HOWTO · Python
How to One Line FTP Server in Python
This tutorial demonstrates how to create one line FTP server in Python.
FTP is an abbreviation of File Transfer Protocol. It allows you to transfer files between client and server over a computer network.
Python library includes a pyftpdlib module, allowing you to write efficient and scalable FTP servers with Python. This tutorial teaches you to create an FTP server using a one-liner in Python.
Use pyftpdlib to Create One Line FTP Server in Python
First, you have to install the pyftpdlib module.
pip install pyftpdlib
Output:
Successfully built pyftpdlib
Installing collected packages: pyftpdlib
Successfully installed pyftpdlib-1.5.6
Then you can execute the pyftpdlib command in the terminal. For example, the following command starts an FTP server with the current directory.
python -m pyftpdlib
Output:
[I 2022-09-20 21:36:36] concurrency model: async
[I 2022-09-20 21:36:36] masquerade (NAT) address: None
[I 2022-09-20 21:36:36] passive ports: None
[I 2022-09-20 21:36:36] >>> starting FTP server on 0.0.0.0:2121, pid=3492 <<<
Next, verify whether the server is running.
curl ftp://127.0.0.1:2121
It will list all content of the current directory as follows.
Output:
-rw-rw-rw- 1 owner group 6817 May 20 06:55 -1.14-windows.xml
drwxrwxrwx 1 owner group 0 Nov 13 2021 .Icecream Screen Recorder
drwxrwxrwx 1 owner group 4096 Mar 28 02:51 .THypervBox
drwxrwxrwx 1 owner group 12288 Sep 18 14:46 .VirtualBox
drwxrwxrwx 1 owner group 4096 May 15 07:36 .android
The default mode is read-only. You can enable write access using the -w option. The -d flag allows you to use a different directory to share in the server.
The following example serves the directory C:\pc\test_folder with write access for logged-in users.
python -m pyftpdlib -w -d C:\pc\test_folder
Output:
[I 2022-09-22 19:55:47] concurrency model: async
[I 2022-09-22 19:55:47] masquerade (NAT) address: None
[I 2022-09-22 19:55:47] passive ports: None
[I 2022-09-22 19:55:47] >>> starting FTP server on 0.0.0.0:2121, pid=25560 <<<
To check if it is running.
curl ftp://127.0.0.1:2121
Output:
drwxrwxrwx 1 owner group 0 Feb 23 2022 New folder
-rw-rw-rw- 1 owner group 0 Feb 23 2022 books.txt
-rw-rw-rw- 1 owner group 18 Jun 09 15:58 hello.txt
To disable anonymous login, you have to specify the username and password before starting the server.
The -u option allows you to set the username, and the -P option helps set a password to login into the FTP server.
python -m pyftpdlib -w -d C:\pc\test_folder -u username -P password
Output:
[I 2022-09-23 00:16:12] concurrency model: async
[I 2022-09-23 00:16:12] masquerade (NAT) address: None
[I 2022-09-23 00:16:12] passive ports: None
[I 2022-09-23 00:16:12] >>> starting FTP server on 0.0.0.0:2121, pid=22732 <<<
Execute this command to list the shared directory.
curl --user username:password ftp://127.0.0.1:2121/
Output:
drwxrwxrwx 1 owner group 0 Feb 23 2022 New folder
-rw-rw-rw- 1 owner group 0 Feb 23 2022 books.txt
-rw-rw-rw- 1 owner group 18 Jun 09 15:58 hello.txt
For more command options, run the help command.
python -m pyftpdlib --help
