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How to setup Secure FTP on Ubuntu 21.04

To Setup Secure ftp on Ubuntu 21.04

Introduction:

A secure file transfer protocol that runs on SSH, SFTP is much more secure than FTP for encrypting data on transfer while ftp transfers data in cleartext.

Prerequisite:

Openssh-server

Step 1: Check the OS version by using the following command

root@linuxhelp:~# lsb_release -a
No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID:	Ubuntu
Description:	Ubuntu 21.04
Release:	21.04
Codename:	hirsute

Step 2: Check the availability of prerequisite package

root@linuxhelp:~# apt list -a ssh
Listing... Done
ssh/hirsute-updates,hirsute-updates 1:8.4p1-5ubuntu1.1 all
ssh/hirsute,hirsute 1:8.4p1-5ubuntu1 all

Step 3: Check the status of ssh by using the following command

root@linuxhelp:~# systemctl status ssh
● ssh.service - OpenBSD Secure Shell server
     Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/ssh.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
     Active: active (running) since Wed 2021-11-17 20:18:22 IST; 1h 38min ago
       Docs: man:sshd(8)
             man:sshd_config(5)
    Process: 5504 ExecStartPre=/usr/sbin/sshd -t (code=exited, status=0/SUCCESS)
   Main PID: 5505 (sshd)
      Tasks: 1 (limit: 2257)
     Memory: 1.0M
     CGroup: /system.slice/ssh.service
             └─5505 sshd: /usr/sbin/sshd -D [listener] 0 of 10-100 startups

Nov 17 20:18:22 linuxhelp systemd[1]: Starting OpenBSD Secure Shell server...
Nov 17 20:18:22 linuxhelp sshd[5505]: Server listening on 0.0.0.0 port 22.
Nov 17 20:18:22 linuxhelp sshd[5505]: Server listening on :: port 22.
Nov 17 20:18:22 linuxhelp systemd[1]: Started OpenBSD Secure Shell server.
root@linuxhelp:~# 
Step 4:  Adding a new group named “sftpgroup” by using following command
root@linuxhelp:~# addgroup sftpgroup
Adding group `sftpgroup' (GID 1001) ...
Done.

Step 5: Create a new user named “sftpuser” with adding in “sftpgroup”

root@linuxhelp:~# useradd -m sftpuser -g  sftpgroup

Step 6: Create password for the user “sftpuser” by using the following command

root@linuxhelp:~# passwd sftpuser
New password: 
Retype new password: 
passwd: password updated successfully

Step 7: Give permission 700 for the home directory to restrict access of other user

root@linuxhelp:~# chmod 700 /home/sftpuser/

Step 8: List the files to view permission changes

root@linuxhelp:~# ls -la /home/
total 16
drwxr-xr-x  4 root      root      4096 Nov 17 21:58 .
drwxr-xr-x 20 root      root      4096 Sep  8 16:50 ..
drwxr-x--- 14 linuxhelp linuxhelp 4096 Oct 22 15:57 linuxhelp
drwx------  2 sftpuser  sftpgroup 4096 Nov 17 21:58 sftpuse

Step 9: Create a file named “file” in sftpuser home directory

root@linuxhelp:~# touch /home/sftpuser/file

Step 10: Login to the sftp shell securely in client’s system

linuxhelp@linuxhelp2:~$ sftp sftpuser@192.168.6.115
sftpuser@192.168.6.115's password: 
Connected to 192.168.6.115.

Step 11: List the files in the home directory

sftp> ls
file

By this Secure FTP setup on Ubuntu 21.04 has been completed.

Tag : FTP SFTP File Transfer Protocol Ubuntu
FAQ
Q
What does mean sftp?
A
Sftp means Secure file transfer protocol and it is also called SSH file transfer protocol.
Q
How many ports do the sftp use?
A
Unlike FTP, sftp uses only one port.
Q
Does SFTP allows data on both ways?
A
Yes the TCP sftp allows both sides to send data anytime
Q
What are the pros of sftp over FTP?
A
Sftp encrypts the data while FTP doesn't encrypt.
Q
What port does the sftp use?
A
Sftp uses port 22 to transfer data.