How to install FTP client for Ubuntu 18.04 Bionic Beaver Linux

Objective

The following article will provide a list of FTP clients for Ubuntu 18.04 Bionic Beaver Linux as well as installation and basic usage instructions.

Operating System and Software Versions

• Operating System: - Ubuntu 18.04 Bionic Beaver Linux

Requirements

Privileged access to your Ubuntu System as root or via sudo command is required.

Conventions

• # - requires given linux commands to be executed with root privileges either directly as a root user or by use of sudo command
• $ - requires given linux commands to be executed as a regular non-privileged user

Other Versions of this Tutorial

Ubuntu 20.04 (Focal Fossa)

Introduction

Use the FTP client for transferring local files to the remote server using various protocols. Some FTP clients for Ubuntu operating system have a basic functionality hence supporting only the FTP protocol whereas many other FTP clients support multiple protocols such SFTP, SMB, AFP, DAV, SSH, FTPS, NFS and more.

The choice of selecting the best FTP client for Ubuntu 18.04 depends on many factors. This guide will list FTP clients with a substantial amount of features as well as it will also provide information about small but powerful command line FTP clients.

Nautilus

The first FTP client for Ubuntu we are going to introduce is Nautilus. If you are using a default Ubuntu 18.04 Bionic Beaver GNOME desktop, you do not need to look further than that as Nautilus is already installed on your Ubuntu system.

Nautilus is a file manager. However, one can use it as an FTP client as it supports multiple network protocols. It has "drag and drop" file functionality and is very intuitive to work with.

To install Nautilus execute:

$ sudo apt install nautilus

To start Nautilus hit the Files icon on your desktop or run the command:

$ nautilus

FileZilla

FileZilla is probably the most famous and by many regarded as one of the best FTP clients out there. This is mostly because it is rich in features and can be used not only as an FTP client but also as a general file manager. To install FileZilla execute:

$ sudo apt install filezilla

FileZilla FTP client can be started from your Start menu or by executing:

$ filezilla

gFTP

gFTP is a true FTP client. It is a great choice if you need some lightweight FTP client for your Ubuntu 18.04 system. It supports multiple protocols and has a fair amount of features. To install gFTP enter the command:

$ sudo apt install gftp

Use the Start menu to search for the gFTP icon in order to launch it or execute the following linux command:

$ gftp

Krusader

The Krusader is my personal favorite. It is a Swiss knife for managing files. Krusader is a tool for every occasion, by default it supports only the FTP protocol. For SFTP and other network protocols support install the kio-extras package.

If you are not running the KDE desktop the installation of Krusader can be little massive as it relies on services provided by the KDE Frameworks base libraries which are not installed by default on the GNOME desktop. To install Krusader with and extra support for the additional network protocols execute:

$ sudo apt install krusader kio-extras

Konqueror

Konqueror is a default file manager for the KDE plasma desktop, however, it works also great as an FTP client. To install Konqueror enter:

$ sudo apt install konqueror

Start Konqueror from your start menu or by executing:

$ konqueror

ftp

Let's get bask to basics. In case you are not using any GUI and rely solely on the command line only, which is the scenario for most Ubuntu servers, you might be interested in a command line FTP client. The one which is most likely already installed on your Ubuntu system is ftp. The advantage of the command line FTP client is that it can be easily scripted to automate your file management tasks. In case you need to install it, enter:

$ sudo apt install ftp

For more ftp command usage information enter:

$ man ftp

ncftp

If you need a more sophisticated command FTP client you may be interested in ncftp. NcFTP has a great amount of features and is also easy to use. To install NcFTP run:

$ sudo apt install ncftp

For a complete list of functions and usage syntax enter:

$ man ncftp

lftp

The last FTP client we are going to look into is lftp. lftp has enrmous amount of features. If the feature you are looking for is not listed by:

$ man lftp

then you are most likely looking for a wrong solution to your problem as man lftp contains more than 1660 lines. To install lftp enter:

$ sudo apt install lftp