.
  • Users can customize every FTP message.
  • Anonymous logins are supported in the Apache FTP server.
  • It manages both ASCII and binary data transfers.

4. vsftpd – Very Secure FTP client for Linux

vsftpd, stands for very secure FTP daemon, is a CLI FTP server for Linux. It was so popular that it’s now bundled as part of the standard packages on Ubuntu, CentOS, Fedora, NimbleX, Slackware and RHEL Linux distributions. vsftpd is freely released under the GNU General Public License.

vsftpd features
  • Stable, secure and extremely fast.
  • Supports PAM (pluggable authentication modules) which allows managing multiple virtual users.
  • Great scalability, in fact ftp.redhat.com and many other Linux repository FTP mirror is powered by vsftpd.
  • vsftpd can handle virtual IPD configurations, encryption support with SSL integration
  • Can operate on its own or from inetd.
  • Powerful per-user configurability
  • Bandwidth throttling
  • Configuration and limits can be customized to apply to specific IPs or users.
  • Supports encryption through SSL integration.

5. uFTP

uFTP is an open-source, lightweight, and portable FTP server, that is, written in C for Linux and POSIX compliant Operating systems. It is easy to install, compile, and configure and is cordial to all leading FTP clients.

Features

  • Requires single binary and configuration file.
  • It can be easily installed, compiled, and configured within a few minutes.
  • Uses only one configuration to edit and configure the server.
  • It is an open-source server with a permissive MIT license that allows users to use the server and reuse the code in commercial applications too.
  • Uses a different approach from other servers.

6. bftpd

bftpd is a lightweight, versatile FTP server that is meant to function right out of the box with little or no setup. Beginners may simply install bftpd and get a FTP server up and running without any manual configuration.

bftpd is designed to run as smoothly and securely as possible. Thanks to its nifty size, bftpd can run on a wide range of platforms, including computers, servers, embedded devices, and media centers. The program may be futher configured to operate in read-only file systems, making it appropriate for use with live CDs. bftpd officially supported Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD, Solaris, and MINIX.

bftpd can be ran in either standalone or inetd mode.

bftpd features
  • Easy to use and user-friendly configuration.
  • Written in C, ensuring stellar performance.
  • Support most FTP commands according to RFC protocol standard.
  • In-the-fly compression/archiving with .tar.gz files.
  • Built in chroot support without user configuration.
  • Extensive logging system, can log to logfile or syslog, supports wtmp logging/
  • Support for SITE CHOWN/CHMOD.
  • Runs natively on Linux, BSD/OS, FreeBSD, and many other operating systems.

7. CrossFTP

CrossFTP offers highly-secured, high-performance, and effortless configuration FTP servers for numerous platforms. It encompasses versatile GUI for both beginner users for start-ups as well as advanced users.

Features

  • It has multi-platform support and offers multi-threaded designs.
  • Users can use the UTF-8 directory encoding for international support.
  • It helps in monitoring the activities of every user.
  • It assists in resuming both upload and download files.
  • It has IP restrictions that are used to allow or prohibit the IPs.
  • Allows customizing FTP messages.
  • It contains Bonjour discovery protocol support.

Best Ftp For Ubuntu

1. CrossFTP

Talking about the support, reliability, and secure Ftp client, CrossFtp pops up first. Moving files frequently into remote locations, cloud storage, or whether it be web host services, Clientftp works with all. The best part is that it hardly crashes and is reliable.

Moreover, it also has all the features that daily and pro-users want to transfer files. Calling it just an FTP client doesn’t make sense if you count the extensive features. CrossFTP has a simple, and intuitive interface that also supports Amazon and Google storage.

2. uFTP

uFTP is an open-source, lightweight, and portable FTP server, that is, written in C for Linux and POSIX compliant Operating systems. It is easy to install, compile, and configure and is cordial to all leading FTP clients.

Features

  • Requires single binary and configuration file.
  • It can be easily installed, compiled, and configured within a few minutes.
  • Uses only one configuration to edit and configure the server.
  • It is an open-source server with a permissive MIT license that allows users to use the server and reuse the code in commercial applications too.
  • Uses a different approach from other servers.

3. FileZilla

Under the umbrella of the Linux FTP client, Filezilla is on top. Having almost all the popular operating systems such as Windows and Linux, FileZilla makes itself the most secured and best FTP client. It is the most reliable and efficient FTP, FTPS, and SFTP client. Having a feature of resume and transfer gives FileZilla an edge over other similar interfaces. Bookmarking, drag n drop support, transfer queue, site management and many more are some of the extensive features FileZilla carries in its bag.

4. glFTPd

glFTPd is created in such a way that it develops and manages an FTP server that is well-versed in transferring protocols like FTP, FTPS, HTTP, HTTPS, and SFTP. It provides the user with a secure web-based interface so that they can allocate the server from anywhere.

Features

  • Logins are limited by a specific set of IP addresses.
  • The quote transfer is done based on per-user and per-group.
  • It does not allow users/groups to be stored in the system files. It makes the server impressive to warez servers containing topsites.
  • Has the ability to integrate with Eggdrop through IRC channels.

5. Kasablanca

Kasablanca is another secure and fastest client for KDE-based systems. Kasablanca was written using C++ and libraries of KDE. Kasablanca upholds a high-level bookmarking framework. It offers numerous features like the association with various hosts, instinctive queue for transferring files, responsive multithreaded framework, and substantially more.

Best Ftp Servers

1. Progress MOVEit

Best for advanced security features and workflow automation capabilities.

Progress MOVEit is a secure file transfer and automation software that is suitable for enterprises. It provides features and functionalities for the secured collaboration and automating file transfer processes. It contains advanced workflow automation capabilities.

MOVEit has encryption and activity tracking capabilities and hence compliant with the regulation such as PCI, GDPR, HIPAA. The platform will let you automate the workflow without scripting.

Features:

  • This managed file transfer software is a secure and auditable solution. Consolidation of all file transfer activities will help you with better management and control.
  • It supports multiple deployment options, on-premise, IaaS, and SaaS.
  • It can be integrated into any system by using Mulesoft Connector, REST, Java, and .Net APIs.

Verdict: Progress MOVEit is a platform for securely sharing files globally and across enterprises. To transfer sensitive information securely, it offers encryption in-transit and at-rest. It also offers advanced security features. The tool will accelerate task and workflow creation.

Price: You can get a quote for pricing details.

2. IIS FTPS Server

IIS FTPS Server is an FTPS server that’s included out-of-the-box with Windows server. IIS FTPS Server supports FTP transfers with TLS/SSL encryption. To find the server all you need to do is go to the Windows Server Manager dashboard and open up the Add Roles and Features wizard, go to the Role Services page and check the FTP server option. You can then install the server.

Key Features:

  • FTP transfers with TLS/SSL encryption
  • User authentication
  • Included with Internet Information Services (IIS)
  • Available on Windows

Inside IIS you can go to Sites and click add FTP site to start configuring the server. For FTPS, you can configure connections to require an SSL certificate to protect your file transfer content.

IIS FTPS Server is worth a look if you’re already using IIS. It is worth noting that you will need to obtain (or create) a TLS/SSL certificate to conduct secure transfers.

Pros:

  • Already a part of Windows Server
  • Can utilize Active Directory for permissions

Cons:

  • Requires Windows Server if you don’t already have it in place
  • Must obtain a TLS/SSL certificate for secure connections
  • Not beginner friendly, designed for system administrators

3. JSCAPE

JSCAPE is best for securely managing your file transfers inside and out of the organization.

JSCAPE MFT Server is an advanced secure File Transfer Protocol server. It supports SFTP, FTPS, AS2, OFTP2, and other secured protocols. It has capabilities of events logging, encryption of data-at-rest, additional authentication, access control mechanisms, etc. It has features for DLP and password management.

JSCAPE offers the managed file transfer software and services. It also provides workflow management for handling many actions before and after filing the transfer itself. It is one of the leading providers of these solutions. Its focus is on ease of automation, security, and reliability.

Features:

  • JSCAPE can encrypt the data in motion, hence the files will remain secure even during transmission.
  • It has features for authentication so that malicious individuals cannot access files.
  • It has features of Data integrity and logging.
  • It provides Data-at-rest encryption and can protect files during storage.
  • Its access control capabilities will let you grant access to files only to authorized people.

Verdict: JSCAPE is one of the popular providers of the secure File Transfer Protocol server, managed file transfer, and AS2 Server software. It offers solutions for securing and managing file transfers through a lot of users and multiple OS and file transfer protocols. Various industry verticals such as healthcare, finance, banking, logistics, government, etc. use JSCAPE.

Price: JSCAPE MFT Server offers a fully functional 7-day trial license so you can try it yourself. They also offer a price quote for your custom configuration.

4. ExaVault

ExaVault is a cloud service that mediates file transfers, offering SFTP and SFTP as secure solutions. The system enables administrators to keep track of file movements and automatic logging gives you the records you need for compliance auditing.

Key Features:

  • User accounts
  • Secure transfers
  • Protected storage
  • File sharing
  • Link forwarding

The ExaVault service is flexible and it can be put to a range of uses. You can use ExaVault with any secure FTP client and activate process automation features in the platform to create flow through for authorized transfers. The system can also be used as a primary store of business documents because it promotes collaboration through a file sharing mechanism. The service is offered in packages that provide different volumes of cloud storage space.

Employees can cut network and internet traffic by uploading a file for distribution and then emailing out links to the file instead of transferring many copies. The link access system provides stronger permission controls and also includes activity tracking.

ExaVault is offered in four plans with increasing amounts of storage and user account allowances. The lowest plan includes 1 TB of storage space and is suitable for 10 user accounts. It is possible to set up a general admin account for automated processes that won’t be accessed directly by any individual. This service is offered on a 30-day free trial.

Pros:

  • Secure file transfers with SFTP and FTPS
  • Protected data storage
  • Multi-factor authentication for user account access
  • Transfer files or folders manually or with automated workflows
  • User-driven permissions sharing

Cons:

  • No free tier

Conclusion

FTP is a powerful file transfer tool that can be used to transfer files between different computers. By following this guide, you will be able to use FTP to move files easily and effectively.

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