Simple-Secure FTP Daemon (ssftpd)

A secure, configurable, and feature-rich FTP server written in C++ for Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Features

Core FTP Functionality

RFC 959 Compliant: Full FTP protocol implementation
Active/Passive Mode: Support for both connection modes
File Transfer: Upload, download, append, and resume capabilities
Directory Operations: List, create, remove, and navigate directories
File Management: Rename, delete, and modify file permissions

Security Features

SSL/TLS Support: Secure file transfers with OpenSSL
User Authentication: Multiple authentication methods (password, hash, PAM, LDAP)
Access Control: Granular permissions and path restrictions
Chroot Support: Isolated file system access
Privilege Dropping: Security hardening for production use
Rate Limiting: Protection against abuse and DoS attacks

Virtual Hosting

Multi-Domain Support: Host multiple FTP sites on one server
Per-Host Configuration: Individual settings for each virtual host
SSL Certificate Management: Separate certificates per domain
Access Control: User restrictions per virtual host

User Management

Flexible Permissions: Granular control over user capabilities
Anonymous Access: Configurable anonymous user support
Guest Accounts: Limited access for temporary users
Connection Limits: Per-user connection and transfer restrictions
Session Management: Timeout and activity tracking

Performance & Monitoring

Multi-threaded: Efficient handling of multiple connections
Connection Pooling: Optimized resource management
Transfer Optimization: Sendfile and memory-mapped I/O support
Statistics: Comprehensive usage and performance metrics
Logging: Advanced logging with rotation and filtering

Platform Support

Cross-Platform: Linux, macOS, and Windows
Native Builds: Optimized for each platform
Package Management: DEB, RPM, PKG, and MSI packages
Service Integration: systemd, launchd, and Windows services

Quick Start

🐳 Docker (Recommended)

The fastest way to get started with ssftpd is using Docker:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/ssftpd/ssftpd.git
cd ssftpd

# Quick start with Docker
cd deployment/examples/docker
docker-compose up -d

# Test the FTP service
nc -z localhost 21

Docker Features:

✅ Zero dependencies - No need to install build tools
✅ Cross-platform - Works on Linux, macOS, Windows
✅ Production-ready - Optimized runtime image
✅ Development environment - Full debugging tools included
✅ Multi-architecture - x86_64, ARM64, ARMv7 support

For detailed Docker deployment, see Docker Deployment Guide.

Traditional Installation

Prerequisites

C++17 Compiler: GCC 7+, Clang 5+, or MSVC 2017+
CMake 3.16+: Build system
OpenSSL: SSL/TLS support
jsoncpp: JSON configuration parsing

From Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/ssftpd/ssftpd.git
cd ssftpd

# Build the project
make install-dev  # Install development dependencies
make build        # Build the application
make install      # Install system-wide

From Packages

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install ssftpd

CentOS/RHEL:

sudo yum install ssftpd
# or
sudo dnf install ssftpd

macOS:

brew install ssftpd

Configuration

Copy the example configuration:

sudo cp /etc/ssftpd/ssftpd.conf.example /etc/ssftpd/ssftpd.conf

Edit the configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/ssftpd/ssftpd.conf

Create necessary directories:

sudo mkdir -p /var/ftp /var/log/ssftpd
sudo chown ftp:ftp /var/ftp

Running the Server

Basic Usage

# Start in foreground (for testing)
sudo ssftpd start --config /etc/ssftpd/ssftpd.conf

# Start as daemon
sudo ssftpd --daemon start

# Test configuration
ssftpd --test-config --config /etc/ssftpd/ssftpd.conf

Service Management

Linux (systemd):

sudo systemctl enable ssftpd
sudo systemctl start ssftpd
sudo systemctl status ssftpd

macOS (launchd):

sudo launchctl load /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.blburns.ssftpd.plist
sudo launchctl start com.blburns.ssftpd

Windows:

sc create ssftpd binPath= "C:\Program Files\ssftpd\bin\ssftpd.exe"
sc start ssftpd

Configuration

Main Configuration File

The main configuration file (ssftpd.conf) supports both INI and JSON formats. Here's an example INI configuration:

# Global server settings
server_name = "Simple-Secure FTP Daemon"
server_version = "0.1.0"
enable_ssl = true
enable_virtual_hosts = true

# SSL Configuration
[ssl]
enabled = true
certificate_file = "/etc/ssftpd/ssl/server.crt"
private_key_file = "/etc/ssftpd/ssl/server.key"

# Connection settings
[connection]
bind_address = "0.0.0.0"
bind_port = 21
max_connections = 100

# Virtual hosts
[virtual_hosts.default]
hostname = "default"
document_root = "/var/ftp"
enabled = true

# Users
[users.admin]
username = "admin"
password_hash = "$2y$10$hashed_password"
home_directory = "/var/ftp/admin"
permissions = ["READ", "WRITE", "LIST", "UPLOAD", "DOWNLOAD"]

User Management

Adding Users

# Add a new user
sudo ssftpd user add \
  --username john \
  --password secret \
  --home /var/ftp/john \
  --permissions READ,WRITE,LIST,UPLOAD,DOWNLOAD

# Add anonymous user
sudo ssftpd user add \
  --username anonymous \
  --home /var/ftp/public \
  --anonymous \
  --permissions READ,LIST,DOWNLOAD

User Permissions

Available permissions:

READ: Read files and directories
WRITE: Write/create files and directories
DELETE: Delete files and directories
RENAME: Rename files and directories
MKDIR: Create directories
RMDIR: Remove directories
LIST: List directory contents
UPLOAD: Upload files
DOWNLOAD: Download files
APPEND: Append to files
ADMIN: Administrative operations

Virtual Hosts

Adding Virtual Hosts

# Add a new virtual host
sudo ssftpd virtual add \
  --hostname ftp.example.com \
  --root /var/ftp/example \
  --ssl \
  --certificate /etc/ssl/certs/example.com.crt \
  --private-key /etc/ssl/private/example.com.key

Virtual Host Configuration

Each virtual host can have:

Separate document root
Individual SSL certificates
Custom security settings
User access restrictions
Transfer rate limits

SSL/TLS Configuration

Generating Self-Signed Certificates

# Generate certificate for a domain
sudo ssftpd ssl generate \
  --hostname ftp.example.com \
  --country US \
  --state California \
  --city San Francisco \
  --organization "Example Corp" \
  --email admin@example.com

Installing Certificates

# Install existing certificates
sudo ssftpd ssl install \
  --hostname ftp.example.com \
  --certificate /path/to/certificate.crt \
  --private-key /path/to/private.key \
  --ca-certificate /path/to/ca.crt

Command Line Interface

Server Commands

# Start the server
ssftpd start [--config FILE] [--daemon] [--foreground]

# Stop the server
ssftpd stop

# Restart the server
ssftpd restart

# Show server status
ssftpd status

# Reload configuration
ssftpd reload

User Management Commands

# List all users
ssftpd user list

# Add user
ssftpd user add --username NAME --password PASS --home DIR

# Remove user
ssftpd user remove --username NAME

# Modify user
ssftpd user modify --username NAME --permissions READ,WRITE

# Change password
ssftpd user password --username NAME --password NEW_PASS

Virtual Host Commands

# List virtual hosts
ssftpd virtual list

# Add virtual host
ssftpd virtual add --hostname DOMAIN --root DIR

# Remove virtual host
ssftpd virtual remove --hostname DOMAIN

# Enable/disable virtual host
ssftpd virtual enable --hostname DOMAIN
ssftpd virtual disable --hostname DOMAIN

SSL Management Commands

# Generate certificate
ssftpd ssl generate --hostname DOMAIN

# Install certificate
ssftpd ssl install --hostname DOMAIN --cert FILE --key FILE

# Show SSL status
ssftpd ssl status

# Renew certificate
ssftpd ssl renew --hostname DOMAIN

Development

Building from Source

# Clone and setup
git clone https://github.com/ssftpd/ssftpd.git
cd ssftpd

# Install dependencies
make install-dev

# Build options
make debug      # Debug build
make release    # Release build
make test       # Run tests
make clean      # Clean build artifacts

# Package creation
make package    # Create packages for current platform

Project Structure

ssftpd/
├── include/ssftpd/     # Header files
│   ├── ftp_server.hpp       # Main server class
│   ├── ftp_connection.hpp   # Connection handling
│   ├── ftp_user.hpp         # User management
│   ├── ftp_virtual_host.hpp # Virtual host support
│   ├── ftp_server_config.hpp # Configuration
│   ├── logger.hpp           # Logging system
│   └── platform.hpp         # Platform abstraction
├── src/                     # Source files
│   ├── core/               # Core implementation
│   ├── utils/              # Utility functions
│   └── main.cpp            # Main application
├── config/                  # Configuration files
├── tools/                   # Management tools
├── docs/                    # Documentation
├── scripts/                 # Build and deployment scripts
├── deployment/              # Deployment configurations
│   └── examples/
│       └── docker/          # Docker deployment examples
├── Dockerfile              # Multi-stage Docker build
├── docker-compose.yml      # Docker Compose orchestration
├── .dockerignore           # Docker build context optimization
├── CMakeLists.txt          # CMake build configuration
└── Makefile                # Make build system

🐳 Docker Infrastructure

ssftpd includes comprehensive Docker support for development, testing, and production deployment:

Docker Features

Multi-stage builds for different Linux distributions (Ubuntu, CentOS, Alpine)
Multi-architecture support (x86_64, ARM64, ARMv7)
Development environment with debugging tools and live code mounting
Production-ready runtime with minimal footprint and security hardening
Health checks and monitoring capabilities
Volume mounts for configuration, logs, and FTP data

Quick Docker Commands

# Development environment
docker-compose --profile dev up -d

# Production deployment
docker-compose --profile runtime up -d

# Build for all platforms
./scripts/build-docker.sh -d all

# Deploy with custom configuration
./scripts/deploy-docker.sh -p runtime -c ./config -l ./logs -d ./data

Docker Ports

21/tcp - FTP control port
990/tcp - FTPS control port (SSL/TLS)
1024-65535/tcp - Passive mode data ports

For complete Docker documentation, see Docker Deployment Guide.

Contributing

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch
Make your changes
Add tests for new functionality
Ensure all tests pass
Submit a pull request

Testing

# Run all tests
make test

# Run specific test suites
cd build && ctest -R "unit_tests"
cd build && ctest -R "integration_tests"

# Run with coverage (Linux only)
make coverage

# Run with memory checking (Linux only)
make memcheck

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Server Won't Start

Check configuration:

ssftpd --test-config --config /etc/ssftpd/ssftpd.conf

Check permissions:

sudo chown -R ftp:ftp /var/ftp
sudo chmod 755 /var/ftp

Check ports:

sudo netstat -tlnp | grep :21

SSL Connection Issues

Verify certificate files:

openssl x509 -in /etc/ssftpd/ssl/server.crt -text -noout

Check certificate permissions:

sudo chmod 600 /etc/ssftpd/ssl/server.key
sudo chown ftp:ftp /etc/ssftpd/ssl/server.key

Performance Issues

Check system resources:

top
iostat
netstat -i

Adjust configuration:

[connection]
max_connections = 50
thread_pool_size = 4

[transfer]
buffer_size = 16384
use_sendfile = true

Log Files

Main log: /var/log/ssftpd/ssftpd.log
Access log: /var/log/ssftpd/access.log
Error log: /var/log/ssftpd/error.log

Debug Mode

Enable debug logging:

[logging]
log_level = "DEBUG"
log_commands = true
log_transfers = true

# Development settings
debug_mode = true
verbose_logging = true
trace_commands = true

Security Considerations

Production Deployment

Use strong SSL certificates
Enable chroot for users
Drop privileges to non-root user
Implement rate limiting
Restrict allowed commands
Use firewall rules
Regular security updates

Network Security

# Firewall rules (iptables)
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 21 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 1024:65535 -j ACCEPT

# Or with ufw (Ubuntu)
sudo ufw allow 21/tcp
sudo ufw allow 1024:65535/tcp

User Security

Strong password policies
Limited permissions
Path restrictions
Connection limits
Session timeouts

Performance Tuning

System Tuning

# Increase file descriptor limits
echo "* soft nofile 65536" >> /etc/security/limits.conf
echo "* hard nofile 65536" >> /etc/security/limits.conf

# Kernel parameters
echo "net.core.somaxconn = 65536" >> /etc/sysctl.conf
echo "net.ipv4.tcp_max_syn_backlog = 65536" >> /etc/sysctl.conf
sysctl -p

Application Tuning

[connection]
max_connections = 200
backlog = 100
keep_alive = true
tcp_nodelay = true

[transfer]
buffer_size = 32768
use_sendfile = true
use_mmap = true

# Performance settings
thread_pool_size = 16
enable_compression = true
cache_size = 100MB

Monitoring and Metrics

Built-in Monitoring

# Show server statistics
ssftpd status

# Show performance metrics
ssftpd metrics

# Show connection information
ssftpd connections

External Monitoring

Prometheus: Metrics endpoint at /metrics
Grafana: Dashboard templates included
Log aggregation: Structured logging support
Health checks: HTTP health endpoint

License

This project is licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 - see the LICENSE file for details.

Support

Documentation: docs/
Issues: GitHub Issues
Discussions: GitHub Discussions
Email: SimpleDaemons

Acknowledgments

OpenSSL: SSL/TLS implementation
jsoncpp: JSON parsing library
CMake: Build system
FTP RFC 959: Protocol specification

Changelog

v0.1.0 (Current)

Initial release
Core FTP server functionality
SSL/TLS support
Virtual hosting
User management
Multi-platform support
Comprehensive configuration system

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 37 Commits
config		config
deployment		deployment
docs		docs
etc		etc
packaging		packaging
scripts		scripts
src		src
tools		tools
.dockerignore		.dockerignore
.gitignore		.gitignore
CMakeLists.txt		CMakeLists.txt
Dockerfile		Dockerfile
LICENSE		LICENSE
Makefile		Makefile
PROJECT_STATUS.md		PROJECT_STATUS.md
README.md		README.md
ROADMAP.md		ROADMAP.md
ROADMAP_CHECKLIST.md		ROADMAP_CHECKLIST.md
docker-compose.yml		docker-compose.yml

License

SimpleDaemons/simple-sftpd

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Simple-Secure FTP Daemon (ssftpd)

Features

Core FTP Functionality

Security Features

Virtual Hosting

User Management

Performance & Monitoring

Platform Support

Quick Start

🐳 Docker (Recommended)

Traditional Installation

Prerequisites

From Source

From Packages

Configuration

Running the Server

Basic Usage

Service Management

Configuration

Main Configuration File

User Management

Adding Users

User Permissions

Virtual Hosts

Adding Virtual Hosts

Virtual Host Configuration

SSL/TLS Configuration

Generating Self-Signed Certificates

Installing Certificates

Command Line Interface

Server Commands

User Management Commands

Virtual Host Commands

SSL Management Commands

Development

Building from Source

Project Structure

🐳 Docker Infrastructure

Docker Features

Quick Docker Commands

Docker Ports

Contributing

Testing

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Server Won't Start

SSL Connection Issues

Performance Issues

Log Files

Debug Mode

Security Considerations

Production Deployment

Network Security

User Security

Performance Tuning

System Tuning

Application Tuning

Monitoring and Metrics

Built-in Monitoring

External Monitoring

License

Support

Acknowledgments

Changelog

v0.1.0 (Current)

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