vsftpd (Very Secure FTP Daemon) is an FTP server software for Unix-like systems, including Linux. It is the default FTP server for distributions like Ubuntu, CentOS, and Fedora, designed specifically for security, performance, and stability. Below, we explain its key benefits and show you how to check for installation and configure it.
Understanding FTP and vsftpd
The File Transfer Protocol or FTP is a protocol used to access files on servers from private computer networks or the Internet. FTP has been used since 1985 and is now widely used. Many FTP servers around the world allow you to connect to them anywhere on the Internet, and files placed on them are then transferred (uploaded or downloaded).
Very Secure FTP Daemon does not bring significant changes here; it only helps to make files more accessible with a more friendly interface than FTP applications. FTP is one of the oldest and most common methods of sending files over the Internet. This article shows you how to install and configure the Very Secure FTP Daemon (vsftpd), which is the FTP base server that ships with most Linux distributions.
How to Check and Install vsftpd?
You can quickly find out if vsftpd is installed on your system by entering the following command from a shell prompt:
rpm -q vsftpd
If vsftpd was installed, the package version is displayed. If not, the message vsftpd package is not installed is displayed.
If vsftpd is not installed, you can install it by following these steps:
- Open the Package Manager. Choose System → Administration → Add/Remove Software. This calls the Add/Remove Software program.
- Search for the package. Type vsftpd into the search box and click Find. It locates the vsftp package.
- Install. Select the Very Secure Ftp Daemon package and click Apply. The system will install the package.
- Close the Add/Remove Software program. The package is now installed.
How to Manage the vsftpd Service?
You can start the vsftpd service from a terminal window by typing this command:
/etc/init.d/vsftpd start
To restart the service, use this command:
/etc/init.d/vsftpd restart
What Are The Characteristics and Benefits of vsftpd?
vsftpd, Very Secure FTP Daemon, is an FTP server licensed under GPL. The default FTP server is installed on some distributions like Fedora, CentOS, or RHEL.
Features:
- Principle of least privilege. Each application process implements just what is needed.
- Chroot Jail: changes the root directory to a restricted environment (“vacuum”) where no damage can occur to the main system.
- Encrypted communication. Supports SSL for secure data transfer.
- Source IP restrictions allow setting restrictions based on the user’s IP address.
- Privileged operations are carried out by a small, isolated parent process to minimize risk.
Performance & design:
- Fewer resources: vsftpd is designed to be lightweight and fast.
- External library flags embedded in their own file for easier detection of security issues.
- Very Secure FTP Daemon implements its own directory listing utility rather than relying on heavy system binaries.
This short tutorial concerning vsftpd is not nearly complete – it’s just a start for configuring a minimal FTP server. Of course, all sorts of problems can occur along the way, depending on the distribution, configuration, all these shortcomings can be resolved by using Google, for we are certainly not the first and the last to hit those issues.
