Tips and Practices for Optimizing UbuntuFTP Server Performance

Building an FTP server on Ubuntu is a common task, but how to optimize the performance and security of an FTP server is an art.

This article will detail how to build an FTP server on Ubuntu and improve transmission speed and security through methods such as configuration files, port settings, and firewall rules.

Whether you are a beginner or an experienced system administrator, this article will provide you with practical tips and practices.

I. Install and configure FTP server.

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1. Install VSFTPD.

VSFTPD (Very Secure FTP Daemon) is a secure and efficient FTP server software, which is very suitable for production environment.

First, we need to install VSFTPD.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install vsftpd

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2. Configure VSFTPD.

After the installation is complete, we need to do the basic configuration of the VSFTPD.

Edit the configuration file of VSFTPD:

sudo nano /etc/vsftpd.conf

Here are some important configuration items and their explanations: \n-anonymous_enable=NO: Disable anonymous login.

\n-local_enable=YES: Allow local users to log in.

\n-write_enable=YES: Allow file uploads.

\n-chroot_local_user=YES: Limit local users to their home directory for improved security.

\n-allow_writeable_chroot=YES: Allows writing files in restricted root directories.

After saving and closing the file, restart the VSFTPD service for the configuration to take effect:

sudo systemctl restart vsftpd

Second, optimize FTP server performance.

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1. Adjust the number of concurrent connections.

By default, the maximum number of concurrent connections allowed by VSFTPD may be low, and we can increase this value by modifying the configuration file.

Edit VSFTPD configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/vsftpd.conf

Add or modify the following lines:

plaintext
max_clients=100
tcp_wrappers=YES

In, max_clientsRepresents the maximum number of concurrent connections, which can be adjusted according to actual needs.

tcp_wrappersUsed to control which IP addresses can connect to the FTP server.

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2. Enable passive mode.

In passive mode, the client requests a port range from the server, and the server selects a port within this range for data transmission.

This helps resolve firewall and NAT issues.

Edit VSFTPD configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/vsftpd.conf

Make sure the following lines are uncommented and set to the appropriate value:

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pasv_enable=YES
pasv_min_port=10000
pasv_max_port=10100

After saving and closing the file, restart the VSFTPD service:

sudo systemctl restart vsftpd

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3. Use SSL/TLS encrypted transmission.

To improve the security of data transmission, we can enable SSL/TLS encryption.

First, install the necessary packages:

sudo apt install openssl

Then, generate a self-signed certificate:

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

Next, edit the VSFTPD configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/vsftpd.conf

Add the following line:

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ssl_enable=YES
rsa_cert_file=/etc/ssl/private/vsftpd.pem
rsa_private_key_file=/etc/ssl/private/vsftpd.pem
force_local_data_ssl=YES
force_local_logins_ssl=YES

After saving and closing the file, restart the VSFTPD service:

sudo systemctl restart vsftpd

3. Configure firewall rules.

In order to ensure the security of the FTP server, we need to configure the firewall rules.

First, install UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall):

sudo apt install ufw

Enable UFW:

sudo ufw enable

Allow FTP traffic to pass through the firewall:

sudo ufw allow 20/tcp              # FTP命令端口（默认21）
sudo ufw allow 21/tcp              # FTP数据端口（被动模式）
sudo ufw allow 10000:10100/tcp     # FTP数据端口范围（被动模式）

If you are using active mode, you also need to allow the following ports:

sudo ufw allow from <客户端IP>/tcp to any port <客户端指定端口>/tcp

For example, if the client specifies port 50000:

sudo ufw allow from <客户端IP>/tcp to any port 50000/tcp

IV. Other optimization suggestions.

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1. Use the caching mechanism.

To further improve performance, a caching mechanism can be used.

For example, you can use apt-cacher-ngAs an APT cache proxy, it reduces the time to download packets repeatedly.

sudo apt install apt-cacher-ng
sudo dpkg-reconfigure apt-cacher-ng

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2. Backup configuration files regularly.

Regularly back up VSFTPD's configuration files and other important files in case of unexpected situations.

Automatic backup can be achieved using cron timed tasks:

crontab -e

Add the following line to back up the configuration file at 2 am every day:

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0 2 * * * /usr/bin/tar -czf /path/to/backup/vsftpd_config_$(date +\%F).tar.gz /etc/vsftpd.conf

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3. Monitor FTP server performance.

Use tools such as iftopOrnloadMonitor network traffic, find and resolve performance bottlenecks in a timely manner:

sudo apt install iftop nload
iftop               # 实时显示网络连接信息
nload               # 实时显示网络流量图表

Summarize.

Through the above steps, we have successfully built an efficient and secure FTP server.

From installing VSFTPD to optimizing performance and security, every step is critical.

I hope this article can help you better understand and apply these techniques to make your FTP server more stable and efficient.

If you have more questions or need further help, please feel free to ask!