Set up ProFTPD on AlmaLinux 9 (Step by Step)

This tutorial intends to teach you to Set up and Configure ProFTPD on AlmaLinux 9. Now let’s get familiar with ProFTPD and start its installation on AlmaLinux server 9 and configure it.

what you read in this post?

- What is Proftpd Linux?
How To Set up ProFTPD on AlmaLinux 9?

What is Proftpd Linux?

ProFTPD is a popular open-source FTP server software that is widely used on Unix and Linux systems. It has many features that include virtual hosting, modular architecture, advanced security, and user-based access controls. Also, it is free and secure.

How To Set up ProFTPD on AlmaLinux 9?

To set up ProFTPD, you must have access to your server as a non-root user with sudo privileges and set up a basic firewall. For this purpose, you can follow this guide on Initial Server Setup with AlmaLinux 9.

Now proceed to the following steps to start your ProFTPD installation.

Step 1 – Install ProFTPD on AlmaLinux 9

First, you must run the system update by using the command below:

sudo dnf update -y

ProFTPD packages are available in the EPEL repository. So you need to install the Epel repository on AlmaLinux 9 with the command below:

sudo dnf install epel-release -y

Also, you must enable the PowerTools on your server by using the command below:

sudo dnf config-manager --set-enabled crb

Then, use the following command to install ProFTPD on your server:

sudo dnf install proftpd -y

Now you need to edit the ProFTPD configuration file to change the ServerName to your server’s hostname. To do this, proceed to the next step.

Step 2 – Configure ProFTPD on AlmaLinux 9

At this point, you must open the /etc/proftpd.conf file with your favorite text editor, here we use the vi editor:

sudo vi /etc/proftpd.conf

At the file, search for the ServerName directive and change it to your server’s hostname.

ServerName "server's hostname"

When you are done, save and close the file.

Step 3 – Configure Firewall Rules for ProFTPD

At this point, we assumed that you have enabled firewalld. Now you need to allow port 21 through the firewall with the command below:

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=21/tcp

To apply the new rules, reload the firewall with the following command:

sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Tips: To get more information about FirewallD, you can visit this guide on FirewallD Configuration on AlmaLinux 9.

Step 4 – How To Start ProFTPD on AlmaLinux 9?

At this point, you can use the following command to start your ProFTPD service on AlmaLinux 9:

sudo systemctl start proftpd

Then, you can set the ProFTPD service to start at boot with the command below:

sudo systemctl enable proftpd

You can verify that your ProFTPD is active and running on AlmaLinux 9 by using the following command:

sudo systemctl status proftpd

In your output you will see:

Output
● proftpd.service - ProFTPD FTP Server
     Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/proftpd.service; enabled; preset: >
     Active: active (running) since Sun 2023-07-30 07:10:37 EDT; 18s ago
   Main PID: 75900 (proftpd)
      Tasks: 1 (limit: 23609)
     Memory: 4.6M
        CPU: 73ms
     CGroup: /system.slice/proftpd.service
...

Step 5 – How To Access and Run ProFTPD from Linux Terminal?

At this point, you can access an FTP server by typing your domain name into your web browser and logging in with the appropriate ID.

Note: You only be able to access the user’s home directory. Alternatively, you can reach the FTP server through the command line by typing: ftp://example.com. Then you can use “exit” to log out of the FTP shell.

For more information, you can visit ProFTPD configuration examples.