How to set up an FTP server on Ubuntu 16.04

An FTP server is the best solution if you want to upload files to a server or give employees access to set up a website. This guide covers installing and configuring vsftpd on Ubuntu 16.04.

Installation

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install vsftpd

Configuration

Back up the default config and open it for editing:

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

Apply the following settings:

# Disable anonymous login
anonymous_enable=NO

# Allow local users
local_enable=YES

# Allow uploads
write_enable=YES

# Restrict users to their home directories
chroot_local_user=YES
allow_writeable_chroot=YES

# Passive mode settings
pasv_enable=YES
pasv_min_port=40000
pasv_max_port=40100

# Show hidden files (optional)
force_dot_files=YES

Creating an FTP user

sudo adduser ftpuser
sudo passwd ftpuser

To prevent the user from logging in via SSH:

sudo usermod -s /usr/sbin/nologin ftpuser
echo "/usr/sbin/nologin" | sudo tee -a /etc/shells

UFW firewall rules

If UFW is enabled, open the required ports:

sudo ufw allow 20/tcp
sudo ufw allow 21/tcp
sudo ufw allow 40000:40100/tcp
sudo ufw reload

Starting and enabling vsftpd

sudo systemctl start vsftpd
sudo systemctl enable vsftpd

Connecting to the FTP server

Use any FTP client (FileZilla, lftp, command-line ftp) to connect:

• Host: your server IP
• Port: 21
• Username/Password: the FTP user credentials

You should land in the user's home directory with upload permissions.

Troubleshooting

• 500 OOPS: vsftpd: refusing to run with writable root inside chroot: add allow_writeable_chroot=YES to the config.
• Connection refused on passive ports: ensure UFW/iptables rules allow the passive port range.