26/4/22, 14:28 How To Install and Configure FTP Server on Ubuntu With VSFTPD

SPRING SPECIAL: Buy one E-2388G server, get one of our selected

dedicated servers FOR FREE!

DEPLOY NOW

How To Install an FTP Server On Ubuntu with

vsftpd

June 6, 2019
FTP UBUNTU

Home » SysAdmin » How To Install an FTP Server On Ubuntu with vsftpd

Introduction

If you are looking to install an FTP server on Ubuntu, you can’t beat the simplicity
of vsftpd .
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. It is similar to HTTP (HyperText Transfer
Protocol), in that it specifies a language for transferring data over a network. FTP is
unencrypted by default, so by itself, it is not a good choice for secure transmission of
data.

This guide will help you install and configure an FTP server with vsftpd on Ubuntu.

https://phoenixnap.com/kb/install-ftp-server-on-ubuntu-vsftpd 1/11
26/4/22, 14:28 How
To Install and
Configure FTP Server
on Ubuntu With
VSFTPD

SPRING SPECIAL: Buy one E-2388G server, get one of our selected
dedicated servers FOR FREE!
DEPLOY NOW
 Prerequisites

Access to a user account with sudo privileges

Access to a terminal window/command line (Ctrl-Alt-T)
The apt package manager, included by default

Step 1: Update System Packages

Start by updating your repositories – enter the following in a terminal window:

sudo apt update

The system proceeds to update the repositories.

Step 2: Install vsftpd Server on Ubuntu

A common open-source FTP utility used in Ubuntu is vsftpd. It is recommended for its
ease of use.

1. To install vsftpd, enter the command:

sudo apt install vsftpd

https://phoenixnap.com/kb/install-ftp-server-on-ubuntu-vsftpd 2/11
26/4/22, 14:28 How To Install and Configure FTP Server on Ubuntu With VSFTPD

This is an example of the output in Ubuntu.

 SPRING SPECIAL: Buy one E-2388G server, get one of our selected

dedicated servers FOR FREE!

DEPLOY NOW

2. To launch the service and enable it at startup, run the commands:

sudo systemctl start vsftpd

sudo systemctl enable vsftpd

FTP server with vsftpd is also available for CentOS

 7 and Rasberry Pi.
Note: Instruction for setting up and configuring
 Step 3: Backup Configuration Files
Before making any changes, make sure to back up your configuration files. 1.

Create a backup copy of the default configuration file by entering the following:

sudo cp /etc/vsftpd.conf /etc/vsftpd.conf_default

Step 4: Create FTP User

Create a new FTP user with the following commands:

https://phoenixnap.com/kb/install-ftp-server-on-ubuntu-vsftpd 3/11
26/4/22, 14:28 How To Install and Configure FTP Server on Ubuntu With VSFTPD

SPRING SPECIAL: Buy one E-2388G server, get one of our selected
sudo useradd -m testuser
dedicated servers FOR FREE!
sudo passwd testuser DEPLOY NOW

The system should ask you to create a password for the new testuser account.

Step 5: Configure Firewall to Allow FTP Traffic If you are

using UFW that comes standard with Ubuntu, it will block FTP traffic by default. Enter the
following commands to open Ports 20 and 21 for FTP traffic:

sudo ufw allow 20/tcp

sudo ufw allow 21/tcp

Note: If you are using a different firewall, refer to the instructions to allow
access on Port 20 and Port 21. These are the
 listening ports for the FTP service.

Step 6: Connect to Ubuntu FTP

 Server Connect to the FTP server with the following
command:

sudo ftp ubuntu-ftp

Replace ubuntu-ftp with the name of your system (taken from the command line).

Log in using the testuser account and password you just set. You should now be
successfully logged in to your FTP server.

https://phoenixnap.com/kb/install-ftp-server-on-ubuntu-vsftpd 4/11
26/4/22, 14:28 How To Install and Configure FTP Server on Ubuntu With VSFTPD

Configuring and Securing Ubuntu

SPRING SPECIAL: Buy one E-2388G server, get one of our selected
dedicated servers FOR FREE!
DEPLOY NOW
vsftpd Server
Change Default Directory
By default, the FTP server uses the /srv/ftp directory as the default directory. You can
change this by creating a new directory and changing the FTP user home directory.

To change the FTP home directory, enter the following:

sudo mkdir /srv/ftp/new_location

sudo usermod -d /srv/ftp/new_location ftp

Restart the vsftpd service to apply the changes:

sudo systemctl restart vsftpd.service

Now, you can put any files you want to share via FTP into the /srv/ftp folder (if you left
it as the default), or the /srv/ftp/new_location/ directory (if you changed it).
Authenticate FTP Users
If you want to let authenticated users upload files, edit the vsftpd.conf file by entering the
following:

sudo nano /etc/vsftpd.conf

Find the entry labeled write_enable=NO, and change the value to “YES.”

https://phoenixnap.com/kb/install-ftp-server-on-ubuntu-vsftpd 5/11
26/4/22, 14:28 How
To Install and
Configure FTP Server
on Ubuntu With
VSFTPD

SPRING SPECIAL: Buy one E-2388G server, get one of our selected
dedicated servers FOR FREE!
DEPLOY NOW
 Save the file, exit, then restart the FTP service with the following:

sudo systemctl restart vsftpd.service

This allows the user to make changes inside their home directory.

Note: To learn more about using FTP, refer to our

 in-depth guide on Linux ftp command.

Securing FTP
Numerous exploits take advantage of unsecured FTP servers. In response, there are
several configuration options in vsftpd.conf that can help secure your FTP server.

Limit User Access

One method is to limit users to their home directory. Open vsftpd.conf in an editor and
uncomment the following command:

chroot_local_user=YES

This is an example of the file in nano:

https://phoenixnap.com/kb/install-ftp-server-on-ubuntu-vsftpd 6/11
26/4/22, 14:28 How
To Install and
Configure FTP Server
on Ubuntu With
VSFTPD

SPRING SPECIAL: Buy one E-2388G server, get one of our selected
dedicated servers FOR FREE!

DEPLOY NOW
Create a User List File

To create a list file, edit /etc/vsftpd.chroot_list, and add one user per line.

Instruct your FTP server to limit this list of users to their own home directories by editing
 vsftpd.conf:

chroot_local_user=YES

chroot_list_file=/etc/vsftpd.chroot_list

The image ilustrates the edits that were made:

Restart the vsftpd service:

sudo systemctl restart vsftpd.service

By default, the list of blocked users from FTP access is stored in /etc/ftpusers. To add
blocked users, edit this file and add one user per line.

Encrypt Traffic With FTPS

Another method to secure your FTP server is to encrypt the traffic. This is done by using
FTPS – File Transfer Protocol over SSL (Secure Socket Layer).

For this to work, users need to be set up with a shell account on the FTP server. This
will add a layer of secure encryption to your FTP traffic.

1. Start by creating a new certificate with openssl. To do so, run the command:

https://phoenixnap.com/kb/install-ftp-server-on-ubuntu-vsftpd 7/11
26/4/22, 14:28 How To Install and Configure FTP Server on Ubuntu With VSFTPD

SPRING SPECIAL: Buy one E-2388G server, get one of our selected
sudo openssl req -x509 -nodes -days 365 -newkey rsa:2048 -
keyout /
dedicated servers FOR FREE!
etc/ssl/private/vsftpd.pem -out
/etc/ssl/private/vsftpd.pem DEPLOY NOW

2. Provide the required information when prompted or keep the default configuration by
pressing Enter.
 3. Next, open your vsftpd.conf file in an editor and change the line ssl_enable=NO to
ssl _enable=YES:

ssl_enable=YES

4. Then, add the following lines:

rsa_cert_file=/etc/ssl/private/vsftpd.pem
rsa_private_key_file=/etc/ssl/private/vsftpd.pem
allow_anon_ssl=NO
force_local_data_ssl=YES
force_local_logins_ssl=YES
ssl_tlsv1=YES
ssl_sslv2=NO
ssl_sslv3=NO
require_ssl_reuse=NO
ssl_ciphers=HIGH
pasv_min_port=40000
pasv_max_port=50000

5. Save the changes and exit the file.

6. Finally, restart the service to apply the changes:

sudo systemctl restart vsftpd.service

Note: For more information on SSL configurations and certificates, please

see the Ubuntu FTP server documentation. Also, it’s worth noting that

https://phoenixnap.com/kb/install-ftp-server-on-ubuntu-vsftpd 8/11
26/4/22, 14:28 How To Install and Configure FTP Server on Ubuntu With VSFTPD

FTPS is a different protocol that SFTP. SFTP stands for Secure File SPRING

SPECIAL: Buy one E-2388G server, get one of our selected

 Conclusion
Transfer Protocol, and it’s an entirely different dedicated servers FOR FREE! DEPLOY
protocol. NOW
 Now, you should have installed an FTP server on Ubuntu with vsftpd.

You should now be able to configure your user lists and accounts, and connect to your
new FTP server. We also detailed the risks of the FTP protocol, and how to mitigate
them.

Was this article helpful? Yes No

Sofija Simic
Sofija Simic is an aspiring Technical Writer at phoenixNAP. Alongside her educational
background in teaching and writing, she has had a lifelong passion for information
technology. She is committed to unscrambling confusing IT concepts and streamlining
intricate software installations.

Next you should read

SysAdmin, Web
Servers
How To Install an
FTP Server on
CentOS 7 With
VSFTPD
February 28, 2019

In this updated
Tutorial, learn how to
Setup FTP Server with
VSFTPD on CentOS 7.
FTP stands for File
Transfer
https://phoenixnap.com/kb/install-ftp-server-on-ubuntu-vsftpd 9/11
26/4/22, 14:28 How To Install and Configure FTP Server on Ubuntu With VSFTPD
Transfer...
SPRING SPECIAL: Buy one E-2388G server, get one of our selected
READ MORE

dedicated servers FOR FREE!

Security, SysAdmin, Web Servers Learn The Simple Way How to Change
How to Enable SSH on Ubuntu 18.04 Hostname on Ubuntu 18.04. Multiple options,
April 23, 2019 including using Linux command...
READ MORE

When establishing a remote connection between a

client and a server, a primary SysAdmin

concern is ensuring a secure... How to Use The APT-GET

READ MORE Command In
Linux
Networking, SysAdmin How to Change May 6, 2019
DEPLOY NOW
Hostname on

Ubuntu 18.04 February 27, 2019

 https://phoenixnap.com/kb/install-ftp-server-on-ubuntu-vsftpd 10/11
26/4/22, 14:28 How To Install and Configure FTP Server on Ubuntu With VSFTPD

SPRING SPECIAL: Buy one E-2388G server, get one of our selected
Advanced Package Tool (APT) is a READ MORE

package management system used on dedicated servers FOR FREE! DEPLOY

Debian, Ubuntu and other Linux... NOW

 Live Chat  Get a Quote  Support | 1-855-330-1509  Sales | 1-877-588-5918

https://phoenixnap.com/kb/install-ftp-server-on-ubuntu-vsftpd 11/11