Set Up Samba on CentOS: Install, Configure Shares, Users, SELinux, Firewall

Intro

Samba is an open-source implementation of the SMB protocol used for file and printer sharing in Windows networks. It lets you publish folders on a CentOS server and grant controlled access to Windows, Linux, and macOS clients using authentication and permissions. In this guide, you’ll install Samba, create a secure share, configure smb.conf, add users, and make the setup actually work on CentOS by handling firewall rules and SELinux contexts.

Install Samba

Initial, deploy programs by inserting:

Screenshot №1. Install samba packages

Making shared catalogs

Making catalogs for file sharing is the next process.
Do it:

Operating system support creation multiple directories for different users or groups.

Screenshot №2. Creating new shared folder

Configuration

Afterward, it is necessary to modify config file /etc/samba/smb.conf. Perfom:

That file contains many lines of code.
For application to start correctly, let s edit some of them.

Screenshot №3. Default settings of smb.conf

Access settings

Access settings must be configured by adding the lines:

Screenshot №4. Edit smb.conf

Creating Users

To create Samba users,  perform:
Create user in OS:

Then set password in smb:

Screenshot №5. Add new user to smb.conf

Restart Samba

Finally, we restart the Samba service to apply the settings by typing:

You can now try to connect to shared folders from another computer on the network using the username and password you created earlier.

Screenshot №6. Restart smb service

Conclusion

Samba is a practical way to enable file (and optionally printer) sharing in mixed Windows/Linux networks using SMB with authentication and permissions. In this guide, you installed Samba on CentOS, created a share, configured smb.conf, added a Samba user, and restarted services to apply changes.
To keep sharing reliable and secure, don’t skip the “CentOS specifics”: allow the Samba service in firewalld, set proper SELinux contexts for shared folders, and harden the server by requiring modern SMB protocols (SMB2+).

You may be also interested in

• Configuring Samba at Linux and Windows
• How to mount NFS share on CentOS
• Get the VDS with CentOS

FAQ: Setting Up Samba on CentOS

• Q1: What is Samba used for?
  Samba is open-source software that enables file and printer sharing across Windows, Linux, and other operating systems. It allows devices on the same network to access shared resources securely.
• Q2: Can I use Samba only with Linux systems?
  No, Samba is cross-platform. It works with Linux, Windows, and macOS, making it ideal for mixed-OS environments.
• Q3: How do I check if Samba is running on CentOS?
  You can use the command:
  systemctl status smb

  If Samba is active, you will see its status as “running.”

• Q4: Do I need to create a separate Samba user?
  Yes. Besides creating a system user, you must add the user to Samba with smbpasswd -a username to enable access.
• Q5: Is Samba secure for file sharing?
  Yes, Samba supports user authentication, encrypted connections, and configurable permissions, which make it secure when properly configured.

Cheatsheet table

sudo yum install -y samba samba-client samba-common samba-common-tools

sudo mkdir -p /home/username/share1

sudo chown -R username:username /home/username/share1

sudo yum install -y policycoreutils-python-utils

sudo semanage fcontext -a -t samba_share_t "/home/username/share1(/.*)?"

sudo restorecon -Rv /home/username/share1

sudo nano /etc/samba/smb.conf

testparm

sudo adduser username

sudo smbpasswd -a username

sudo systemctl enable --now smb
sudo systemctl enable --now nmb

sudo systemctl restart smb

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=samba
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

systemctl status smb

smbclient -L localhost -U username

\\SERVER_IP\share1