How to install a FTP server on Linux in 30 seconds

This article will show you how to install a FTP server (vsftpd) on Linux in under 30 seconds.

Installing a FTP Server on Linux

yum -y install vsftpd

After the installation is complete, you must start the FTP server by running the command:
service start vsftpd

Thats all there is to it! A couple things to note:

  • The default username and password is anonymous
  • The default home directory is /var/ftp/
  • The default port number is 21
  • You must have your firewall disabled on port 21 in order to accept outside connections

Troubleshooting

  • If you are unable to connect to the FTP server from a remote computer, be sure to disable the firewall on port 21. If you Linux distribution uses iptables to manage the firewall, use the following command:

iptables -I RH-Firewall-1-INPUT -s 0.0.0.0/0 -p tcp -d 0.0.0.0/0 --dport 21 -m state --state NEW -j ACCEPT


{ 2 Comments }
  1. Are you able to use this FTP from Linux to a Windows Box?
    Or is it just Linux to Linux?

  2. This article shows you how to install a FTP SERVER on Linux which can be accessed from any type of box (Windows, Linux, etc). If you are looking to install a FTP server on Windows, try FileZilla FTP Server: http://filezilla-project.org/

Please post your comments/suggestions!