How to Install and Configure ProFTPD on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS

Reading Time: < 1 minuteFTP (File Transfer Protocol) is probably the most popular method of uploading files to a server; a wide array of FTP servers, such as ProFTPD, and clients exist for every platform.

Pre-Flight Check

These instructions are intended specifically for installing the ProFTPD on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS.
I’ll be working from a Liquid Web Core Managed Ubuntu 14.04 LTS server, and I’ll be logged in as root.

Step 1: Install ProFTPD

Warning: FTP data is insecure; traffic is not encrypted, and all transmissions are clear text (including usernames, passwords, commands, and data). Consider securing your FTP connection with SSL/TLS.

First, you’ll follow a simple best practice: ensuring the list of available packages is up to date before installing anything new. apt-get update Then let’s install ProFTPD and any required packages: apt-get -y install proftpd During the install process you’ll be prompted with the following screen:

How to Install ProFTPD on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS

Select standalone and then Ok to finish the installation.

Step 2: Configure ProFTPD

For a refresher on editing files with vim see: New User Tutorial: Overview of the Vim Text Editor Let’s edit the configuration file for ProFTPD: vim /etc/proftpd/proftpd.conf Change the ServerName to the hostname of your server. In the case below, ftp.thebestfakedomainnameintheworld.com is an example: ServerName “ftp.thebestfakedomainnameintheworld.com” To limit users to their home directory uncomment the line that says DefaultRoot: # Use this to jail all users in their homes DefaultRoot ~ Exit and save the file with the command :wq . Restart the ProFTPD service: service proftpd restart Then set the ProFTPD service to start at boot: update-rc.d proftpd defaults