How to Install SFTPGo on Windows 11

SFTPGo is an open-source SFTP server that allows you to securely transfer files using the Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP). In this tutorial, we will guide you through the process of installing SFTPGo on Windows 11.

Before we begin, you need to make sure that you have the following software installed on your system:

• Git
• Go

If you do not have these packages installed, you can download them from their respective websites.

Step 1: Clone SFTPGo Repository

The first step is to clone the SFTPGo repository to your local machine. To do this, open the Command Prompt and navigate to the desired directory where you want to clone the repository.

cd C:\Users\username\Documents

Then, run the following command to clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/drakkan/sftpgo.git

This will clone the SFTPGo repository to your local machine.

Step 2: Build SFTPGo

Once the repository has been cloned, navigate to the sftpgo directory and build SFTPGo using the following command:

cd sftpgo
go build

This command will compile the SFTPGo binary and generate an executable file named sftpgo.exe.

Step 3: Configure SFTPGo

After building SFTPGo, you need to configure it before you can start using it. To do this, create a new file named sftpgo.yaml in the same sftpgo directory and add the following contents:

# sftpgo.yaml

server:
  listen_address: 0.0.0.0:22
  hostname: localhost
auth:
  simple_users:
    - username: myuser
      password: mypassword
    - username: anotheruser
      password: anotherpassword
  simple_dirs:
    - path: C:\sftpgo
      user: myuser

This configuration specifies that SFTPGo will listen on port 22 and accept connections from any host (0.0.0.0); the hostname is set to localhost. It also creates two users (myuser and anotheruser) with their respective passwords, and sets up a directory for the user myuser.

Step 4: Start SFTPGo

Once you have configured SFTPGo, you can start the server by running the following command in the sftpgo directory:

./sftpgo.exe -config sftpgo.yaml

This command will start SFTPGo with the configuration file you have created. You should see output similar to the following:

INFO[0000] SFTPGo v1.2.0 is starting
INFO[0000] Starting server on address 0.0.0.0:22
INFO[0000] Adding user: myuser
INFO[0000] Adding user: anotheruser
INFO[0000] Adding directory: C:\sftpgo
INFO[0000] Server started

Step 5: Connect to SFTPGo

Finally, you can connect to SFTPGo using an SFTP client like FileZilla. Open FileZilla and enter the following:

• Host: localhost
• Port: 22
• Protocol: SFTP
• Username: myuser (or any other user you created)
• Password: mypassword (or the password for the user you created)

You should now be able to connect to the server and transfer files securely using SFTP.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed SFTPGo on Windows 11.

If you want to self-host in an easy, hands free way, need an external IP address, or simply want your data in your own hands, give IPv6.rs a try!

Alternatively, for the best virtual desktop, try Shells!