0 What is a FTP Server & How to make one

A File Transfer Protocol server, or FTP server is a protocol which allows you to transfer files between computers over the internet. In order to do this, the server administrator should upload/enable files to his FTP server, and other users can connect this server in order to download files. It's a really good way to keep your files in your hand wherever you go, since as long as your computer is open and connected to the internet, you will be able to access your server. It's also a great way of sharing files with your friends, your family, and your co-workers at will.

There are many ways to access a FTP server, and accessing one can be as easy as typing its URL to your browser. (for example ftp.computerrepository.com) Even though it's easy to connect to a FTP server with a browser, the recommended way is to use a software such as WinSCP (assuming that you're running Windows). The more uncommon/outdated way would be using the ftp command at the command line prompt.

Now we know what a FTP server is, and we know how to access one, let's learn how to make our own FTP server!

With Serv-U

First of all, we will need a software which is called Serv-U FTP Server. You can download the software here. After you download and install the software, you will see this screen.

Simply click yes to proceed. It will ask you to name your domain and put a description for it. Fill the boxes in and click next. Note that the domain box should be either filled with your IP address or an IP redirect. In the next menu you will see ports in boxes. You can leave this as it is since they're default and proceed. In the next window, the software will ask you for your IP, which will later be used to access the server. Just keep the IPv4 one checked and leave it blank.

After we are done with this setup, it's time to configure how secure our server will be. The default setting is just fine for simple purposes, so we can leave it at that. When that's done, we are done with setting our domain up.

Now it's time to create users!. The software will ask you to fill in a Login ID, which will be the username for logging on the server, and a password afterwards. Next up, you're supposed to set where that specific user will be redirected to when he/she accesses the FTP server. For this example, I used "/C:" which is root.

Finally, we are going to decide if this user is going to have Read Only Access, or Full Access. A Full Access user can delete/move/rename/access files while a Read Only Access user can only access the files. 

Afterwards, you will see the user screen. Click the user you made and click Edit. Go to the Directory Access tab and add the locations where the user is permitted to access. You can see my example right below.

All done! You can simply type ftp://youripaddress to your browser (or use your preferred FTP client) and try to login with your username and password. You can create more users with different permissions and access to different paths according to who you will be sharing the user with. If you want to share the FTP server with lots of people, you can make groups with certain permissions and put the users in the groups. The customization part is totally up to you!

Note that the Serv-U software should be up and running in your tray in order to keep your server up. Your server won't be running if the service is stopped or closed.

This is the simplest and most straight forward way to make your own home FTP server. I hope you enjoyed the read!