Accessing File Transfer Protocol (FTP) on Linux

Cloudmatika / March 24, 2026

Accessing an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) server from a Linux operating system is quite simple. There are two common methods you can use to connect to an FTP server: through the Terminal or by using a third-party GUI application. Follow the steps below to access FTP on Linux.

Using the Terminal

Step 1: Open the Terminal

Launch the Terminal application on your Linux system.

Step 2: Connect to the FTP Server

Enter the following command:

ftp ip_server

Note: Replace server_ip with the IP address of your FTP server.

For example, if the FTP server’s IP address is 192.168.1.10, use:

ftp 192.168.1.10

Step 3: Enter Your Credentials

Once connected, you will be prompted to enter the FTP username and password. Enter the correct credentials to access the server.

Using a Third-Party GUI Application

One of the most popular FTP client applications is FileZilla. To install FileZilla Client, follow the instructions below based on your Linux distribution.

Installing FileZilla on CentOS

Open the Terminal and run the following commands:

sudo yum -y install epel-release
sudo yum -y install filezilla

Installing FileZilla on Ubuntu

Open the Terminal and run the following commands:

sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://archive.getdeb.net/ubuntu xenial-getdeb apps" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/getdeb.list'
wget -q -O - http://archive.getdeb.net/getdeb-archive.key | sudo apt-key add -
sudo apt update
sudo apt install filezilla

Connecting to an FTP Server Using FileZilla

After FileZilla has been installed, launch the application and fill in the connection details as follows:

Host: Enter the IP address, hostname, or domain name of the FTP server.
Username: Enter the FTP user account username.
Password: Enter the FTP user account password.
Port: Enter the FTP port number.
- FTP uses port 21 by default.
- SFTP uses port 22 by default.

The configuration will look similar to the example shown below.

Once all information has been entered correctly, click “Quickconnect” to establish the connection.