Setup SFTP Server And Users In Ubuntu Linux

Step 1: Install OpenSSH Server

sudo apt update && sudo apt install openssh-server

Step 2: Create a Group for SFTP Users

sudo groupadd sftpusers

Step 3: Create a Directory for the user & set permission

sudo mkdir -p /sftp/sftpuser1/upload

Set permission as root to user directory

sudo chown root:root /sftp/sftpuser1

sudo chmod 755 /sftp/sftpuser1

Step 4: Create a new SFTP User

Create a new user and add them to the sftpusers group:

sudo useradd -d /sftp/sftpuser1 -s /usr/sbin/nologin -G sftpusers sftpuser1

sudo passwd sftpuser1

Step 5: Change ownership of user directory

Create a directory for the user within a restricted directory, such as /sftp:

sudo chown sftpuser1:sftpusers /sftp/sftpuser1/upload

sudo chmod 755 /sftp/sftpuser1/upload

Step 6: Configure SSHD for SFTP

Step 6 and below is only needed for one time server setup.

sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

Add the following at the end of the file:

Match Group sftpusers
    ChrootDirectory /sftp/%u
    ForceCommand internal-sftp
    AllowTcpForwarding no
    X11Forwarding no

Step 7: Restart the SSH Service

Restart the SSH service to apply the changes:

sudo systemctl restart ssh

Step 8: Verify the Configuration

Test the SFTP access with the new user:

sftp sftpuser1@your_server_ip

This configuration ensures that:

1. The user can only access their own folder within /sftp/sftpuser1.
2. The user is restricted to SFTP-related commands only.

Repeat Steps 3 and 4 to add more users as needed, replacing sftpuser1 with the new username

To check the logs for ssh connection please execute below command:

sudo tail -f /var/log/auth.log

All done. Please comment below if you have any questions.