How to Install and Configure vsftpd on Ubuntu 18.04

Senior Web Developer, HostAdvice CTO

Updated on June 3, 2022 4:35 AM

Installing a basic FTP server into Ubuntu 18.04 Bionic Beaver using vsftpd is a straightforward process. In this article we will cover installing the basic packages needed, setting up a user, setting up encryption, and then test connecting to it.

Install vsftpd

Enter the Following Command to Install vsftpd
```
sudo apt-get install vsftpd -y
```

Start the vsftpd Service and Set It to Start on Boot

sudo systemctl start vsftpd
sudo systemctl enable vsftpd

Setup Directory Structure For FTP

Create a User
```
sudo adduser testuser1
```

Create a Directory and Set Ownership

sudo mkdir /home/testuser1/ftp
sudo chown nobody:nogroup /home/testuser1/ftp
sudo chmod a-w /home/testuser1/ftp

Create a Directory Where Files Can Be Uploaded and Give Ownership to the Test User

sudo mkdir /home/testuser1/ftp/test
sudo chown testuser1:testuser1 /home/testuser1/ftp/test

Configure vsftpd

Backup vsftpd’s Original Config File

sudo cp /etc/vsftpd.conf /etc/vsftpd.conf.bak

Open and Edit the vsftpd.conf File
```
sudo nano /etc/vsftpd.conf
```

Add the Following to the File:

listen=NO
listen_ipv6=YES
anonymous_enable=NO
local_enable=YES
write_enable=YES
local_umask=022
dirmessage_enable=YES
use_localtime=YES
xferlog_enable=YES
connect_from_port_20=YES
chroot_local_user=YES
secure_chroot_dir=/var/run/vsftpd/empty
pam_service_name=vsftpd
pasv_enable=Yes
pasv_min_port=10000
pasv_max_port=11000
user_sub_token=$USER
local_root=/home/$USER/ftp
userlist_enable=YES
userlist_file=/etc/vsftpduserlist.conf
userlist_deny=NO

Save and Close the Config File
vsftpd has many configuration options so you may need to make further adjustments based on your local server setup.
Add The testuser1 User We Created to vsftpd’s User List File
```
sudo nano /etc/vsftpduserlist.conf
```
Restart the vsftpd Service to Apply These Changes
```
sudo systemctl restart vsftpd
```

Setup Security with SSL/TLS

Create a Security Certificate

sudo mkdir /etc/certs

sudo openssl req -x509 -nodes -days 365 -newkey rsa:2048 -keyout /etc/certs/vsftpd.pem -out /etc/certs/vsftpd.pem

Open the vsftpd.conf File
```
sudo nano /etc/vsftpd.conf
```

Add the Following Lines to the File

rsa_cert_file=/etc/certs/vsftpd.pem
rsa_private_key_file=/etc/certs/vsftpd.pem
ssl_enable=YES
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