How to Setup SFTP Server on CentOS 7

To setup an SFTP server on CentOS 7, follow these steps.

Step 1 : Ensure SSH daemon is running:

sudo systemctl status sshd

Step 2 : Open SSH configuration:

sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

Add the following lines at the end of the file to configure SFTP:

Subsystem sftp internal-sftp

Match Group sftp
        ChrootDirectory %h
        X11Forwarding no
        AllowTcpForwarding no
        ForceCommand internal-sftp

- Set password authentication:

PasswordAuthentication yes

Step 3 : Restart the SSH service to apply the changes:

sudo systemctl restart sshd

Step 4 : Create a new group for SFTP users:

sudo groupadd sftp

Step 5 : Add a new user to the system:

sudo adduser sftpuser

Step 6 : Set a password for the newly created user:

sudo passwd sftpuser

Step 7 : Add the user to the SFTP group:

sudo usermod -aG sftp sftpuser

Step 8 : Set the appropriate permissions for the user's home directory:

sudo chown root:root /home/sftpuser
sudo chmod 755 /home/sftpuser
sudo mkdir /home/sftpuser/upload
sudo chown sftpuser:sftpuser /home/sftpuser/upload
sudo chmod 755 /home/sftpuser/upload

Step 9 : Restart the SSH service once more to ensure all changes take effect:

sudo systemctl restart sshd

Step 10 : Test Connect

- Open FileZilla or your preferred SFTP client.

- In FileZilla, go to "File" -> "Site Manager" and click "New Site".

- Enter the IP address or hostname of your CentOS 7 server in the "Host" field.

- Set the protocol to "SFTP - SSH File Transfer Protocol".

- Ensure the port is set to 22.

- Select "Normal" as the logon type, and enter the username and password you created earlier.

- Click "Connect"

Congratulations! You have successfully set up an SFTP server on CentOS 7.