Install and Configure VSFTPD FTP Server on Ubuntu 26.04

If you’re managing or configuring a Linux server, setting up an FTP server is one of the essential tasks. FTP (File Transfer Protocol) provides a convenient and reliable way to transfer files between your computer and the server. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to install and configure the VSFTPD FTP server on Ubuntu 26.04.

When setting up a server to host a website or application, you’ll eventually need a way to upload your website files, application code, images, and other assets. While there are several methods for transferring files, FTP remains one of the simplest and most widely used options for server administration.

In my previous tutorial, I covered how to install Drupal with Nginx and PHP 8.5 on Ubuntu 26.04. If you’re following that guide, you probably have your website files stored on your local computer and need a way to transfer them to your Ubuntu server.

Once VSFTPD is configured, you’ll be able to upload and download files between your local computer and your Ubuntu server using any FTP client. Later in this guide, you can also enable TLS encryption for secure transfers.

With that said, let’s get started.

Prerequisites

• A server with Ubuntu 26.04 installed
• A user with sudo privileges
• UFW installed

Step 1 – Update the Server

As always, let’s update the system first.

sudo apt update -y
sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2 – Install VSFTPD

The next step is to install VSFTPD. Although there are several FTP servers available, we’ll use VSFTPD because it is lightweight, secure, and widely used on Linux servers.

sudo apt install vsftpd -y
sudo systemctl enable --now vsftpd

Step 3 – Configure VSFTPD

Next, we will configure VSFTPD. Before making any changes, let’s create a backup of the default configuration file.

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

Now let’s configure it

sudo nano /etc/vsftpd.conf

Update the configuration file as shown below.

anonymous_enable=NO
local_enable=YES
write_enable=YES
local_umask=022

use_localtime=YES
xferlog_enable=YES
connect_from_port_20=YES

# Chroot users into their home
chroot_local_user=YES
allow_writeable_chroot=YES

# Passive mode for firewalls/NAT
pasv_enable=YES
pasv_min_port=40000
pasv_max_port=40100

# Allowlist specific users only
userlist_enable=YES
userlist_file=/etc/vsftpd.userlist
userlist_deny=NO

# Improve security hygiene
pam_service_name=vsftpd
seccomp_sandbox=YES

Now restart the VSFTPD service

sudo systemctl restart vsftpd

Step 4 – Create an FTP user

The next step is to create an FTP user. This user will be used for FTP access but wont have shell access.

sudo adduser ftpuser --shell /bin/false

Note:- Make sure to change "ftpuser" as per your wish and keep a record of it and its password somewhere.

Finally, add the user to the VSFTPD allowlist.

echo "ftpuser" | sudo tee -a /etc/vsftpd.userlist
sudo systemctl restart vsftpd

Step 5 – Open FTP port from Firewall

Now let’s open the required FTP ports in the firewall.

sudo ufw allow 21/tcp
sudo ufw allow 40000:40100/tcp
sudo ufw reload

Now let’s restart VSFTPD service

sudo systemctl restart vsftpd
sudo systemctl status vsftpd

If the service is running, you should see Active: active (running). Press “Q” to exit the status screen.

Step 6 – Enable FTPS encryption

To secure our file transfer, we will need to add SSL/TLS encryption on our FTP server. So we will generate a self signed ssl certificate that we can use to secure our data with encryption

sudo openssl req -x509 -nodes -days 3650 \
-newkey rsa:2048 \
-keyout /etc/ssl/private/vsftpd.key \
-out /etc/ssl/private/vsftpd.crt

Now open the configuration file and add the given below fields

sudo nano /etc/vsftpd.conf

Copy and paste the one given below

ssl_enable=YES
allow_anon_ssl=NO
force_local_logins_ssl=YES
force_local_data_ssl=YES

rsa_cert_file=/etc/ssl/private/vsftpd.crt
rsa_private_key_file=/etc/ssl/private/vsftpd.key

# Harden TLS
ssl_sslv2=NO
ssl_sslv3=NO
ssl_tlsv1=NO
ssl_tlsv1_1=NO
ssl_tlsv1_2=YES
ssl_tlsv1_3=YES
require_ssl_reuse=NO
ssl_ciphers=HIGH

Now, restart the VSFTPD service

sudo systemctl restart vsftpd

When connecting with FileZilla or another FTP client, select “Require explicit FTP over TLS” as the encryption method. If you’re using a self-signed certificate, you’ll be prompted to trust it the first time you connect.

Conclusion

With the steps above, you have successfully configured VSFTPD on Ubuntu 26.04 which will help you in transferring files from your server to PC or vice versa. Remember that this configuration doesn’t have to do anything with what application you are going to use.