SFTPGo Installation Guide

SFTPGo is a lightweight, production-ready SFTP/FTP server that makes secure file sharing effortless.

More details https://sftpgo.com

Step-by-Step Setup Instructions

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Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed on your system:

1. Docker (version 20.10+)
2. Docker Compose (version 1.29+)
3. Git (to clone repositories or download files)
4. A Linux server (Ubuntu 20.04+ or CentOS 7+ recommended)
5. Internet connection to download Docker images

Check if you have Docker and Docker Compose installed:

docker --version
docker compose --version

If not installed, follow the official Docker installation guide.

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Step 1: Clone the repository to your server

git clone https://github.com/wmo-raf/sftpgo.git

cd sftpgo

Create subdirectories for data persistence:

mkdir -p data/sftpgodata
mkdir -p data/sftpgohome
mkdir -p pg_data

Your directory structure should look like this:

sftpgo/
├── data/
│   ├── sftpgodata/
│   └── sftpgohome/
├── pg_data/
├── docker-compose.yml
└── .env

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Step 2: Create the .env Configuration File

Create a file named .env in your sftpgo directory:

You can copy from the sample file

cp .env.sample .env

Update the variables as required:

nano .env

Important: Set DB_PASSWORD with a strong password. Use a combination of:

• Uppercase letters (A-Z)
• Lowercase letters (a-z)
• Numbers (0-9)
• Special characters (!@#$%^&*)

Save the file (in nano: press Ctrl+O, then Enter, then Ctrl+X).

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Step 3: Create the Docker Network (First Time Only)

The configuration uses an external network. Create it with this command (use the NETWORK_NAME from your .env file):

docker network create <your_net>

To verify the network was created:

docker network ls

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Step 4: Set Directory Permissions

Set proper permissions for the data directories:

chmod 755 data/sftpgodata
chmod 755 data/sftpgohome
chmod 755 pg_data

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Step 5: Start the Services

Navigate to your project directory and start all services:

cd sftpgo
docker compose up -d

The -d flag runs containers in detached mode (background).

Monitor the startup process:

docker compose logs -f

Wait until you see messages indicating both services are running. Press Ctrl+C to exit the logs.

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Step 6: Verify Installation

Check if both containers are running:

docker compose ps

Expected output:

CONTAINER ID   IMAGE                    STATUS
xxxxx          drakkan/sftpgo   Up 2 minutes
xxxxx          postgres:15              Up 2 minutes

Check the logs for any errors:

docker compose logs sftpgo
docker compose logs sftpgo-db

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Step 7: Access SFTPGo Web Interface

Open your web browser and go to:

http://your-server-ip:8080

Replace your-server-ip with your server's actual IP address.

Default Admin Credentials:

• Username: admin
• Password: password

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Change default credentials immediately after first login!

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Step 8: Create Administrator User

1. Log in with default credentials (admin/password)
2. Go to "Admins" section
3. Create a new admin account with a strong password
4. Delete the default admin account

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Port Configuration Reference

Your SFTPGo setup uses these ports:

Port Range	Service	Purpose
8080	HTTP	Web administration interface
2022	SSH/SFTP	Secure file transfer (primary)
2121	FTP	File transfer protocol
50000-50100	FTP Passive	FTP passive mode data connections

Ensure these ports are:

1. Not blocked by firewall
2. Open in your hosting provider's security groups
3. Accessible from your network

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Stopping and Starting Services

Stop all services:

docker compose down

Start services again:

docker compose up -d

Restart services:

docker compose restart

View logs:

docker compose logs -f sftpgo
docker compose logs -f sftpgo-db

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Troubleshooting

Issue: Cannot access web interface (http://ip:8080)

Solution:

1. Check if containers are running: docker-compose ps
2. Check firewall settings: sudo ufw status
3. Allow port 8080: sudo ufw allow 8080
4. Check service logs: docker-compose logs sftpgo

Issue: Database connection error

Solution:

1. Verify .env file has correct values: cat .env
2. Check database logs: docker-compose logs sftpgo-db
3. Restart database: docker-compose restart sftpgo-db

Issue: Permission denied errors

Solution:

sudo chown -R 1002:1002 data/sftpgodata
sudo chown -R 1002:1002 data/sftpgohome

Issue: Docker network not found

Solution: Recreate the network using the name from your .env file (NETWORK_NAME):

docker network create sftpgo_network
docker compose down
docker compose up -d

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Security Best Practices

1. Change default credentials immediately
2. Use strong passwords (minimum 16 characters)
3. Configure firewall to restrict access to necessary ports only
4. Use SSH keys instead of passwords for SFTP access
5. Enable defender (already enabled in this config)
6. Keep Docker images updated:

   docker compose pull
   docker compose up -d

7. Monitor logs regularly for suspicious activity
8. Use HTTPS with proper SSL certificates for web interface

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Regular Maintenance

Update containers weekly:

docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

Clean up unused Docker resources:

docker system prune -a

Monitor disk space:

df -h
du -sh *

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Support and Documentation

• SFTPGo Official Documentation: https://sftpgo.github.io/
• Docker Documentation: https://docs.docker.com/
• PostgreSQL Documentation: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/

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Next Steps

1. Create SFTP user accounts in the web interface
2. Set directory quotas and permissions for users
3. Configure backup strategy
4. Set up monitoring and alerting
5. Document all usernames and access credentials in a secure location

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