Tools

Configure Anonymous Access In Serv-U

How to enable and configure anonymous access in Serv-U

First published date

11/14/2018 7:29 PM

Last published date

6/25/2025 7:03 PM

Overview

"Anonymous" is the name of a user account in an FTP server which allows any user to log on and access files as decided by the server administrators. While most servers do not provide an anonymous account, servers which host files which should be available for public download (such as patches or new versions of public documents) may provide one for users.

By default, Serv-U does not include an "Anonymous" account after initial installation - this ensures that maximum security is achieved out of the box. Follow the following instructions to enable or disable Anonymous access in Serv-U:

Product section

Serv-U Managed File Transfer & Serv-U FTP Server

Resolution

Enabling Anonymous Access

  1. Start the Serv-U Management Console
  2. Create a new user as described at User Accounts.
  3. Name the user Anonymous
  4. In the password field, enter the password.  In Serv-U 15.4.1 and above, password is required.
  5. Grant the user access to any folders desired
  6. Save the user account
  1. Once done, please make sure that the Listener for FTP port 21 is enabled under Domain>Domain Details>Listeners
  2. Open a browser and access the anonymous account using the link below: ftp://insertipaddresshere

As a security configuration, it is considered advisable to only allow the Anonymous user "Read" and "List" access to their directory - if Write access is granted, anyone will be able to access the server to share files, making it a prime target for sharing of copyrighted or illegal material. Named user accounts should be used if users need to be able to write files.

NOTE: We do not recommend this setup as this would create security risk since anyone can log in to your Serv-U without credentials by just going to the FTP link.

 

Disabling Anonymous Access

  1. Find the Anonymous account in your user list (making sure to check Global Users and Database Users if applicable)
  2. Disable or delete the Anonymous user account
Once the Anonymous user account is no longer accessible, anonymous individuals will no longer be able to access your server unless they have valid credentials as defined by the Serv-U server administrator.

NOTE: With an account named "anonymous" in the server, the username "ftp" will also be accepted for anonymous access using the anonymous account unless there is another account on the server called "ftp", in which case the settings for the "ftp" account take precedence.