SFTP Setup Guide: Secure File Transfer for Your Seedbox

SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) is a secure way to transfer files between your computer and your seedbox. Unlike regular FTP, SFTP encrypts everything — your credentials and your data. It’s built into your seedbox and works with the same credentials you use for ruTorrent. No extra setup required.

SFTP vs FTP — What’s the Difference?

  FTP vs SFTP
  ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  FTP (port 21)                    SFTP (port 22)
  ┌──────────────────────┐        ┌──────────────────────┐
  │ ⚠️ Unencrypted       │        │ 🔒 Fully encrypted   │
  │ Password sent in     │        │ SSH-based protocol   │
  │ plain text           │        │                      │
  │ Multiple ports       │        │ Single port (22)     │
  │ (passive mode)       │        │ Firewall-friendly    │
  │                      │        │                      │
  │ Faster for bulk      │        │ Secure by default    │
  │ (multi-connection)   │        │ Built into seedbox   │
  └──────────────────────┘        └──────────────────────┘

  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
  │  Use SFTP when security matters (public Wi-Fi,       │
  │  sensitive files). Use FTP when speed is priority    │
  │  (FileZilla multi-segment downloads).               │
  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Connection Details

  YOUR SFTP CREDENTIALS
  ═══════════════════════════════════════

  Host:     YOUR-SERVER.myseedbox.site
  Port:     22
  Username: (same as ruTorrent)
  Password: (same as ruTorrent)
  Protocol: SFTP (not FTP!)

  Find these in your Client Area:
  Services → Your Seedbox → Login Details

Connect with FileZilla

FileZilla supports both FTP and SFTP. Here’s how to connect via SFTP:

1. Open FileZilla
2. Go to File > Site Manager > New Site
3. Fill in:
   • Protocol: SFTP – SSH File Transfer Protocol
   • Host: YOUR-SERVER.myseedbox.site
   • Port: 22
   • Logon Type: Normal
   • User: your seedbox username
   • Password: your seedbox password
4. Click Connect
5. Accept the server’s host key when prompted (first time only)

  FILEZILLA SITE MANAGER
  ═══════════════════════════════════════════════

  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐
  │ Protocol: [SFTP - SSH File Transfer ▼]   │  ◀── NOT "FTP"
  │ Host:     [your-server.myseedbox.site]   │
  │ Port:     [22                        ]   │
  │ Logon:    [Normal                    ▼]  │
  │ User:     [your_username             ]   │
  │ Password: [••••••••••                ]   │
  │                                          │
  │         [Connect]  [Cancel]              │
  └──────────────────────────────────────────┘

  ⚠️ IMPORTANT: Select "SFTP" not "FTP" in Protocol.
  The credentials are the same, but the protocol is different.

Connect with WinSCP (Windows)

1. Download WinSCP
2. On the login screen, select SFTP as the protocol
3. Enter host, port 22, username, and password
4. Click Login

Connect via Terminal (macOS / Linux)

SFTP is built into macOS and Linux terminals:

# Connect
sftp [email protected]

# Navigate
sftp> cd downloads
sftp> ls

# Download a file
sftp> get movie.mkv

# Download a folder
sftp> get -r movies/

# Upload a file
sftp> put local-file.torrent watch/

# Exit
sftp> exit

Connect on Mobile

  MOBILE SFTP APPS
  ══════════════════════════════════════

  iOS:
  ├── FE File Explorer      Free, reliable
  ├── Termius               SSH + SFTP
  └── Secure ShellFish      Modern UI

  Android:
  ├── Solid Explorer        Built-in SFTP
  ├── Cx File Explorer      Free, clean
  └── Termius               SSH + SFTP

  Connection: same credentials, port 22, SFTP protocol

How SFTP Chroot Works on Your Seedbox

Your SFTP access is chrooted — this means you can only see your own home directory. You cannot access other users’ files or system directories.

  SFTP CHROOT (Security Boundary)
  ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  What you see via SFTP:          What's actually on server:

  / (root)                        /home/your_user/  ◀── chroot
  ├── downloads/                  ├── downloads/
  │   ├── movies/                 │   ├── movies/
  │   └── tv-shows/               │   └── tv-shows/
  ├── watch/                      ├── watch/
  └── private/                    └── private/

  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
  │  You CANNOT navigate above /home/your_user/      │
  │  Other users' files are invisible to you ✓       │
  │  System files are invisible to you ✓             │
  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Troubleshooting

Connection Refused / Timeout

• Make sure you’re using port 22 (not 21)
• Verify the hostname is correct: YOUR-SERVER.myseedbox.site
• Some networks block port 22 — try from a different network

“Permission Denied” on Login

• Double-check your username and password (case-sensitive)
• If you recently changed your password, try the new one
• Make sure you selected SFTP protocol, not FTP

“Received unexpected end of file” or “Broken Pipe”

• This usually means the chroot directory permissions were temporarily incorrect
• Wait a few minutes — the seedbox auto-fixes this hourly
• If it persists, contact support

Slow Transfer Speeds

• SFTP uses a single encrypted connection — inherently slower than multi-connection FTP
• For maximum speed with SFTP, increase the buffer size in your client (FileZilla: Edit → Settings → Transfers → Buffer size)
• For bulk transfers where speed is critical, use FTP with FileZilla

Tips

• Use SSH keys for passwordless login — see our SSH Key Authentication guide
• Automate with rsync — rsync -avz -e ssh user@server:downloads/ ~/local-downloads/ syncs your seedbox to your PC
• SFTP for public Wi-Fi — Always use SFTP over FTP when on untrusted networks
• Mount as drive — Use SSHFS to mount your seedbox as a local folder via SFTP

Related Guides

• How to Get Faster FTP Downloads
• Maximum Transfer Speed in FileZilla
• SSH Key Authentication
• SCP File Transfer Guide
• Mount via SSHFS and WebDAV
• Filegator: Web File Manager