How to Set Up FTP Uptime Monitoring

What is an FTP Check?

An FTP check connects to your FTP server from Xitoring's global probing nodes and verifies that the service is accepting connections and responding correctly. The check completes a TCP handshake on the FTP port and inspects the welcome banner returned by the server.

Use FTP checks for:

Public file distribution servers (firmware, mirror sites, software releases)
Vendor or partner data exchange endpoints
Legacy automation pipelines that still depend on FTP/FTPS
SFTP services running on a known port (FTP-style banner check)

What Gets Monitored

Connection success — TCP handshake on the FTP port (default 21)
Banner / greeting — server responds with the expected welcome message (e.g., 220 ProFTPD ready)
Response time — time from connection to banner from each probing node
Geographic availability — service reachable from each region

Prerequisites

A reachable FTP server with a public IP or hostname
The FTP port the server listens on (typically 21, sometimes 2121)
Firewall rules allowing TCP from Xitoring's probing IP ranges
For FTPS / implicit-TLS deployments, confirm the port (often 990) and that the banner is readable

How to Set Up an FTP Check

Step 1: Create the Check

Log in to your Xitoring Dashboard
Go to Uptime → Add Check
Select FTP as the check type

Step 2: Configure the Connection

Enter the hostname or IP (e.g., ftp.example.com)
Set the port (default 21)
Optionally, set an expected banner string (e.g., 220, ProFTPD, or your custom greeting)
Set the check interval (30 seconds to 15 minutes)
Set the timeout (default: 30 seconds)

Step 3: Choose Probing Nodes

Select at least 3 probing nodes across the regions where your FTP users connect from.

Step 4: Assign Notifications

Under Triggers, attach a notification role.

Step 5: Save and Verify

Save the check. The first probe runs immediately.

Setting Up Triggers

Common alerting rules:

Connection refused or timed out — FTP daemon down or port blocked
Banner mismatch — wrong server responding (DNS hijack, misrouted traffic)
Slow handshake — response time exceeds your threshold
Confirmed down — failures across multiple probing nodes

Tips

Monitor on the public-facing port users actually connect to — if you front FTP with a NAT or load balancer, target that, not the backend
FTP uses passive ports for data transfer — this check validates the control channel only. If data transfer fails but control works, you'll need additional monitoring
For FTPS (TLS-wrapped FTP) on port 990, treat it as a TCP check or contact support if banner inspection fails
SFTP runs over SSH (port 22) — use a TCP check on port 22 instead, since SFTP banners differ from FTP
Disable anonymous FTP if you don't need it. The uptime check works either way but exposed anonymous FTP is a security liability