Xlight — Windows FTP and SFTP Server

Xlight is a Windows FTP and SFTP server to make file transfer secure and easy to use. It is a portable program with very low memory and CPU usage. The server is designed for high performance and can handle many FTP and SFTP connections.

Xlight FTP Server has many useful features and has free edition for personal use. The program is compatible with Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7, 10, 2003, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2019. The following are some of its features:

Integration with enterprise IT environment

Active Directory integration

Active Directory users can be easily integrated with Xlight to add FTP and SFTP functions. User’s home directory in Active Directory will be his FTP/SFTP home directory. User has native home path isolation (he can not see other users’ home path).

LDAP integration

LDAP users can be authenticated and integrated with Xlight FTP and SFTP functions. FTP settings of users can be stored in the LDAP server through extended schema.

Database integration through ODBC

Xlight FTP and SFTP users and their settings can be stored in database. File transfer log can also be stored in database for easy checking. Database Stored Procedure is supported to facilitate FTP and SFTP users’ integration with other applications.

Explicit and Implicit SSL (FTPS)

FTP sessions and file transfer can be protected by industry security standard. SSL client authentication is also supported.

Support SFTP(SSH2) File Transfer Protocol

SFTP server and users can be created and managed like FTP server.

Support SSH public key authentication

User can login to SFTP server using Public key instead of password.

Email Notification

Email can be sent after file uploading, downloading, user login and logout etc. Email recipients and content can be customized. Many email notification settings can be tweaked so that server can send email to different users based on different conditions.

UNC Path(shared network folder) Impersonation

FTP server can use the impersonation account to access password protected Network Shares in NAS or other Enterprise servers.

IPv6 Support

IPv6 is seamlessly integrated in all server functions.

Server log and audit

FTP sessions and errors log

Detailed logs of ftp sessions and server errors.

Store file transfer logs in the database

FTP/SFTP File transfer logs can be stored in the database. User file transfer history can be easily searched and retrieved.

Support UNIX FTP xferlog format

Support writing ftp transfer log in popular UNIX FTP xferlog format, so that tools in UNIX can be used to process FTP file transfer log.

Send log to Syslog server

All server logs can be sent to Syslog server at the same time.

Server administration

System Service

It can run as Windows system service.

Support multiple virtual servers

FTP/SFTP virtual server can be created on different ports and multiple virtual servers can run on the same IP address.

Native FTP/SFTP User Isolation

Each user has his own virtual paths separated from other users. User cannot see other users’ paths. No need to configure FTP User Isolation.

Hierarchy Virtual Paths

FTP/SFTP server supports public and group paths, which make the access control and permission management much easier. Group path can be seen only by users of a group, public path can be seen by all users.

GUI Remote Administration

Server can be securely administrated from outside and remote administration is firewall friendly. It can be performed from any opened FTP control port.

Simple ftp server windows

Small ftpd is a small and simple muli-threaded ftp server for windows.

Smallftpd’s original feature is that you can specify a hostname (such as login.dyndns.org) to be resolved and used for passive mode. That enables ADSL users with a dynamic IP to be able to run a ftp server at home.
If you have comments, suggestions, you can contact me here : [mail]. I will try to consider every request.

Features :

• Active / Passive mode. Ability to specify a host name to be resolved for passive mode
• Transfers Resuming
• Unlimited number of accounts, with basic security management at three levels : LIST, READ, and WRITE
• FXP enabled
• Virtual filesystem
• Entire configuration is automatically saved in one simple .ini file
• small and single executable (185 kB), compiled with minGW’s gcc.

Supported FTP commands :

• ABOR, CDUP, CWD, DELE, LIST, MKD, PASS, PASV, PORT, PWD, QUIT, REST, RETR, RMD, RNFR, RNTO, SIZE, STORE, SYST, TYPE, USER.

Todo List :

• Track down all bugs, and fix’em all.
• Enable remote configuration, with specific FTP commands for example.

Notes :

• SYST command has no effect, the server always responds a ‘215 UNIX Type: L8’
• All files are transferred as binary files (no dos2unix or unix2dos conversion) (TYPE command has no effect)

Simple ftp server windows

All credits to the original author, see below.

This gitgub fork was created because the original smallftpd did not work with a Windows 10 FTP command line client due to changes introduced by Microsoft (it sends an OPTS command, which crashes the smallftpd server). As smallftpd no longer seems to be supported, I thought I’d share the fix on github.

smallftpd compiles with Dev-C++ (http://www.bloodshed.net/devcpp.html). I used version Dev-Cpp 5.11 TDM-GCC 4.9.2 from http://orwelldevcpp.blogspot.co.uk/ on 32 bit Windows Vista (yeah, ancient, but I didn’t want to mess up my Win10 boxes with yet another compiler).

Load the project (smallftpd.dev), which will probably complain about a missing library directory, just say yes.

Change the dropdown on the toolbar from 64bit to 32bit release compilation (I haven’t tested 64 bit), and compile (F9).

There will be a lot of compilation warnings, and with the original version a few errors (now fixed).

Depending on your Dev-C++ install location, the linker may fail to find libwsock32.a — fix this by opening Project/ProjectOptions/Parameters/Linker and browsing to MinGW64/x86_64-w64-mingw32/lib32/libwsock32.a

Note that the current code produces debug output (debug.log, transfer.log) by default. This can be disabled by modifying the log() function in main.cpp (uncomment «return false» near the top of the function).

For testing it is useful to start the FTP client with -d -n options, and if NOT using a Windows 10 FTP client the «literal opts» command can be used to emulate the problematic behaviour.

ORIGINAL README.TXT FOLLOWS .

• The first goal of this application was to allow me to specify a hostname to be resolved by the FTP server when going to passive mode.
• Today, Smallftpd is an open-source project, a simple and small FTP server.
• Smallftpd needs your remarks, your suggestions, and tour c++ skills !

• run the smallftpd.exe
• check configuration, create user accounts,
• press «play». 😉

• Multi-threaded FTP server
• Active / Passive mode
• Multi-users
• Manage List, Read & Write rights for every user
• Advanced filesystem.

List of supported commands :

• ABOR, CDUP, CWD, DELE, LIST, MKD, PASS, PASV, PORT, PWD, QUIT, REST, RETR, RMD, RNFR, RNTO, SIZE, STORE, SYST, TYPE, USER.

1.0.3 Fix (May 21st 2003) : * Fixed a stupid bug concerning transfer performances. * disabled debug logging

1.0.3 : * Fixed major security bug (http://securitytracker.com/alerts/2003/Apr/1006685.html) * Fixed bug when trying to retrieve a file that does not exist * window position is saved * display a live estimation of transfer rate in GUI * fixed minor bugs

1.0.2 : * fixed several [major] bugs * some UI improvements * ABOR command is now correctly managed.

0.93 alpha : * Better UI, window minimizes in systray. * Better log system. All transfers are logged in transfers.log

0.9 alpha ( June 2002 ) : * First operational version * Added Rename files/folders feature * Manage user virtual filesystem * Added an inactivity timeout

0.5 ( May 2002 ) : * Added Rename files/folders feature (RNFR & RNTO) * Added Delete files feature (DELE) * Added Create/delete folder (MKD & RMD)

0.3 ( May 2002 ) : * Configuration is now automatically loaded and saved in a .ini file. * Added button icons for ftp running & stopped. * Added a List box showing users connected.

0.2 ( April 2002 ) : * Passive mode added. * Also fixed some bugs.

0.1 ( January 2002 ) : * very first version. * Active mode is supported.

Manage Max number of threads per user / total threads.

Reduce Memory taken by process

prevent users from hammering.

restrict access by IP

check for memory problems. Check Memory overflow possible problems.

use CopyMemory, MoveMemory, etc. in order to reduce the size of the .exe file.

7 Best Free FTP Server Software

The best free FTP server software for Windows, Mac, and Linux

An FTP server is necessary in order to share files using the File Transfer Protocol. An FTP server is what an FTP client connects to for file transfers.

There are lots of FTP servers available but many of them are only usable at a cost. Below is a list of the very best freeware FTP server programs that run on Windows, macOS, and Linux—you can download and use them to share files as often as you like without paying a dime.

FileZilla Server

Perform file transfers simultaneously.

Supports secure file transfers.

Bookmarks for fast connections.

Can’t edit files from inside the app.

Does not refresh folder views automatically.

FileZilla Server is an open source and completely free server application for Windows. It can administer a local server as well as a remote FTP server.

You can choose which ports the program should listen on, how many users can be connected to your server at once, the number of CPU threads the server can utilize, and timeout settings for connections, transfers, and logins.

Some security features include auto-banning an IP address if it fails to successfully login after so many attempts, an option to enable FTP over TLS with the ability to disallow unencrypted FTP, and IP filtering so that you can prevent certain IP addresses or even IP address ranges from connecting to your FTP server.

It’s also really easy to take your server offline or quickly lock the FTP server with one click, to ensure that no new connections to your server can be made until you unlock it.

You also have full access to the creation of users and groups with FileZilla Server, which means you can throttle bandwidth for some users and not others and provide select users with permissions like read/write, but others with only read access, etc.

5 Best FTP Servers for Windows

Are you looking for the best FTP server for Windows?

Then you’re in the right place.

An FTP server runs a program that utilizes FTP (File Transfer Protocol ) and allows you to upload and download files. By default, the FTP protocol is insecure as it transmits data unencrypted. All FTP servers on this list include options to encrypt and secure data by utilizing secure protocols like SFTP or FTP/S.

An FTP server is commonly used to allow remote workers to upload or download files from a server. It is also used by network and system administrators to backup network configurations and run updates.

There are many FTP server programs available, ranging from free with basic features to commercial products with advance features like mobile device access.

In this article, I will share the best FTP servers for windows.

1. FileZilla Server

FileZilla is an open source FTP server for Windows. It supports FTP and FTP over TLS which provides encryption between the server and client.

FileZilla server has a simple and easy to use interface. It provides basic functionality that you would expect in an FTP server like creating user accounts, speed limits, logging, IP filtering, groups, and granular permissions.

It is a good choice for basic FTP tasks such as uploading and downloading files internally. It lacks enterprise features so I would be cautious about making this available externally. It used FTP by default so it is insecure, you will need to enable FTP over TLS to encrypt traffic.

Setup is easy just run the installer, select an admin port and launch the server interface. Then you just need to create users or groups with permissions to a home directory and you’re ready to go.

2. SolarWinds SFTP/SCP Server

SolarWinds SFTP/SCP server is designed for network and system administrators. It is an ideal FTP server for backing up configuration files, downloading images, and large file transfers.

It is secure by default and uses TCP port 22 to securely transmit data over an unsecured connection.

I personally use this for backing up the configurations on Cisco routers and switches.

The install is super easy, requires minimal configuration (just a username and password) and you are all set. It can be set to run as a service so it is always available.

2. Serv-U

Serv-U is designed for small businesses that need to deliver quick, easy and secure file transfers.

Serv-U supports FTP and FTPS for safe file transfers. You can encrypt communication using SSL or TLS so data is protecting during transit.

One of my favorite features of this product is the ability to transfer files from a web browser or a mobile device. This eliminates the need for users to setup an FTP client to download or upload files. The web and mobile interface lets you easily view, upload and download files. With an interactive drag and drop option, your users can share files from anywhere.

Additional features include support for large file transfers, monitor sessions, granular control over bandwidth, storage, permissions, and access. You can also view and monitor logs in real time to help troubleshoot and audit access.

Serv-U has great documentation and support. This is an enterprise level product at a very affordable price.

4. Cerebus FTP Server

Cerebus FTP server supports several file transfer protocols such as FTP, SFTP, FTPS, HTTP/S, and SCP.

Cerebus is a commercial product that comes in four different versions, personal, standard, professional and enterprise.

Features include multiple protocol support, enhanced security features like 2 factor authentication, password policy settings, full active directory integration, API support, event notification, web transfer client, file retention and compliance tools.

Cerebus also includes great options for reporting and auditing of data and user activity. It also includes robust file integrity checking using strong checksums.

With the four different versions, Cerebus provides options for personal use up to enterprise business use.

5. Titan FTP Server

Titan FTP is a commercial product for small to large businesses, it also comes in different versions.

Just like the other FTP server programs Titan supports multiple protocols that allow for secure file transfers.

Titan allows you to configure granular control down to the user level, set permissions by servers, groups or users. Titan also includes a web interface in the enterprise edition and allows clients to access and upload files without an FTP client.

Titan has hacking prevention mechanisms built into the product. If unauthorized attempts of password guessing are detected the server can ban future access from the client IP.

Final Thoughts

If your looking for a Windows FTP server then you can’t go wrong with any on this list. To find what best fits your needs I recommend you download and demo a few different options.

I personally use multiple FTP servers, for my administrator tasks I’ll use a very simple FTP server like SolarWinds SFTP, for organizational needs I’ll use a business level product like Cerebus.

If you need employees or external users to access your FTP server then you really need something user friendly with web and mobile access.

Recommended Tool: SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor

This utility was designed to Monitor Active Directory and other critical services like DNS & DHCP. It will quickly spot domain controller issues, prevent replication failures, track failed logon attempts and much more.

What I like best about SAM is it’s easy to use dashboard and alerting features. It also has the ability to monitor virtual machines and storage.