How do create an FTP in my Mac?

Ok, this might well be the most stupid question I ever posted on a forum, but here it goes.

I wonder if I can offer/create in my machine a FTP folder or ? to allow people to access it.

I hope the question makes sense... Basically I want to have my FTP in my machine here.

I have recently hired a internet service with a static IP address, maybe this helps. (I have a static IP because I need to connect to another sFTP server that requires the IP address to be registered there)

Any directions/suggestions are very welcome. Thanks a lot! Eric

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.5.5), Static IP Address

Posted on Mar 26, 2009 3:28 PM

Reply
8 replies

Mar 26, 2009 3:40 PM in response to Eric Araujo

Yes ... you can, but I would strongly recommend against it. FTP is really insecure and you're giving the outside world easy access to your computer. And, unless you do a bit of work, you'll not just be opening up one folder for sharing, but risking your whole computer.

If you want to go ahead, there are a couple of things you need to do. First, go to the Sharing panel of System Preferences, and turn Sharing on. Under the Shared Folders box, click "+" and choose a folder to share. Click Options and turn on "Share files and folders using FTP".

Next, if you have a router on your network (ie a gateway between the internet connection and your computer), you'll need to set up port forwarding and forward ports 20 and 21 to your computer's internal IP address. If you don't have a router, you won't need this step.

That's it. However: as I said above, I would look for an alternative solution if possible. If you have any online web hosting or storage space, set up an FTP account there and direct your contacts to send files to that address.

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

How do create an FTP in my Mac?

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.