Preview Release Notice: This is a Preview Release of CompleteFTP for Linux. It includes all Enterprise MFT features and is suitable for evaluation and integration use. The production release is due in September, 2025.

CompleteFTP Preview Release Installation Guide for Debian-Based Distributions

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for installing CompleteFTP Preview Release on Debian-based distributions, including Debian, Ubuntu and its derivatives (like Linux Mint and Pop!_OS).

Note for WSL Users: If you're using WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux), ensure Linux services are enabled by following these instructions before proceeding.

Step 1: Download the Installer

Download the .deb installer package from our official site via this link or by executing:

wget https://enterprisedt.com/products/completeftp/download/completeftp.deb

Then proceed to install prerequisites and CompleteFTP as described below.

Step 2: Check if .NET is Already Installed

To check your installed .NET version, run:

dotnet --list-runtimes

If the output includes Microsoft.NETCore.App 6.0 or later, then you already have a compatible .NET version, and you can skip to Step 4.

If you see an error like:

Error: [/usr/lib/dotnet/host/fxr] does not exist

it means that .NET is not installed or is incomplete. Proceed to Step 3.

Step 3: Install .NET

CompleteFTP requires .NET 6 or later. These instructions use .NET 8, which is fully supported.

To install it, visit Microsoft's package repository to find the correct repo for your distro and version. Then run:

wget <repository-url> -O packages-microsoft-prod.deb
sudo dpkg -i packages-microsoft-prod.deb
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y dotnet-sdk-8.0 dotnet-runtime-8.0  # Replace 8.0 if newer versions are recommended

Verify .NET Installation

dotnet --list-runtimes

Ensure that Microsoft.NETCore.App X.x (or later) appears in the output. If using Debian, confirm that the package source is correct for your specific version.

Step 4: Install CompleteFTP

Navigate to the directory containing completeftp.deb and run:

sudo apt install ./completeftp.deb

The installer will install all dependencies and start the CompleteFTP service.

Step 5: Verify the Service

Check the service status:

sudo systemctl status completeftp

If it's not running, start it manually:

sudo systemctl start completeftp

Step 6: Add Your User to the completeftp Group

To manage CompleteFTP via the command line, add yourself to the completeftp group. This step grants your user the necessary permissions to interact with the CompleteFTP server, allowing you to manage users, sites, and configurations without requiring root access.

sudo usermod -aG completeftp $(whoami)

Log Out and Log Back In

For the changes to take effect, log out and back in. Then confirm:

groups

Ensure completeftp appears in the list.

Step 7: Test CompleteFTP

Try listing users to confirm access:

completeftp user list

If it shows the current user list, installation and access were successful.

Step 8: Activate Your Trial for Remote Access

By default, your CompleteFTP trial server will only accept connections from localhost. To enable access from other machines, you must activate your 30-day trial license.

Follow the instructions here to activate: Activating CompleteFTP for Linux

You can activate at any time — but until you do, remote connections will be rejected.

Managing CompleteFTP

Start/Stop/Restart:

sudo systemctl status completeftp
sudo systemctl restart completeftp
sudo systemctl stop completeftp

Useful commands:

completeftp --help
completeftp user list
completeftp user add <username>
completeftp user remove <username>
completeftp site list
sudo journalctl -u completeftp --no-pager

Next Steps

Refer to the Quick Tour to configure your server.

Troubleshooting

Issue Solution
Installation fails sudo apt update && sudo apt install -f
Missing .NET Follow Step 3
Trial not activating Use the CLI or contact support
Service not running sudo systemctl start completeftp
CLI access denied Add your user to completeftp group

Summary

  1. Download the .deb installer.
  2. Check for .NET or install it.
  3. Install CompleteFTP and verify it runs.
  4. Add your user to the right group and test access.

You're now ready to run your CompleteFTP for Linux trial!