FileZilla is a popular, free, and open source FTP/SFTP client used to transfer files between computers. The application is often used to transfer files between a local PC and a remote server.
While FTP could be accessed via terminal, programs with a graphical user interface are preferred, and Filezilla Client represents an easy to use multiplatform solution. Filezilla is the most popular and easy to use FTP Client, it is feature rich and available for Windows, Mac and Linux. Hackers will constantly scan the internet for hosts listening on port 21, the default FTP port. To avoid being detected by the thousands of hackers constantly scanning for people like you with an FTP server, we can change the port that FileZilla listens on. Go to Edit and then Settings.
While FileZilla works well with HostPapa servers, one error message you could see when attempting to transfer files is: Status: Connection attempt failed with 'ECONNREFUSED - Connection refused by server'. Error: Could not connect to server Connection refused errors can be encountered for several reasons. In this document, we’ll cover some of the most common causes and potential solutions. Too many simultaneous connections FTP server resources can be protected by placing a limit on the number of concurrent connections the server can support.
Once this threshold is reached, subsequent connection requests will be refused until the number of live connections drops. On standard HostPapa Website Hosting services, this limit cannot be changed, but you can view the number of current FTP connections in cPanel, by navigating to Files FTP Connections. If you find you have an excessive number of live connections, you can remotely disconnect users from the server from this page. If you’re managing a HostPapa VPS server, you can adjust the FTP connection limit using WHM’s FTP Server Configuration page. An alternative approach is to limit the number of concurrent connections permitted in FileZilla.
![Mac Mac](https://cloud.addictivetips.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/filezilla-client-settings.png)
HostPapa recommends limiting the number of concurrent connections for a site to 2. Use the following steps to limit your connections: If you have not already created a Site Manager entry for your server, do so by clicking the Site Manager icon, or select File Site Manager from the top menu. Enter the appropriate connection information for your server. You can find your FTP Server credentials in your HostPapa welcome email, or in My cPanel at Files FTP Accounts. Open Site Manager and in the Select Entry column, select the server by clicking the site name associated with it.
In the example below, we selected “examplesite”: Click the Transfer Settings tab. Now click the checkbox to select Limit number of simultaneous connections. In the box next to Maximum number of connections, enter 2. Ensure your Transfer Settings are configured as follows: Click OK to complete configuration. You may need to initially disconnect all concurrent connections on the server side for this fix to work.
Disconnect the connections via My cPanel at Files FTP Connections. A firewall, antivirus, or similar program is blocking the connection When troubleshooting connectivity issues, be sure to check your PC’s firewall and antivirus settings. Make sure that FTP or SFTP connections from the client to the server are not being blocked. Ensure common FTP ports such as 21 and 22 are open for connections and that the FileZilla application “filezilla.exe” is not being blocked. Use an FTP Hostname Prefix If you use services like or for your site, you may need to add ftp. before your FTP hostname in FileZilla for the connection to succeed.
In the example below, “examplesite.com” is modified to “ftp.examplesite.com”. Change the default FTP port from 21 to 22 The default port used for standard FTP connections to HostPapa servers is 21, while the default port for Secure FTP (SFTP) is 22. If the server configuration requires an SFTP connection to be used, changing the port number in the FileZilla client software from 21 to 22 should resolve the issue. To change the port, simply enter “22” in the Port field in FileZilla. In the example below, you can see FileZilla is configured to attempt connecting to the Host “examplesite.com” with username “testuser”. The port number is set to “21”.
Below are the same settings, with the port number modified to 22. For Site Manager connections, ensure the number in the Port field is set to 22 and that SFTP – SSH File Transfer Protocol is selected for Protocol. Set the transfer mode to “Passive” FTP Clients can use a Passive or Active mode to transfer files, with Active Mode generally selected as the default.
However, depending on your configuration, you may experience connectivity issues with Active Mode. Switching the transfer mode to “Passive” can resolve “connection refused” errors. Passive FTP connections can be more firewall-friendly and are more likely to succeed in some circumstances.
Open Site Manager and in the Select Entry column, select the server by clicking the site name associated with it. In the example below, we have selected “examplesite”. Click the Transfer Settings tab. Click the radio button labeled Passive. Here’s an example of a correctly-configured Transfer Settings tab: Click OK to proceed. You may need to initially disconnect all concurrent connections on the server side for this fix to work. Disconnect the connections via My cPanel at Files FTP Connections.
For further questions or help, please open a support ticket from your HostPapa Dashboard.