TurnKey File Server
TurnKey File Server is a free, ready-to-use Linux appliance for network attached storage.
What TurnKey File Server is
TurnKey File Server is a free, ready-to-use Linux appliance for network attached storage. It combines Windows-compatible sharing with a web file manager and supports SMB, FTP, SFTP, NFS, WebDAV, and rsync. The WebDAV CGI interface provides browser access, previews for major formats, and drag-and-drop handling. Samba is preconfigured with user home directories and public storage, using /srv/storage as the default shared path, while Webmin provides Samba administration. The appliance includes SSL, zip, rar, and bz2 compression support, text-ending conversion between UNIX and DOS formats, and automatic security updates. Passwords are created during system initialization. TurnKey offers a 723MB ISO and Amazon EC2 deployment through TurnKey Hub. Build types include bare metal, VirtualBox, VMware, OpenStack, Proxmox, Xen, LXC, and Docker. The web interface has a configurable 1GB default upload limit.
Good
- Supports six listed file transfer protocols
- Includes browser previews and drag-and-drop uploads
- Samba arrives preconfigured
- Automatic security updates are included
- Runs across many virtualization environments
Watch out
- Web uploads default to a 1GB maximum
- Large backups can increase time and storage costs
- External SMB access needs VPN or SSH protection
Who it suits
It suits Linux and self-hosted users who need shared storage with browser access and multiple transfer protocols. Free community help is available, while Hub offers paid support plans.
Verdict
TurnKey File Server packages common network-storage services into a free appliance with web administration and broad deployment choices. Its upload ceiling and backup considerations matter when handling large or frequently changing data.
Plans and prices
From TurnKey File Server's own pricing page, checked 9 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Hub Backup and Migration — Free | Free | 1 backup record · Community support · Encrypted cloud storage · Restore and migration tools · Storage $0.03/GB per month · $0/ month |
| Hub Cloud Servers — Free | Free | Micro server size · Unlimited servers · Community support · AWS usage billed separately · $0/ month |
| TurnKey File Server appliance | Free | Stable release 19.0-trixie · 723MB ISO · Free and open source; no appliance price is stated. |
The facts
Each one read from TurnKey File Server's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Additional features
- The appliance includes SSL support, zip, rar and bz2 compression support, and a utility to convert text file endings between UNIX and DOS formats.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Administration
- The appliance includes Webmin with a module for configuring Samba.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Backup limitation
- The maker notes that backing up many, large, or frequently changing files can substantially increase backup and restore times and storage costs.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Deployment
- TurnKey offers the appliance as a 723MB ISO and supports deployment through TurnKey Hub on Amazon EC2.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Protocols
- It supports SMB, FTP, SFTP, NFS, WebDAV, and rsync file transfer protocols.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- TurnKey File Server is a ready-to-use network attached storage appliance combining Windows-compatible file sharing with a web-based file manager.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Secure remote access
- The maker recommends exposing only encrypted file-sharing protocols to hostile networks and suggests a VPN or SSH tunnel for external SMB/CIFS access.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Security
- Automatic security updates are listed as an appliance feature, and passwords are set during system initialization rather than supplied as defaults.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Storage setup
- Samba is preconfigured with user home directories and public storage, and its default shared storage path is /srv/storage.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Support
- The maker describes free community help through its website and offers Hub paid plans with email or priority support.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Upload limit
- The WebDAV CGI web UI has a default maximum upload size of 1GB, which can be changed in its configuration file.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Virtualization
- TurnKey documentation lists build types for bare metal, VirtualBox, VMware, OpenStack, Proxmox, Xen, LXC, and Docker among other environments.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Web file manager
- The WebDAV CGI interface provides web access with online previews of major formats and drag-and-drop support.checked 9 Oct 2026
The company
- Founded
- 2008checked 28 Sep 2026
- Headquarters
- Ra'anana, Israelchecked 28 Sep 2026
- Maker
- TurnKey GNU/Linux describes itself as a free Debian-based library of system images that integrates free software components into ready-to-use solutions.checked 9 Oct 2026
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