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FTP Status and Error Codes

Karla Marsh
CuteFTP

THE INFORMATION IN THIS ARTICLE APPLIES TO:

  • EFT Server all versions
  • CuteFTP® all versions
DISCUSSION

During FTP sessions, servers send and receive various numbered codes to/from FTP clients. Some codes represent errors, most others simply communicate the status of the connection. Below are brief explanations for the most common status and error codes.

When determining a course of action, review the entire log; some codes are informational only, others indicate that you have entered the wrong information, and others indicate what the information is that you need to provide before continuing.

For troubleshooting CuteFTP connection problems, also refer to Troubleshooting CuteFTP Connection Problems.

The table below is provided so that you have some idea whether you can solve the issue on your own (e.g., code 331=you need to provide a password) or you need to call your ISP for assistance (e.g., code 426=you are unable to connect to the remote server). These codes are used by most FTP servers/clients.

NOTE: The information below is only offered as a courtesy to assist you in telling your Internet Service Provider what the error is so that they can help solve your issue. For example, if you get a code 426, the transfer was aborted and the connection closed. The solution to this error is to "try logging back in; contact your hosting provider to check if you need to increase your hosting account; try disabling the firewall on your PC to see if that solves the problem. If not, contact your hosting provider or ISP."

The list below contains standard FTP codes. Numbers outside this list are proprietary to the Server or Client that you are using.

Click the code number in the left-most column of the table, if it's linked (blue), to read a more-specific reason for the code.

Code Description Discussion
100 Series The requested action was initiated; expect another reply before proceeding with a new command.
110 Restart marker reply. The text is exact and not left to the particular implementation; it must read "MARK yyyy = mmmm" where yyyy is User-process data stream marker, and mmmm server's equivalent marker (note the spaces between markers and "=").
120 Service ready in nn minutes. (Informational)
125 Data Connection already open; transfer starting. (Informational)
150 File status okay; about to open data connection. FTP uses two ports: 21 for sending commands, and 20 for sending data. A status code of 150 indicates that the server is about to open a new connection on port 20 to send some data.
200 Series The requested action has been successfully completed.
200 Command okay. (Informational)
202 Command not implemented, superfluous at this site. (Informational)
211 System status, or system help reply. (Informational)
212 Directory status. (Informational)
213 File status. (Informational)
214 Help message. (Informational)
215 NAME system type. Where NAME is an official system name from the list in the Assigned Numbers document.
220 Service ready for new user. (Informational)
221 Service closing control connection. Logged out if appropriate.
225 Data connection open; no transfer in progress. (Informational)
226 Closing data connection. Requested file action successful (for example; file transfer or file abort). The command opens a data connection on port 20 to perform an action, such as transferring a file. This action successfully completes, and the data connection is closed.
227 Entering Passive Mode. (h1,h2,h3,h4,p1,p2)
230 User logged in, proceed. This status code appears after the client sends the correct password. It indicates that the user has successfully logged on. (Informational)
250 Requested file action okay, completed. (Informational)
257 "PATHNAME" created. (Informational)
300 Series The command has been accepted, but the requested action is on hold, pending receipt of further information.
331 User name okay, need password. You see this status code after the client sends a user name, regardless of whether the user name that is provided is a valid account on the system.
332 Need account for login. Provide login credentials
350 Requested file action pending further information. (Informational)
400 Series The command was not accepted and the requested action did not take place, but the error condition is temporary and the action may be requested again.
421 Error 421 Service not available, closing control connection. Error 421 User limit reached Error 421 You are not authorized to make the connection Error 421 Max connections reached Error 421 Max connections exceeded This can be a reply to any command if the service knows it must shut down. Try logging in later.
425 Cannot open data connection. Change from PASV to PORT mode, check your firewall settings, or try to connect via HTTP.
426 Connection closed; transfer aborted. The command opens a data connection to perform an action, but that action is canceled, and the data connection is closed. Try logging back in; contact your hosting provider to check if you need to increase your hosting account; try disabling the firewall on your PC to see if that solves the problem. If not, contact your hosting provider or ISP.
450 Requested file action not taken. File unavailable (e.g., file busy). Try again later.
451 Requested action aborted: local error in processing. Ensure command and parameters were typed correctly.
452 Requested action not taken. Insufficient storage space in system. Ask FTP administrator to increase allotted storage space, or archive/delete remote files.

500 Series

The command was not accepted and the requested action did not take place.
500 Syntax error, command unrecognized, command line too long. Try switching to passive mode.
501 Syntax error in parameters or arguments. Verify your input; e.g., make sure there are no erroneous characters, spaces, etc.
502 Command not implemented. The server does not support this command.
503 Bad sequence of commands. Verify command sequence.
504 Command not implemented for that parameter. Ensure entered parameters are correct.
530 User not logged in. Ensure that you typed the correct user name and password combination. Some servers use this code instead of 421 when the user limit is reached
532 Need account for storing files. Logged in user does not have permission to store files on remote server.
550 Requested action not taken. File unavailable, not found, not accessible Verify that you are attempting to connect to the correct server/location. The administrator of the remote server must provide you with permission to connect via FTP.
552 Requested file action aborted. Possible causes: Client aborted the action; EFT Site not running; storage allocation exceeded.
553 Requested action not taken. File name not allowed. Change the file name or delete spaces/special characters in the file name.
10,000 series Common Winsock Error Codes (complete list of Winsock error codes)
10054 Connection reset by peer. The connection was forcibly closed by the remote host. (Informational)
10060 Cannot connect to remote server. Generally a time-out error. Try switching from PASV to PORT mode, or try increasing the time-out value.
10061 Cannot connect to remote server. The connection is actively refused by the server. Try switching the connection port.
10066 Directory not empty. The server will not delete this directory while there are files/folders in it. If you want to remove the directory, first archive or delete the files in it.
10068 Too many users, server is full. Try logging in at another time.
Details
Last Modified: Last Year
Last Modified By: kmarsh
Type: ERRMSG
Rated 2 stars based on 1290 votes.
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