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To run SFTP through ProFTPD, load mod_sftp, create a dedicated SFTP <VirtualHost>, assign it a port (normally 22), enable SFTPEngine on, and configure the required host keys. You can leave FTP on port 21 while testing, or deny logins in the main server context and allow them only in the SFTP virtual host when the migration is complete.
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SFTP and FTPS are not interchangeable settings: SFTP is carried by SSH2 through mod_sftp, while FTPS is the existing FTP protocol protected with SSL/TLS. That protocol difference determines the listener, firewall, authentication, and client configuration you need.
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What changes when ProFTPD serves SFTP
ProFTPD does not turn an FTP listener into SFTP merely by changing a security option. SFTP is an SSH2 subsystem implemented by the mod_sftp module. It uses one SSH transport, whereas ordinary FTP and FTPS use an FTP control connection plus separate data connections.
This distinction affects more than the name shown in a client. An SFTP service needs an SSH/SFTP port and SSH host keys. A client configured for FTP or FTPS will not speak the SFTP protocol successfully, even if it points at the same server address.
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| Characteristic | SFTP with ProFTPD | FTPS |
|---|---|---|
| Protocol stack | SSH2, provided by mod_sftp |
FTP with SSL/TLS protection |
| Connection model | One SSH transport carrying file operations | FTP control and data channels |
| Typical listener | Port 22, or another selected SSH/SFTP port | The existing FTP listener and its FTP data-channel design |
| Host identity | SSH host keys configured with SFTPHostKey |
FTP service certificate and TLS settings |
| Authentication | ProFTPD authentication plus optional public-key authorization through SFTPAuthorizedUserKeys |
FTP authentication protected by TLS |
| Client requirement | An SFTP-capable client | An FTPS-capable FTP client |
Use the SFTP procedure below when clients must connect with an SFTP protocol. If your requirement is only to encrypt existing FTP transfers while retaining FTP behavior, you are describing FTPS instead and should not apply this SFTP listener design.
Before you edit the configuration
Verify that mod_sftp is available
The installed ProFTPD build must include mod_sftp, and the module must be loaded. If it is absent or not loaded, directives such as SFTPEngine and SFTPHostKey will not provide an SFTP service. Check the module arrangement used by your operating system package or ProFTPD build before writing the virtual host.
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A common arrangement keeps ordinary FTP on port 21 and places SFTP on port 22. Port 22 must be free for ProFTPD; it cannot be occupied by another SSH service bound to the same address and port. If another service already owns it, select a documented alternate port and configure every SFTP client and firewall rule to use that port.
Collect the host keys and logging path
SFTPHostKey is required. The recommended approach is to reuse the host-key files already used by the OpenSSH server. Using different keys for what clients consider the same server can make a client report that the host identity has changed.
Choose an SFTPLog path before enabling the service. The directory must exist and be writable by the ProFTPD daemon; otherwise connections may fail or the service may start without useful SFTP diagnostics.
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Build a separate SFTP virtual host
SSH2/SFTP needs a different listening port from ordinary FTP, so place it in its own virtual host. The same address can have multiple ProFTPD virtual hosts when their Port directives differ.
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# Existing FTP listener
DefaultAddress 203.0.113.10
Port 21
<IfModule mod_sftp.c>
<VirtualHost 203.0.113.10>
Port 22
SFTPEngine on
SFTPLog /etc/proftpd/sftp/sftp.log
# Reuse the host keys used by OpenSSH
SFTPHostKey /etc/ssh/ssh_host_rsa_key
SFTPHostKey /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ecdsa_key
SFTPHostKey /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ed25519_key
# Per-user public-key authorization example
SFTPAuthorizedUserKeys file:~/.sftp/authorized_keys
</VirtualHost>
</IfModule>Adapt the address and paths
Replace 203.0.113.10 with the server address on which ProFTPD should listen. Keep the existing FTP listener only if you intentionally want both protocols available during a transition or as a permanent arrangement.
Every SFTPHostKey path must point to a readable private host-key file. The example lists RSA, ECDSA, and Ed25519 keys; use the host-key files that actually exist on your system and that correspond to the OpenSSH identity clients already know.
The file:~/.sftp/authorized_keys form is a per-user public-key authorization example. It tells mod_sftp where to look for each user’s authorized public keys. If you use password authentication instead, retain the normal ProFTPD authentication configuration and omit this directive unless you also want key-based access.
Why the host keys must match OpenSSH
Host keys identify the server to SFTP clients. Reusing the OpenSSH keys means a client sees a consistent identity when the same address is used for SSH and SFTP. Assigning unrelated keys can trigger a host-key-change warning, which clients correctly treat as a possible security problem. Do not solve that warning by casually deleting a client’s known identity; first confirm that the configured ProFTPD keys are the intended OpenSSH keys.
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Configure SFTP authentication
Password authentication
ProFTPD SFTP can use the authentication setup already applied to the ProFTPD service. Keep the existing account, password, and access-control design, then test it through an SFTP client on the new port. A successful FTP login does not by itself prove that an SFTP login is permitted, because the protocol listener and virtual-host rules can differ.
Public-key authentication
For per-user keys, configure SFTPAuthorizedUserKeys in the SFTP virtual host. The directive in the example uses each account’s ~/.sftp/authorized_keys file.
When importing an OpenSSH public key for this directive, convert it to RFC4716 format with:
ssh-keygen -e -f ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub -m RFC4716Place the converted key in the authorization file selected by SFTPAuthorizedUserKeys. Repeat the process for each account that should use key authentication, and keep the authorization file associated with the correct user.
Separate host authentication from user authorization
SFTPHostKey authenticates the server to the client; SFTPAuthorizedUserKeys authorizes a user’s public key. They solve different problems and are both easy to misconfigure. A correct user key cannot compensate for a missing required host key, and a correct host key does not grant a user access without a permitted authentication method.
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Keep FTP temporarily or make ProFTPD SFTP-only
Running both services during migration
Leaving the main FTP listener on port 21 while adding the SFTP virtual host is useful when clients need time to move. Tell each client to select SFTP, the SFTP server address, and the selected SFTP port. Do not assume that changing only the port in an FTP profile changes its protocol; the client profile must explicitly use SFTP.
Test all required accounts over SFTP before removing FTP. Include automated jobs, game-server transfers, backup tasks, and any other integrations that may not be visible in an interactive user inventory.
Deny logins globally, then allow them only in SFTP
When FTP must be removed rather than run alongside SFTP, use a global login denial and an exception for the SFTP virtual host:
<Limit LOGIN>
DenyAll
</Limit>
<VirtualHost 203.0.113.10>
<Limit LOGIN>
AllowAll
</Limit>
Port 22
SFTPEngine on
# host keys, logging, and authentication directives here
</VirtualHost>The main-server DenyAll prevents logins through the default context. The nested AllowAll re-opens login permission only inside the SFTP virtual host. Keep the SFTP host-key, log, and authentication directives in that virtual host, as shown in the earlier configuration.
Audit included files and other virtual hosts
The deny/allow pattern is effective only if the rest of the configuration agrees with it. Review existing virtual hosts and included configuration files for an FTP listener or a broader AllowAll rule that could leave an unintended login path active. A configuration include can reintroduce an FTP service even when the main file appears SFTP-only.
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Apply the change safely
- Confirm the module. Verify that the running ProFTPD installation includes and loads
mod_sftp. - Reserve a port. Use 22 if it is not already occupied by another SSH service on the selected address; otherwise choose and document an alternate port.
- Create the virtual host. Add the SFTP
<VirtualHost>with its distinctPortand setSFTPEngine on. - Add host keys. Set the required
SFTPHostKeydirectives to the same key files used by OpenSSH. - Enable logging. Set
SFTPLogand verify that its directory is writable by the ProFTPD daemon. - Choose authentication. Use the existing ProFTPD password arrangement, public keys through
SFTPAuthorizedUserKeys, or both. Convert OpenSSH public keys to RFC4716 when required. - Test before decommissioning FTP. Connect with an SFTP client against the selected address and port, authenticate with a representative account, list a directory, upload a test file, and retrieve it.
- Switch to replacement mode. If FTP is no longer needed, apply the global
DenyAlland SFTP-virtual-hostAllowAllpattern, then disable or remove the old FTP listener after client access is confirmed.
Firewall and client details to communicate
An SFTP migration changes the network endpoint clients use. Give users the server address, the exact SFTP port, the username, and whether they should authenticate with a password or a private key. If you selected an alternate port, state it explicitly; clients commonly assume port 22 for SFTP.
Open the selected port in the server’s firewall and any upstream network controls. If FTP remains available during migration, treat port 21 as a separate service and decide whether it should be reachable at all. Once the SFTP-only policy is active, a reachable FTP port should not provide a usable login path.
Troubleshoot the most common failures
| Symptom | Likely configuration issue | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| The client cannot connect to the selected port | The port is occupied, blocked, or not bound by the SFTP virtual host | Confirm that the chosen port is free, that the virtual host uses it, and that network controls permit it. |
| The service starts but SFTP is unavailable | mod_sftp is missing or not loaded, or SFTPEngine is not enabled in the intended virtual host |
Verify module loading and the exact virtual-host context containing SFTPEngine on. |
| Startup or connection errors mention host keys | SFTPHostKey is missing, points to an invalid path, or cannot be read |
Check that the required directive is present and that each path refers to the intended OpenSSH private host-key file. |
| Clients report that the server identity changed | ProFTPD is presenting keys different from the OpenSSH keys clients previously trusted | Configure the same OpenSSH host-key files with SFTPHostKey, then follow your client’s normal verified host-key update process. |
| Password login is rejected while FTP login works | The SFTP virtual host is using different login limits or authentication context | Inspect the virtual-host authentication settings and any <Limit LOGIN> rules that apply to it. |
| A public key is ignored | The key is in the wrong format or location | Convert an OpenSSH public key with the RFC4716 command, place the result in the file named by SFTPAuthorizedUserKeys, and verify the per-user path. |
| No useful SFTP log is produced | The log directory is absent or not writable by the daemon | Check the SFTPLog path and its directory permissions for the ProFTPD service account. |
| FTP still accepts logins after the migration | An old listener or included virtual host remains active, or a broader login rule overrides the intended policy | Review every included configuration file and virtual host, then apply the global deny/SFTP-only allow pattern consistently. |
SFTP versus FTPS: choose the protocol before changing ports
Choose SFTP when you want an SSH2-based file-transfer endpoint, a single SSH transport, and the option of public-key authorization through mod_sftp. Choose FTPS when clients and infrastructure must retain FTP’s control/data-channel model while adding TLS protection.
The distinction also affects client compatibility and firewall planning. An SFTP client must initiate SSH2; an FTPS client must negotiate FTP with TLS. Treating the two as interchangeable can produce a service that is encrypted but inaccessible to the software that needs it, or a listener that is open on the wrong port.
Operational checklist
mod_sftpis included in the ProFTPD build and loaded.- The SFTP virtual host has a port different from the ordinary FTP listener.
SFTPEngine onappears in that virtual host.- At least one required, readable
SFTPHostKeyis configured, using the OpenSSH host keys where appropriate. SFTPLogpoints to a writable directory.- Password or public-key authentication is configured for the intended users.
- OpenSSH public keys are converted to RFC4716 when required by the authorization setup.
- An SFTP client has successfully connected on the selected port before FTP is disabled.
- All included files and virtual hosts have been checked for unintended FTP listeners or broad login allowances.
- If the service is now SFTP-only, global login denial and the SFTP virtual-host exception are both present.
Configuration outcome
A correct migration leaves ProFTPD’s SFTP endpoint in a dedicated virtual host, with its own port, enabled SFTP engine, OpenSSH-compatible host keys, logging, and explicitly configured user authentication. You can operate that endpoint beside FTP while clients migrate, or enforce SFTP-only access by denying login globally and allowing it solely in the SFTP virtual host.
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