Let us take a closer look at how to add FTP user on DigitalOcean with the support of our DigitalOcean managed services at Bobcares.

Setting Up Directories, Users, and Permissions to add FTP user on DigitalOcean

Follow the instructions given below to make a new user with access to the FTP server.

useradd --shell /bin/false username

Set that user’s password by typing in the code given below:

passwd username

At this point, we need to create specific folders that the users will be able to access. Let’s start by making one and then giving it permission:

mkdir /home/somedirectorychown username:username /home/somedirectory

After that, restart the server for everything to take effect and to add FTP user DigitalOcean:

service proftpd restart

Finally, let’s create an empty file in our user’s directory so we can validate it when we try to connect.

echo "Test!" > /home/somedirectory/sample.txt

Accessing the Server

Open an FTP client, enter the IP address as the “server,” and log in with the credentials we set previously. Check that the port is set to 21.

We should see the sample.txt file we produced in the user’s directory after logging in by choosing “Connect.”

Instructions for FTP/SSH user

Part 1

1. Firstly to add an FTP user on digitalocean, log in to the server as the primary FTP/domain user using SSH or FTP. In this example, the primary domain user will be referred to as “alpha.”
2. Create the new FTP user’s preferred home directory. In this case, the new user’s directory will be abcd.com/httpdocs/beta directory.
3. Log in as the root user to the server using SSH.
4. Examine the /etc/passwd file for the principal domain user ID (UID). Note that the ‘abcd’ is used as an example. egrep "abcd" /etc/passwd .

   This will result in a line similar to this. abcd:x:10001:2524::/var/www/vhosts/abcd.com:/bin/false.The UID is the number following the x.

Part 2

1. To create a new FTP user to add to DigitalOcean, run the following command. In this scenario, the new user is referred to is ‘user’ as an example.

   Keep in mind to match the UID. useradd -d /var/www/vhosts/abcd.com/httpdocs/user_directory/ -ou 10001 -g psacln -s /bin/bash beta.

   After this, an output similar to the following will open up. useradd: warning: the home directory already exists. Not copying any file from skel directory into it.
2. Notes on this command to add FTP user DigitalOcean.

   -d specifies the new user’s home directory. It should be the directory to which FTP access is being granted.

   -ou specifies that the new user’s UID will NOT be unique, and then specifies the UID. Replace 10001 with the UID from the /etc/passwd file.

   The -g option specifies the new user’s group. Psacln is correct for all Plesk-based DV servers.

   The -s option specifies the type of SSH access: /bin/false disables SSH access. We can use /bin/bash or any shell if to allow SSH access.
3. Finally, Set the new user’s password. passwd beta. The following questions will be posed to us. New UNIX password: Retype new UNIX password:

   Enter the new password twice. We won’t see the cursor move. The output should be as follows. passwd: all authentication tokens updated successfully.

This is the final step to add FTP user DigitalOcean. We can now access FTP and SSH using the new user.

When we use this user to create or upload files, they will belong to the main domain user (“alpha” in our case), so we won’t have any permissions issues. This user’s access to their home directory will likewise be restricted.

[Need assistance with similar queries? We are here to help]

Conclusion

To conclude we have learned about how to add an FTP user on DigitalOcean in a few simple steps and Fttp- user instructions with the assistance of our DigitalOcean managed services at Bobcares.