SixFTP - IPv6-Ready Portable FTP Server

A simple, portable FTP server written in Rust with full IPv6 support using the libunftp library.

Features

• Dual Interface Modes - GUI & CLI mode
• IPv6 & IPv4 dual-stack support - perfect for IPoE/IPv6-only networks
• Portable - single executable with no dependencies
• Configurable - directory, username, password, ports, and bind address
• Network interface detection - automatically displays all available IP addresses
• Passive mode support - configurable passive port range

Usage

Dual Mode Operation

SixFTP automatically switches between GUI and CLI modes based on command line arguments:

• GUI Mode (no arguments): Launches a graphical interface
• CLI Mode (with arguments): Runs as a command-line server

GUI Mode

# Launch the GUI interface (no arguments needed)
sixftp

The GUI provides:

• Visual configuration
• Easy start/stop controls
• Copy-paste friendly connection information

CLI Mode

# Serve current directory with default settings (CLI mode)
sixftp -d .

# Serve a specific directory
sixftp -d /path/to/directory

# Custom username and password
sixftp -u admin --password secret

# Custom port
sixftp -p 21212

# Custom passive port range
sixftp --pasv-range 40000-40010

# Bind to specific address
sixftp -b 127.0.0.1

Command Line Options

-d, --directory <DIRECTORY>    Directory to serve via FTP [default: .]
-u, --username <USERNAME>      FTP username [default: user]
    --password <PASSWORD>      FTP password [default: password]
-p, --port <PORT>              Main FTP port [default: 9000]
    --pasv-range <PASV_RANGE>  Passive port range (format: start-end) [default: 30000-30100]
-b, --bind <BIND>              Bind address [default: 0.0.0.0]
-h, --help                     Print help
-V, --version                  Print version

Example: Full Custom Configuration (CLI Mode)

sixftp \
  -d /home/user/shared \
  -u admin \
  --password mypassword \
  -p 21212 \
  --pasv-range 40000-40020 \
  -b 0.0.0.0

Building

Prerequisites

• Rust 1.70.0 or higher
• Cargo

Build Steps

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/nemasu/SixFTP
cd SixFTP

# Build in debug mode
cargo build

# Build in release mode
cargo build --release

# The executable will be in target/debug/sixftp or target/release/sixftp

Connecting to the Server

Once the server is running, you can connect using any FTP client:

Using Command Line FTP Client

# Connect to localhost
ftp 127.0.0.1 21212

# Or connect to your local IP
ftp 192.168.1.100 21212

Using GUI FTP Clients

• FileZilla: Use "Quickconnect" with the displayed IP and port (supports IPv6)
• WinSCP: Use FTP protocol with the displayed IP and port
• Any other FTP client: Use the connection information displayed when the server starts

GUI Features

When running in GUI mode, you can:

1. Configure Server Settings: Set directory, credentials, ports, and bind address
2. Start/Stop Server: Control server operation with visual buttons
3. View Connection Info: See all connection details for easy copy-paste
4. Status: See server status and binding information

Default Credentials

• Username: user
• Password: password

Network Configuration

Firewall Considerations

You may need to allow the application through the firewall:

1. Open Windows Defender Firewall
2. Click "Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall"
3. Add the SixFTP executable and allow it for both private and public networks

Port Forwarding (For External Access)

If you want to access the server from outside your local network:

1. Main FTP Port: Forward the port specified with -p (default: 2121)
2. Passive Ports: Forward the entire range specified with --pasv-range (default: 30000-30010)

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. "io error" when starting

   • Try using a higher port number (above 1024)
   • Run as administrator if you need to use privileged ports
   • Check if the port is already in use

2. Can't connect from other devices

   • Try binding on IP used to access internet
   • Check firewall settings
   • Verify network connectivity

3. Passive mode not working

   • Ensure the passive port range is properly forwarded on your router
   • Try a different passive port range

Logging

The server outputs structured logs with different levels:

• INFO: Server startup and normal operations
• ERROR: Error conditions
• DEBUG: Detailed debugging information (enable with RUST_LOG=debug)

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Dependencies

• libunftp - FTP server library
• unftp-sbe-fs - Filesystem storage backend
• tokio - Async runtime
• clap - Command line argument parsing
• tracing - Structured logging