Create SFTP user in Ubuntu Server - Step by Step Guide

☰ In this chapter, you will learn

  1. What is SFTP?
  2. How to Install OpenSSH Server?
  3. Creating an SFTP user
  4. Setting up SFTP directory
  5. Connecting to SFTP user using Command Prompt and FileZilla

What is SFTP?

SFTP stands for Secure File Transfer Protocol, a safer option compared to traditional FTP.

When configuring a web server, it's crucial to establish an SFTP user account for secure file exchange between client PCs and the web server.

SFTP ensures secure file transfer over networks by encrypting data and using SSH for authentication.

How to Create SFTP User account in Ubuntu?

In this tutorial, we'll guide you step by step on creating an SFTP user account, linking it to a specific directory, and connecting it to your server directory using the SFTP account.

Here's what you need to do:
  1. Install OpenSSH Server.
  2. Create an SFTP User.
  3. Configure the SFTP Directory.
  4. Update the sshd_config file.
  5. Connect to the SFTP user.

1. Install OpenSSH Server

The OpenSSH server is essential for SFTP functionality. Fortunately, it comes pre-installed on Ubuntu. You can check its status using the following command:

ssh -V
OpenSSH_8.9p1 Ubuntu-3ubuntu0.6, OpenSSL 3.0.2 15 Mar 2022

If OpenSSH isn't installed on your server, you can install it using the following command:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install openssh-server

2. Create SFTP User

After installing OpenSSH, you can proceed to create a new SFTP user. Use the following command to create a new SFTP user account:

sudo adduser --shell /bin/false <new_sftp_user>

Replace <new_sftp_user> with the desired username for your SFTP user.

Example
sudo adduser --shell /bin/false thomas
Adding user 'thomas' ...
Adding new group 'thomas' (1004) ...
Adding new user 'thomas' (1004) with group 'thomas' ...
Creating home directory '/home/thomas' ...
Copying files from '/etc/skel' ...
New password:
Retype new password:
passwd: password updated successfully
Changing the user information for thomas
Enter the new value, or press ENTER for the default
        Full Name []: Thomas
        Room Number []: 1
        Work Phone []: 8524516
        Home Phone []:
        Other []:
Is the information correct? [Y/n] Y

3. Configure the SFTP Directory

After creating the SFTP user, you'll want to link it to a specific directory. In simpler terms, you need to jail the SFTP user within a directory so they can't navigate outside of it.

Step 1: Choose or create a directory that you want to link with the SFTP user. For example, let's use the directory /var/www/html/newsite.
Step 2: Jail the SFTP user inside directory.
sudo chown thomas:thomas /var/www/html/newsite
Step 3: Grant full permissions to the root account and read and execute permissions to other group members.
sudo chown root:root /var/www/html
$sudo chmod 755 /var/www/html

4. Configure sshd_config file

Open the sshd_config file and append the following settings at the bottom of the file.

Step 1: Open sudo vi /etc/ssh/sshd_config file.
Step 2: Press i to go into Insert mode.
Step 3: Now, add the following settings at the end of the file.
Match User thomas
	ForceCommand internal-sftp
	PasswordAuthentication yes
	ChrootDirectory /var/www/html
	PermitTunnel no
	AllowAgentForwarding no
	AllowTcpForwarding no
	X11Forwarding no
Step 4: To Save and Exit, Press Esc, then type :wq and then hit Enter.
Step 5: Validate the sshd_config file against error. To validate the sshd_config file for errors, type the following command in the terminal. If no output is displayed, it means everything is fine.
sudo sshd -t
Step 5: Restart SSH Service.
sudo systemctl restart ssh

5. Test your SFTP user

Everything has been set up correctly, and now it's time to test your SFTP user by connecting it to the directory.

Using Command Prompt

Step 1: Open Command Prompt.
Step 2: Execute the following command.
C:\Users\Prashant>sftp [email protected]
>[email protected]'s password:
>Connected to 192.107.128.17.
sftp> |

Using FileZilla

Step 5: Open Filezilla.
Step 5: Fill the details and click on the QuickConnect button.
Connect to SFTP account using FileZilla

Summary

In this chapter, you learned how to create an SFTP user and confine them to a specific directory, restricting their access to only the contents of that directory.





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