How do I set up an FTP server on OS X Mavericks?

You can enable the built-in ftp server by running this command in Terminal.

sudo -s launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/ftp.plist

To disable it, run this:

sudo -s launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/ftp.plist

You can get information about the server and configuring it with this command:

man ftpd

If you are opening this server up to the Internet, you should really consider another method as FTP is not secure and could open up you Mac to hacking.

Also, you should investigate the correct setup of the FTP configuration files to achieve the desired balance of security and features.

Depends on where you are accessing the computer from.

If from inside your router's network, you can use the IP address which you can find on the Network System Preferences at the top:

Or you can use the local computer name shown in the Sharing System Preferences.

If using the IP address, you might want to configure your router such that it will always give that Mac the same IP address.

If you are accessing from outside your network, you will need to contigure your router to port forward, and you will use the IP address of your router to connect. You'll have to sort that out yourself.

What is a more secure option that acomplishes the same thing?

sftp

here is a generic tutorial using unix.

https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-use-sftp-to-securely-tra nsfer-files-with-a-remote-server

http://osxdaily.com/2011/09/30/remote-login-ssh-server-mac-os-x/

Awesome, thanks for the speedy reply.