Cannot connect to FTP via Filezilla on Lightsail

I created an instance of Debian on Amazon Lightsail. Everything works fine except FTP. I added port 21 to the firewall:

Next, I followed these instructions to the letter on how to install proftpd: https://www.tecmint.com/install-proftpd-in-ubuntu-and-debian/

As a last step, I added a password to the proftpd user and restarted the service. Then added an FTP connection in Filezilla with the following data:

And I get the following error:

Does anyone use ftp with Lightsail?

sirDexter

Posted 2018-09-15T20:06:11.990

Reputation: 13

Why FTP? Do yourself a favour an go with SFTP. If you notice, the log says Login incorrect, so I would start from there. Check the logs on the server. Please note that FTP needs data ports as well. – simlev – 2018-09-15T20:29:44.467

Answers

Question:

Does anyone use ftp with Lightsail?

Answer: Probably not.

Explanation: FTP is a very old protocol that has some drawbacks (uses random ports, no encryption...). Lightsail was launched in 2016, when most companies had already switched from FTP to FTPS or SFTP. There still are use cases for FTP but I doubt many would use it to communicate with their servers hosted on a service such as Lightsail.

If the goal is to update WordPress plugins, I recommend using wp-cli instead of going through the hassle of setting up a FTP server.

simlev

Posted 2018-09-15T20:06:11.990

Reputation: 3 184

I use SFTP to transfer files by FileZilla. I have sites on WordPress, and I can update plugins via FTP or FTPS. I used FTP on OVH. I'll try to configure FTPS instead. Thanks. – sirDexter – 2018-09-15T21:28:28.970

@sirDexter Why not SFTP? – simlev – 2018-09-15T22:32:03.140

In WordPress I have only two connection types for updating plugins:

FTP
FTPS (SSL)

2018-09-15T23:28:31.363

wp-cli is how you (should) update WordPress plugins. – simlev – 2018-09-16T00:11:43.850

Thank you for the great alternative that I wasn't aware of. – sirDexter – 2018-09-17T10:50:46.297

@simlev there are still plenty of reasons to use FTP with Lightsail. Almost all of them involve integrating with legacy systems and organisations that haven't moved with the times. ;) – Henry – 2018-12-12T00:11:14.847

If you're looking for connecting lightsail to filezilla, hereis how

Download SSH Key

Open filezilla,

2.1 Go to Edit > Settings > Connection > SFTP , Then click on Add key file...

2.2 Then, Press ctrl+s to open sitemanager, under General tab

 Protocol : SFTP - SSH File Transfer Protocol 
 Host : your_lightsail_static_ip
 Logon Type : Interactive
 User : light_sail_provided_user_name

That's it done.

Vipertecpro

Posted 2018-09-15T20:06:11.990

Reputation: 111