Secure File Transfer (SFTP)

SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) enables secure, encrypted file transfers and remote file management using the same protocol as SSH.
It is included by default in MocaccinoOS through the built-in OpenSSH service — no installation required.

SFTP is compatible with most file managers (such as Dolphin, Nautilus, or Thunar), command-line tools (sftp, scp), and third-party clients like WinSCP or FileZilla.

Connecting to Your MocaccinoOS System

You can connect to your MocaccinoOS system from another machine using SFTP in several ways:

Command Line

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sftp username@hostname

Graphical File Manager

In your file manager’s address bar:

sftp://username@hostname

Windows Client

Use a graphical SFTP client like WinSCP, or use PowerShell’s built-in support:

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sftp username@hostname

Checking Service Status

To verify that the SSH (and SFTP) service is active:

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systemctl status sshd

If it’s not running, enable it to start automatically at boot:

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sudo systemctl enable --now sshd

Security Recommendations

SFTP uses the same authentication and encryption as SSH.
For stronger security, consider the following optional steps:

💡 Tip: These adjustments apply system-wide. Edit /etc/ssh/sshd_config carefully and restart the SSH service afterward.

Use SSH Keys Instead of Passwords

1. Generate a key on your client system:

   1 2	ssh-keygen ssh-copy-id username@hostname

2. Disable password authentication in /etc/ssh/sshd_config:

   PasswordAuthentication no
   

3. Apply the change:

   1	sudo systemctl restart sshd

Restrict SFTP-Only Accounts (Optional)

To create accounts limited to SFTP (no shell access), append this block to /etc/ssh/sshd_config:

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Match Group sftpusers
     ChrootDirectory %h
     ForceCommand internal-sftp
     AllowTcpForwarding no
     X11Forwarding no

Then configure the user environment:

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sudo groupadd sftpusers
sudo usermod -aG sftpusers username
sudo chmod 755 /home/username

Note: Users confined via ChrootDirectory cannot access directories outside their home folder.

Useful Tips

• Connect to a non-standard SSH port:

  1	sftp -P 2222 username@hostname

• Enable compression for faster transfers:

  1	sftp -C username@hostname

• Copy entire directories recursively:

  1	scp -r folder username@hostname:/path/to/destination

Summary

SFTP offers a secure, encrypted, and easy-to-use way to transfer files to and from your MocaccinoOS system.
Since OpenSSH is already installed and configured by default, SFTP works immediately — no additional setup or packages are required.

Use it for quick file transfers, remote editing, or as a secure alternative to traditional FTP or Samba.