FileZilla is a popular, free, and open-source FTP/SFTP application often used to transfer files between a local PC and a remote server.
FileZilla works well with N6 Cloud servers. However, you may encounter the following error message while transferring your files:
Status: A connection attempt failed with "ECONNREFUSED - Connection refused by server".
Error: Could not connect to the server
The FileZilla Could Not Connect to Server error can occur for several reasons. In this article, we’ll cover some of the most common causes and potential solutions.
1. Too many simultaneous connections
You can protect your FTP server resources by limiting the number of simultaneous connections the server can support. Once the limit is reached, any other connection requests will be refused until the number of live connections drops.
To view the number of live connections on the server, search for FTP Manager in CWP. If you have a high number of live connections, you can remotely disconnect users from the server from this page.
An alternative approach is to limit the number of concurrent connections permitted in FileZilla. N6 Cloud recommends limiting the number of simultaneous connections for a site to 2.
2. 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.
3. Use an FTP Hostname Prefix
If you use services like Sitelock or Sucuri proxy/firewall for your site, you may need to add ftp. before your FTP hostname in FileZilla for the connection to succeed. In the example below, “n6cloud.ca” is modified to “ftp.n6cloud.ca.”
4. 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.