FTP Account

This guide covers the FTP account on Nodea hosting — creating one in the panel, choosing the access type, and connecting to the server. If you are looking for an SSH connection rather than FTP, see the separate article on SSH access to the server. Nodea is a hosting and IT company based in Leszno, Poland — we administer servers every day, so this is written from a practitioner's angle, not from theory.

What is an FTP account and what is it for?

An FTP account gives access to files on the server and lets you upload and download the site files without knowing the client panel password. It runs on the FTP protocol, which transfers files between your computer and the server.

The typical use is handing access to a company building your website. Instead of sharing the password to the whole panel, you create a separate FTP account with access limited to the site files. The contractor uploads the files while you keep control of the rest of the service. An FTP account also helps when pointing a domain to hosting, where the site files need to land in the right directory.

An FTP account on Nodea hosting is free. For a single service you can create any number of extra FTP accounts — separate ones for yourself, a designer, and an external agency, each with its own username, password, and file access scope.

Create an FTP account in the panel, step by step

How do you create an FTP account? Log in to the panel, open FTP account management, click add account, and enter a username, password, and access directory. It takes a minute, and the new FTP account works immediately after you save.

1. Log in to the Nodea client panel with your hosting service credentials.
2. Open the FTP account management section for the chosen hosting.
3. Click the option to add a new FTP account.
4. Enter the account name (username) and a password.
5. Choose the access directory — the root directory (whole server) or a single folder, for example /public_html.
6. Save. The FTP account is active immediately, with no waiting period.

Set a strong password: at least 8 characters, lowercase and uppercase letters, digits, and special characters. Avoid non-ASCII characters — some FTP clients and servers misread them and the login fails. After creating the account, you will find its username and host on the FTP account list in the panel.

FTP account access types: whole server or one directory

An FTP account has access to the whole server or to just one chosen directory — you pick the scope when creating the account. That choice decides how many files the person logging in will see.

• Whole-server access — the account sees the root directory and every subfolder of the service. Meant for the owner or main administrator who manages all the content.
• Single-directory access (e.g. /public_html) — the account sees only that one folder and its subfolders, and cannot reach higher in the server structure. Meant for an external company building a single site.

The rule is simple: keep full access for yourself and create a directory-limited account for a contractor. That way a designer or agency works only inside their own site and never reaches the rest of the files on the server.

What details do you need to log in over FTP?

To log in over FTP you need four details: the host (FTP server address), the username, the password, and the port. You will find the full set of FTP details in the panel, on the FTP account list.

• Host — the FTP server address you connect to. It is shown in the panel next to the service or on the FTP account list.
• Username — the FTP account name, often prefixed with a server identifier.
• Password — the one you set when creating the account.
• Port — 21 by default for FTP.

For security, use SFTP (encrypted FTP) instead of plain FTP. SFTP sends the username, password, and files over an encrypted connection, so your FTP login details do not travel across the network in clear text. In the FTP client you then choose the SFTP protocol instead of FTP and supply the same host, username, and password.

Which program do you use to connect to an FTP account?

To connect to the server you need a program — an FTP client. The most common are WinSCP, FileZilla, and Total Commander. All of them connect to the same FTP account with the same details.

Setup is similar in every program: you enter the same details — host, username, password, and port 21 — and only the layout of the windows differs. You read the host and username of the FTP account from the FTP account list in the Nodea panel; the password comes from when you created the account. Once you enter the details and connect, you see the directory assigned to the account and drag your site files into it.

Edit, block, or delete an FTP account

You can edit, block, or delete an FTP account in the panel — at any time you can change its password and access directory. You save the changes on the existing account, with no need to create a new one.

• Edit — on the FTP account list, select the account and change the password or access directory, then save.
• Block — block the account when you want to cut off access without deleting the data, for example after ending work with a contractor. The account stays, but login stops working.
• Delete — remove the account permanently when it is no longer needed. After deletion the username and password stop working for good.

Restrict FTP access to selected IP addresses

You can restrict FTP access to selected IP addresses — then nobody outside your list logs in to the server, even with the correct username and password. This is an extra security layer for the FTP account.

On the allowed-IP list you enter the fixed address of your office or of the company building the site. The server accepts an FTP connection only from those locations and rejects login attempts from other addresses right away. Such a restriction protects the server against automated password-guessing from unknown locations. You can check your connection's IP address with the Nodea IP Checker tool.

Once the FTP account is created and configured, the next step when launching a site is often working in the panel with your domain or database — both handled in the same client panel.