Deploying SFTPGo as an Azure Storage SFTP Alternative on Linux

Description and use

Deploying SFTPGo with Docker Compose and Traefik as a cost-effective alternative to Azure Storage SFTP.

Problem

Azure Storage SFTP is billed continuously per endpoint (~$220/month) and tied to Azure AD, creating high costs and platform lock-in.

Outcome

Successfully deployed a self-hosted file transfer server with identical capabilities to Azure Storage SFTP at zero endpoint cost.

Workflow

• Create project directories (~/sftpgo/{data,config}) and navigate into the folder.
• Create a .env file containing DOMAIN and LETSENCRYPT_EMAIL.
• Create the docker-compose.yml manifest configuring Traefik and SFTPGo containers with appropriate ports, volumes, and health checks.
• Start the Docker Compose stack using docker compose up -d.
• Open the admin UI at https://sftp.example.com/web/admin to create the administrator account.
• Create and configure users with password authentication, SSH keys, and 2FA.
• Optionally configure S3-compatible object storage or native Azure Blob storage backends per user.

Evidence

Azure Storage SFTP is Microsoft's managed file transfer service on top of Azure Blob Storage, convenient, but billed continuously per endpoint (roughly $0.30/hour, ~$220/month) and tied to Azure AD. SFTPGo is an open-source file transfer server... with no per-endpoint charge.

Source